Domain Name System
Introduction to DNS
The Domain Name System (DNS) is a distributed database system used for name resolution
in TCP/IP networks.
DNS maps user-friendly computer names to their corresponding IP addresses.
Benefits of using DNS:
User-friendly names are easier to remember than IP addresses.
Server names can remain constant even if IP addresses change.
Provides a single naming convention for both Internet and intranet resources.
Key Components of DNS
To understand how DNS maps names to IP addresses, you need to understand three
components:
Domain namespace
Zones
Name servers
Domain Namespace
Provides the structure of the DNS distributed database.
Each domain has a unique name.
Hierarchical structure:
Root domain: Represented by a period (.).
Top-level domains (TLDs): Organizational types (e.g., COM, EDU) or geographic locations
(e.g., AU).
Second-level domains: Registered to individuals or organizations (e.g., Microsoft.com,
Stanford.edu, gov.au).
Subdomains: Can exist under second-level domains.
Hosts: Specific computers within a domain.
Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN): Describes the exact relation of a host to its domain.
DNS uses the FQDN to map a hostname to an IP address.
Zones
Domains can be organized into zones for administrative purposes.
A zone is a discrete and contiguous area of the domain namespace.
Dividing a namespace into zones allows for delegation of authority for different portions of it.
Name-to-IP address data for computers in a zone is stored in a zone database file on a DNS
name server.
Name Servers
A name server holds the primary zone database file for a zone and has authority for making
changes to the zone file.
Secondary name servers store a copy of the zone file to balance network load.
Zone transfer: The process by which secondary zone database files are regularly updated
from the primary zone database file.
Name Resolution Process
Name resolution maps user-friendly names to numerical IP addresses.
The process involves sending a query to one or a series of name servers to locate the IP
address of the requested computer.
The query contains the FQDN of the requested computer.
Forward Lookup Query: A request to map a name to an IP address.
Example of Forward Lookup Query
1. A client wants to find the IP address of webserver1.training.microsoft.com.
2. The client queries its local name server.
3. The local name server checks its zone database file, but it does not have authority for the
domain.
4. The local name server contains information that points to the root name servers.
5. The local name server sends a query to a root name server.
6. The root name server responds with the IP addresses of the name servers for the top-level
domain (com).
7. The local name server queries a com name server.
8. The com name server responds with a referral to the Microsoft.com name servers.
9. The local name server sends its request to the Microsoft.com name servers.
10. The Microsoft.com name servers have the zone database files that contain the name-to-IP
address mapping information for webserver1.training.microsoft.com.
11. The Microsoft.com name server passes the requested IP address to the local name server.
12. The local name server passes the IP address for webserver1.training.microsoft.com to the
client.
13. The client establishes a TCP/IP connection with web server 1, and data can be transmitted.
Key Takeaways
DNS is an integral part of client-server communications in TCP/IP networks.
The domain namespace may be divided into zones for administrative purposes.
Name servers store either the primary or secondary zone database files.
Zone files are kept up to date by the zone transfer process.
Name resolution is the process of resolving a FQDN to an IP address.
DNS is a distributed database with a hierarchical structure that can serve as the foundation
for name resolution in a TCP/IP network.
