How to Test a DNS Client

DNS clients resolve domain names to numeric IP addresses.

The Domain Name System (DNS) was developed for the benefit of human users who find it easier to remember text names than long strings of numbers that computers use to communicate. Thanks to DNS, a user can open a Web browser and navigate to "google.com" rather than having to remember and type in its IP address, 74.125.19.147. These conversions are handled by DNS clients, better known as DNS servers. Testing a DNS server allows you to verify that it is online and resolving names to IP addresses correctly.

Instructions

1. Click the Windows "Start" icon in the lower left corner of your desktop.

2. Type "cmd" without quotes and press the "Enter" key.

3. Ping a Web site of your choice. For example, type "ping google.com" without quotes and press the "Enter" key.

4. View the results. The domain name you queried should resolve to an IP address. If the result is "destination host unknown," then either the DNS client is misconfigured or no DNS mapping exists for that domain name.

5. Type "exit" and press the "Enter" key to close the command prompt window.

Tips & Warnings

• If you receive a "destination host unknown" error, repeat the Ping test for several other known domain names to ensure that your ping tool is working. If all of your DNS queries generate errors, check your Internet connect and the networking configuration on your computer.