DNs query
DNs query
Hello everyone. I’m seeking your insights on this interesting scenario. Imagine a user accessing a website through their browser. To retrieve the page, DNS queries are initiated. We’re considering a specific domain path: a.b.c.d.e.com. Based on what I’ve learned, each query is directed to the very first server that receives the request. Once that server’s IP address is obtained, the same process repeats until the target server is located. The confusion lies in why every found IP address is sent back to the initial web server, rather than directly to the next layer server. Why doesn’t each server make just one query to the subsequent server? And how does this chain ultimately lead back to the starting point for the user? Your explanations would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Explore the DNS process using a simpler case such as a.mywebsite.com. Imagine your DNS server doesn’t store any cached queries, and your upstream DNS—like a Windows 2019 server named DNS01—operates without caching. When a user tries to look up A.MYWEBSITE1.COM, the request goes straight to the local DNS server (perhaps a router we configured to forward queries). DNS01 receives it but doesn’t know where mywebsite.com is located.
Recall that the .com extension is usually managed by different providers and isn’t handled by standard DNS services. DNS needs to spread across global root servers, which isn’t how it’s structured. It isn’t meant to function like a simple chain where you ask the root server, then a TLD server, and so on.
DNS is fast and lightweight, designed to handle multiple queries efficiently. It doesn’t rely on a single server querying a root before finding an answer. Instead, it works by making a few targeted requests to relevant servers, delivering the correct information quickly. For deeper subdomains like a.b.c.mywebsite.com, a similar A record exists, eliminating the need for multiple lookups. From an operating system perspective, handling such queries on a single server is straightforward and efficient.