Keeping your data and information secure is essential. DNS monitoring is a powerful tool that enables organizations to monitor their own DNS server to quickly detect potential threats and vulnerabilities, proactively respond to malicious activities, and optimize their website or network performance. Do you want to learn more about it? Great! You are in the right place. But let’s first explain briefly what DNS is.

Explain Briefly What DNS Is

When a hostname, such as squadrainformatica.com, is typed into a web browser’s address bar, a process known as resolution occurs to convert the hostname into an IP address (e.g., 92.38.169.175). This process happens so quickly that it is usually invisible to the user, but it involves four different types of DNS servers working in unison to achieve the correct resolution.

DNS Monitoring – Definition 

DNS monitoring is an essential part of the Monitoring service. It is the process of monitoring a DNS (Domain Name System) server to detect any potential problems or downtime. The DNS server is responsible for translating a URL or website address into the numerical IP address associated with that website or service, so any issues with the DNS server can cause severe disruptions to the system.

By using DNS monitoring, the system can be made aware of any downtime before it happens, allowing necessary protocols and procedures to be set in place to minimize any disruptions. This can involve caching web pages and providing alternate routes for legitimate requests to keep the system running smoothly.

Benefits of DNS Monitoring for Increasing System Uptime

  • Increased security: It can help identify malicious or suspicious activity, allowing organizations to respond proactively to their threats. 
  • Improved performance: DNS monitoring can help identify domain name server performance issues, allowing organizations to optimize their website or network utility by improving the server’s response time. 
  • Faster troubleshooting: By monitoring Domain Name System activity, organizations can detect potential issues faster and troubleshoot problems.
  • Improved customer experience: DNS monitoring can help organizations ensure customers have access to the services they need by quickly identifying problems.
  • Data gathering: It can provide organizations with valuable insights into their online users’ browsing patterns, which can help create more personalized services.

What You Should Monitor by DNS

When monitoring your DNS server, there are several essential things to watch out for. Checking the IP address against the one you provide, ensuring your Start of Authority record is up-to-date, and testing your Mail Exchange and Service Records for any errors or attacks are essential for keeping your data and information security. Also, keeping an eye on the Nameservers is vital for noticing any attempted tamperings with your primary or backup record, helping you to prevent or detect any malicious activity quickly.

So to sum it up, it is important to keep an eye on the following:

  • IP address – IPv4, IPv6, etc
  • SOA record
  • MX record
  • SRV record
  • NS record

DNS Monitoring vs TCP Monitoring

DNS monitoring and TCP monitoring are two tools used by IT professionals to check the health of their networks. Domain Name System monitoring periodically checks the availability of DNS nameservers, while TCP monitoring measures the performance and reliability of a TCP connection between two hosts. Both are essential for ensuring a reliable and secure network, but important distinctions exist in the methods used. Domain Name System monitoring focuses more on server performance and availability, while TCP monitoring is primarily used to measure network performance. TCP monitoring can be used to identify slow or clogged connections, pinpointing which devices are causing the problems. On the other hand, Domain Name System monitoring is used to ensure that the DNS nameservers are functioning correctly and responding quickly to queries. Using both DNS and TCP monitoring is the best way to guarantee that a network is operating efficiently and securely.

Conclusion

DNS monitoring is critical for ensuring the security, integrity, and performance of your networks, services, and customers. You can identify potential threats by using the right one, proactively responding to malicious activities, optimizing response times, and ensuring your customers have consistent access to the services they need. Protect your business today by implementing a robust Domain Name System monitoring strategy.

Do you want to know why an authoritative DNS server is essential? Great. You are in the right place. Why? Because in this article today, we will explore exactly that and other exciting things about it.

Explanation of authoritative DNS server 

A DNS server that both maintains the original Resource Records and the Zone for the DNS Namespace domain is known as an authoritative DNS server. The information for name resolution of the DNS Namespace domain that it stores originated from reliable DNS servers. The last informational source for name resolution for the DNS zones they hold is an authoritative DNS server.

There are two essential duties for an authoritative DNS server. One is to store a list of domain names and their associated IP addresses (TLD name servers). The second is maintaining all zone DNS records and responding to recursive server queries using the appropriate DNS record (A, MX, TXT, etc.). Recursive servers must deliver the needed information to connect to the computer and browser, load the requested webpage, and complete the transaction.

Several variables can somewhat alter this process, but generally, it proceeds as described each time a client requests your website. And it needs to happen as soon as possible to prevent them from growing impatient and walking away.

How do I check the authoritative DNS servers?

You can use the nslookup command, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, to check authoritative DNS servers.

We must perform a DNS lookup to find all nameservers for the domain.

Launch the Command Prompt in Windows or the Terminal in macOS or Linux. Next, run: nslookup -type=ns example.com

The nameservers and their IP addresses (IPv4 or IPv6) will be listed. Furthermore, you can replace example.com with the domain name of your choice.

You can also examine each nameserver individually to ensure they respond correctly and on time.

How do I set it up?

  1. First, register a domain with your domain name registry.
  2. Each domain name registrar lets you set up primary and secondary name servers (master and slave servers).

In addition, you need first to subscribe to DNS hosting plan and add their name servers to your domain name’s registrar’s list of authoritative name servers before you can utilize the dynamic DNS service or DNS hosting services. Then, and only then, the server responds to queries for your domain name.

Conclusion

Let’s review. In simple words, authoritative DNS servers are responsible for the intended website‘s IP “mapping.” The authoritative server response to the recursive server contains crucial information about each website, such as IP addresses and other DNS records. DNS hosting providers often oversee reliable servers.