Being a global, hierarchical and distributed host information database, the Domain Name System, or DNS, is one of the most fundamental building blocks of the Internet. Acting like the "phone book' of the Internet, it translates domain names meaningful to humans into numerical identifiers for the purpose of locating and addressing devices on networks worldwide.
Needless to say, DNS issues can cripple productivity and hamper the profitability of your enterprise.
One of the most common DNS issues is faulty delegation of a DNS sub-domain. This can result in slow lookups or failure of registering of Active Directory services in the DNS. Consequently, users may be unable to access vital data or log on to their computers. Response times may also be delayed.
Due to DNS service halts, machine crashes or mistakes in firewall practices, a DNS server often becomes unreachable. Unresponsive servers, in turn, result in increased lookup times and decreased system efficiency. DNS queries may stop getting answered and users may be unable to access the Web or their e-mail accounts. This issue is most likely to occur in an environment with multiple DNS servers.
To verify the legitimacy of the original IP address, many ERP systems do DNS lookups in reverse domain, that is, lookup records that map IP addresses to domain names. If reverse records are incorrectly configured by DNS administrators, users may be unable to access SAP or FTP services.
A CNAME that refers to a domain name without an IP address is a fairly common DNS error. Such a CNAME error could cause lookup failures and, owing to the non-existent server, make it impossible for users to access critical online services.
A failed dynamic DNS update or an erroneous manual update often results in records not registering on the DNS. Also, failure in de-registering DNS records when a service is no longer active or is moved to a different host results in ghost records. Users will be unable to access the old domain controller as it is not on the network anymore and the new domain controller will remain invisible to them.
An efficient DNS appliance is desirable for constant monitoring of the DNS records within your enterprise, enabling you to avoid these productivity-hampering issues. A DNS solution that offers centralized domain and database management, data integrity verification, auditing, diagnostics and ease of integration should fulfill the DNS management requirements of your enterprise.
BT Diamond IP is a leading provider of IPAM software and DHCP / DNS appliance products and services that help customers effectively manage complex IP networks. For additional information, please visit http://btdiamondip.com/ or call +1-800-390-6295 in the US or +1-610-423-4770 worldwide.
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