DNS Analyzer

DNS Analyzer

Engineer's Edition

Broadband Engineer's Edition

The DNS Analyzer tool can be used to visually display the hierarchy of DNS Resource records, including Name Server, CName, and Pointer. The relationships between multiple Name Servers and target IP Addresses are easy to distinguish visually using the DNS Structure diagram. Redirections from one Name Server to other Name Servers are shown as well.

Getting Started

To get started, enter the hostname, URL, or e-mail address that you want to analyze and press ENTER.

The DNS Analyzer will now begin querying DNS servers to analyze and draw the relationships between the DNS serves within your domain.

Once the analysis has been completed, you can view each node's details by right-clicking on a node and selecting Show Details.

The Details pane will then be displayed on the right side of the screen.

This windows displays the following information:

Server Details

Question sent to the server

Record type asked for

Parent node details

Records returned

When you right-click on a link between nodes, select Packet Details to view the packet sent between the two servers.

DNS Analyzer Menus

File Menu

New Diagram

Clears the existing diagram.

Open Diagram

Opens a previously saved diagram.

Save

Saves the current diagram.

Save As

Saves the current diagram to a new file.

Settings

Opens the Settings dialog.

Refresh

Redraws the current diagram with a new scan.

Publish to Web

Exports the results to an HTML file.

Export Diagram

Opens the Export DNS Structure Diagram dialog.

Send to 3 Floppy (A)

Sends the results to the Floppy Drive in a format of your choice.

Send to Desktop (create shortcut)

Sends the results to the Windows Desktop in a format of your choice.

Send to Mail Recipient (as Attachment)

Sends the results to an email recipient in a format of your choice as an attachment.

Send to Mail Recipient

Sends the results to an email recipient in a format of your choice.

Send to My Documents

Sends the results to the My Documents folder for the current Windows user in a format of your choice.

Print Setup

Opens the Print Setup dialog.

Print Preview

Previews the results exactly the same as it would appear when printed.

Print Diagram

Prints the current diagram.

Exit

Closes the DNS Analyzer.

Edit Menu

Copy as Bitmap

Copies the diagram as a bitmap to the Windows clipboard.

Copy as Metafile

Copies the diagram as a Metafile to the Windows clipboard

Select All

Selects every object in the diagram.

Delete Selected

Deletes the selected objects from the diagram.

Hide

Hides the selected objects from the diagram.

UnHide All

Returns all of the hidden objects to the diagram

Diagram Menu

Select

Changes the cursor to the Select cursor.

Pan

Changes the cursor to the Pan cursor. Allows you to pan the screen in all directions by clicking and dragging the mouse.

Interactive Zoom

Changes the cursor to the Interactive Zoom cursor. Allows you to zoom in and out by clicking and dragging the mouse up and down.

Marquee Zoom

Changes the cursor to the Marquee Zoom cursor. Allows you to select a zoom area by clicking and dragging the mouse around a specific area.

Zoom

Presents you with a number of different zoom options.

Auto Arrange ?Circular

Rearranges the diagram in a circular pattern.

Auto Arrange ?Hierarchical

Rearranges the diagram in a hierarchical pattern.

Auto Arrange ?Orthogonal

Rearranges the diagram in a orthogonal pattern.

Auto Arrange ?Tree

Rearranges the diagram in a tree pattern.

Auto Arrange ?Symmetrical

Rearranges the diagram in a symmetrical pattern.

Auto Arrange - Reorganize

Redraws the diagram in the selected Auto Arrange style.

Auto Arrange - Auto Arrange Properties

Opens the Layout Properties dialog.

Auto Arrange - Arrange Labels

Automatically adjusts the label positions in the diagram.

Show Details

Opens the Details pane.

DNS Analyzer Toolbar

	Saves the current diagram.
	Prints the current diagram.
	Previews the results exactly the same as it would appear when printed.
	Redraws the current diagram with a new scan.
	Changes the cursor to the Select cursor.
	Changes the cursor to the Pan cursor.
	Zooms to fit the entire diagram into the window.
	Changes the cursor to the Marquee Zoom cursor.
	Changes the cursor to the Interactive Zoom cursor.
	Zooms in on the diagram.
	Zooms out of the diagram.
	Changes the cursor to the Navigate cursor.
	Opens the Settings dialog.

	Scans and draws the DNS Analysis diagram.
	Stops the current DNS Analysis scan.

DNS Analyzer Settings

Open the Settings dialog by either clicking the button, or selecting Settings from the File menu.

Root DNS Servers tab

This is where you can add and remove Root DNS Servers from the list.

Details tab

DNS Query Timeout

Amount of time to wait before a query is returned.

Name Server Resolution

Option to resolve suggested Name Servers without addresses.

Understanding the DNS Analyzer

Color Guide

Root Name Server ? Represents the Root Name servers used to start the chain of queries. These are the first name servers queried during a DNS Analysis. You may change the Root Name servers in the settings dialog.

Name Server ? Represents a non-Top Level Domain name server which was referred to us by another name server.

CName ?Represents a record returned from a Name Server that indicates that the target Hostname that we are querying for is really an alias for another Hostname.

MX Record ? Represents a record returned from a Name Server indicating the hostname of the computer that is designated to receive Email traffic.

Global Top Level Domain Servers (GTLD) - Represents Name Servers which are known to be at the top level of the internet naming system (DNS). GTLD Servers are typically used as the Root Name Server for DNS Analysis.

Authoritative Address ?Represents a record returned from a Name Server containing the Authoritative IP Address for the request hostname. Authoritative indicates that the Name Server is the authority for the queried domain.

Address ? Represents a record returned from a Name Server containing an IP Address for the queried hostname. These record types are returned by Name Servers which have previously queried other Name Servers for the address, and have cached the answer.

Error ?Represents an error during the Analysis. If a Name server fails to respond in the designated timeout period, an error node will be drawn with the description 淭imeout? Other errors may include 淣ame Error? which indicates that the queried hostname does not exist.

Example 1

The Root Name Server is GTLD. The additional Name Servers are ns1.msft.net, ns3.msft.net, ns5.msft.net, ns4.msft.net, ns2.msft.net. All Name Servers point to one authoritative server. Msn.com does not appear to have any DNS issues.

Example 2

The Root Name Server is GTLD. The additional Name Servers are ns1.msft.net, ns3.msft.net, ns4.msft.net, and ns2.msft.net. All Name Servers point the authoritative servers. In this example, the dns is hosted from 8 different servers.

Example 3

There are 14 Root Name Servers listed and 22 name servers. A non-authoritative address is found and an alias. The address is non-authoritative because it comes from the Name Servers cache.

Example 4

In the example above, there is an error reported from one of the Name Servers. This represents a time out issue.

Additional Resources:

DNS and BIND by Paul Albitz and Cricket Liu.

Concise Guide to Windows 2000 DNS by Andy Ruth, Bob Collier, Bobbie Collier.

Hints and Tips

Add custom keyboard shortcuts

You can add custom keyboard shortcuts by right-clicking on the toolbar and then selecting Customize. Select the Options tab and then click the button.

Set any node as the Root and rescan

Right-click on a node and select Set node as Root and ReQuery. This will start a new DNS Analysis based on that node.

DNS Analyzer Frequently Asked Questions

Q Can I make any changes to my servers using this tool?

A No. This tool only analyzes the current configuration, and cannot make changes to servers.

Q Can this tool be automated?

A Yes. You can use any scripting or COM compliant language to program this tool.

Q Why can't I print or export data with the evaluation copy?

A The Evaluation Versions are purposely limited so that the 淧rint? and 淓xport?functions do not operate. Upgrade to the Licensed Version of the software to use these features.