Best Ways to Troubleshoot DNS Issues

Troubleshoot DNS Issues

    DNS (Domain Name System)  is a naming database. Here the internet domain names are located and translated into IP addresses. An Internet server uses a numerical IP address system to know which websites to connect and load to the browser. It connects the domain name with the IP number and then connects to the appropriate website. It also stores the name of websites that users have visited so that next time they type them then it gets loaded faster. If your DNS isn't working then you won't be able to access the internet or any service that uses the internet. 

But at times users may not be able to connect to a domain name. DNS may not be able to connect the domain name to an IP address. A message showing “DNS server not available” or “Server DNS Address could not be found” may appear on your screen. This scenario is called DNS failure.

DNS failure occurs due to a problem in the working of the router or modem, browser, Internet Service Provider (ISP), or the computer itself.

DNS timeouts and misconfigurations occur when there are some issues in the hardware or in the DNS itself. Hardware issues can be resolved quickly but if there are issues in the DNS itself then it requires in-depth troubleshooting and also additional resources to resolve it. 

DNS Issues can arise due to DNS tree propagation i.e. when the DNS chain till the authoritative DNS nameserver. There the IP address of the host is stored which is long and that increases the resolution time. This is the reason for the inconsistency between a monitoring timeout limit and the time taken to complete DNS resolving. Due to this DNS timeout occurs.

DNS timeout can also occur if DNS resolving takes more than 11 seconds.

Troubleshooting a DNS Failure

• Many times just restarting the device or the software can solve major problems. If restart doesn't work then follow the instructions for restarting in “Safe Mode” and then restart the system.

• For this, you have to press the power button or completely unplug the power cord. Then restart the system and check if the error is fixed in a few minutes or not.  If an update is required, update the system so that it runs smoothly.

• You can temporarily disable your firewall or antivirus software by turning them off manually. After that try opening the browser and see if it's working now or not.

• You can change your browser if your current browser is not working. You can also uninstall that browser and then reload it.

• You can temporarily disable your firewall or antivirus software by turning them off manually. After that try opening the browser and see if it's working now or not.

• Sometimes you may get a DNS failure just because you won't have cleared your browser’s cache. Hence always keep clearing your browser’s cache.

• Close the extra connections i.e. Bluetooth or any kind of peer-to-peer features if open. Then restart your browser.

• Always update your system and your browser and check for antiviruses. 

• Locate the correct DNS settings via a network administrator or ISP then check them against the ones in your system.

• Check the DNS tree and analyze at which point a DNS server issue or timeout has occurred. This can be done by getting an Online Report for the monitoring device. For this, you can use the Dotcom-Monitor DNS trace tool. To begin with, enter the IP and location then start the test. There on the Log tab and use the built-in DNS Trace option. The testing is done by checking the propagation started from the root servers which is executed for the Device Cached and Non-Cached DNS modes.

Troubleshooting DNS Errors

For this, you have to review the error description provided for each server node of the DNS tree. If there are DNS errors and you experience them often then you have to set up a separate DNS task for the domain where there is an error and set up a specific monitoring frequency for checking domain name resolution into an IP. 

Apart from the DNS tree you also have to check the network devices, browsers, DNS records, service provider, latency issues, and other devices too. Start with the devices where the work is done fast then move towards the devices where the troubleshooting is time-consuming. DNS records and latency issues are time-consuming. 

Troubleshooting DNS Timeout

If there is an issue with DNS server timeout then contact your service provider. 

If the DNS server is overloaded then the server response time to a name request will be slowed down.

Change the DNS resolve mode to TTL Cached and use an external DNS server when there are no DNS server timeout issues.

In case there are DNS timeout errors then change your resolving mode from Device Cached to TTL Cached. 

The Dotcom-Monitor makes a full resolution from root DNS servers in the Device Cached Mode. There is no caching on every check. This is the most reliable approach of all other Troubleshoot DNS Issues approaches.

This approach however increases the device execution time which may lead to timeout issues.  

To resolve a website IP address the DNS lookup information is cached locally on a computer. 

Conclusion-

Nowadays, every aspect of a person's professional and many aspects of their personal life as well is controlled by the internet. But the internet cannot be accessible to us if there are issues with the DNS. Hence it's important to resolve DNS issues if they occur and prevent them from occurring by checking the functioning of devices from time to time.