DNS Interview Questions, Answers & Troubleshooting Guid
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This comprehensive guide covers important DNS (Domain Name System) interview questions, basic concepts, server types, DNS zones, resource records, and real-world troubleshooting scenarios. It is useful for system administrators, networking students, and professionals preparing for interviews.
⭐ DNS Interview Questions and Answers
1) What are the different types of DNS servers?
Ans:
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Standard Primary
-
Standard Secondary
-
Active Directory–Integrated
-
Root Server
-
Caching-Only Server
-
Forwarders
-
Master DNS Server
2) What is TTL?
Ans: TTL stands for Time To Live, defining how long a DNS record can be cached.
3) What is a PTR record?
Ans: A Pointer (PTR) record is used in Reverse Lookup Zones to map an IP address to a hostname.
4) What is the primary purpose of DNS?
Ans: DNS is mainly used for hostname-to-IP address resolution.
5) What is SOA (Start of Authority)?
Ans: The SOA record stores key information such as the serial number, showing the number of updates made to a DNS zone.
6) What is Dynamic DNS?
Ans: Dynamic DNS automatically updates DNS records whenever IP or host information changes.
7) What is the maximum character limit for DNS names?
Ans: Maximum 63 characters per DNS label.
9) What is a DNS Zone or Zone File?
Ans: A zone represents the DNS database for a domain or domain + subdomains. This data is stored in a zone file.
11) Why do we create multiple DNS servers for the same zone?
Ans:
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Load balancing
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High availability / fault tolerance
12) What is a Caching-Only DNS Server?
Ans:
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It does not store zones.
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Resolves queries and caches the results temporarily.
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Provides faster responses for repeated queries.
13) What is Zone Transfer?
Ans: The process of copying DNS zone data from Primary to Secondary DNS servers.
14) What is a Master DNS Server?
Ans: The server that holds the authoritative and editable copy of the DNS zone.
15) What are Forwarders?
Ans: A forwarder is another DNS server to which queries are forwarded for further resolution.
17) Which protocol does DNS support?
Ans: Dynamic Update Protocol (supports dynamic DNS updates).
18) What are the four core DNS service records?
Ans:
-
_msdcs -
_sites -
_tcp -
_udp
19) What are the six key DNS service records in Windows Server 2003?
Ans:
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_msdcs: Microsoft domain controller services
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_sites: AD Site information
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_tcp / _udp: Protocols used for AD communication
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Domain DNS Zones: Domain-level DNS data
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Forest DNS Zones: Forest-wide DNS data
19) What is a Resource Record?
Ans: Any DNS entry in a zone (e.g., A, CNAME, PTR, SRV) is a Resource Record (RR).
21) When do you configure a Root DNS Server?
Ans:
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Only when a network is not connected to the internet,
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Or when internet access is provided through a proxy.
22) What is Forward Lookup Zone?
Ans: Converts hostname → IP address.
23) What is Reverse Lookup Zone?
Ans: Converts IP address → hostname.
24) What is a Standard Primary Zone?
Ans: Holds the master copy of the DNS zone in a text file. All changes must be made here.
25) What is a Standard Secondary Zone?
Ans: Stores a read-only copy of the DNS zone received from the primary server.
26) What is a Root Server?
Ans: Contains the zone for the root domain and helps DNS servers locate top-level domains.
27) What is Round Robin DNS?
Ans: Load-balancing technique where multiple servers share the same hostname but different IPs.
28) Can a Root Server use Forwarders?
Ans: No, root servers cannot forward queries.
29) What are Root Hints?
Ans:
-
List of root server names and IPs DNS uses for external resolution.
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Windows DNS servers include 13 root hints by default.
32) What is an Active Directory–Integrated Zone?
Ans: DNS data is stored in Active Directory instead of zone files and supports multi-master replication.
33) What is a Simple Query?
Ans: A DNS query that can be resolved without contacting another DNS server.
34) What is a Recursive Query?
Ans: A query where DNS must contact other DNS servers to resolve the request.
35) What is DNS Scavenging?
Ans: Removes stale DNS records such as old A or PTR records.
36) What is an SRV Record?
Ans: Maps specific services (like AD services) to the servers hosting them.
37) What is a CNAME Record?
Ans: An alias that points one hostname to another hostname.
38) What is a Stub Zone?
Ans: A small zone file containing NS, SOA, and A records pointing to authoritative servers.
⭐ Important DNS Server Properties (Advanced Tab)
-
Disable recursion → Prevents DNS from performing recursive lookups
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BIND Secondaries → Enables compatibility with BIND DNS servers
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Fail on bad zone data → Rejects corrupted zones
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Round Robin → Enables DNS load distribution
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Netmask Ordering → Optimizes responses in multi-NIC systems
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Secure cache against pollution → Prevents cache poisoning attacks
⭐ DNS TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE (Rewritten & Simplified)
50) How to check if AD DNS records are properly registered?
Ensure these folders exist in Forward Lookup Zones:
-
_msdcs -
_sites -
_tcp -
_udp
51) A Records appear and disappear randomly
Cause: WINS lookup is enabled for the zone.
52) Cannot log in or join a domain
Cause:
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DC not pointing to itself for DNS
-
Clients not pointing to the internal DNS server
53) Cannot open internal website with same domain name
Fix: Add a WWW A record pointing to the public IP.
54) Common DNS configuration mistakes
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DC not pointing to its own DNS
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“.” Root zone exists
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Clients pointing to external DNS instead of internal DNS
55) Nslookup error: No response from server
Cause: Missing PTR record for DNS server.
56) Nslookup error on 127.0.0.1
Cause: No DNS server configured on client.
57) DNS issues with IP filtering
Cause: Filtering blocks DNS ports (53).
58) “DNS name does not exist”
Causes:
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Wrong DNS settings
-
Netlogon starts before DNS
59) DNS on a multihomed server
Not recommended. If used, configure binding to a single NIC.
60) DNS request timed out
Usually caused by incorrect DNS or missing reverse lookup entries.
62) DNS server can ping internet IPs but cannot browse websites
Fix: Server must use internal DNS, not ISP DNS.
63) How to register DNS records?
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Manually via DNS Manager
-
Use
netlogonservice -
CLI:
ipconfig /registerdns
64) Steps to troubleshoot DNS issues
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Run nslookup
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Check DNS configuration:
ipconfig /all -
Force registration:
ipconfig /registerdns -
Check Event Viewer logs
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Run
nltest /dsgetdc:domainname -
Enable Netlogon debug logs
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Run
dcdiag /v -
Use Network Monitor if needed
65) Verify DNS entry registration
Use:
nslookup computername.domain.com
67) Steps to clear corrupted AD-integrated DNS
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Switch zone to standard primary
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Delete zone
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ipconfig /flushdns -
Recreate zone
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Restart Netlogon
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ipconfig /registerdns
68) Ensuring AD DNS registration
Check zone properties → Allow Dynamic Updates: Yes
Ensure system folders (_msdcs, _tcp, etc.) are present.
69) Internal DNS resolving internet names
DNS will use root hints if no "." zone exists.
72) Configuring DNS Forwarders
DNS → Server Properties → Forwarders → Add ISP DNS
Enable forwarders only if root zone is removed.
75) Secondary DNS Issues
-
Ensure correct master IP
-
Ensure connectivity
-
Configure each DNS to point to the other
83) Why must DC point to itself for DNS?
So Netlogon can register AD-related records.
86) What does “netdiag /fix” do?
-
Fixes DNS registration
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Repairs domain controller DNS GUID issues
⭐ Conclusion
DNS is a critical component of network communication and Active Directory operations. Proper DNS configuration ensures stability, fast resolution, reliable authentication, and seamless domain functionality. By understanding concepts such as zones, records, forwarders, root hints, and troubleshooting tools, administrators can prevent and resolve DNS issues efficiently.
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