Having DNS Problems? Here’s How to Diagnose

Having problems with DNS can be quite a nuisance. When they arise, you can’t reach the internet or specific sites on the web.

There are, luckily, some steps you can take on your own if you suspect DNS problems are messing with your surfing. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to diagnose DNS problems.

What is DNS?

First, let’s look into what DNS is and how it works. DNS, short for Domain Name System, is the address book of the internet. It is a decentralized naming system, responsible for matching IP addresses with corresponding domain names. It enables you to find sites by their names and without it you’d have to type the exact IP address of every site you want to visit directly into your browser’s URL or address bar.

DNS is decentralized, meaning there are numerous DNS servers around the world whose purpose is to look up DNS records and perform different DNS services. All of them are, however, connected to 13 root servers, maintained independently by various agencies. Verisign, US Army Research Lab, IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority), and ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) are some of the agencies controlling the root servers.

How to Tell You’re Having DNS Problems?

The entire web rests on the ability of DNS servers to properly match IP addresses with the names of the sites and users` computers. When a mismatch happens, a site can’t be reached or a particular user can’t reach the said website. The mismatch can happen both on your local DNS server (which prevents you from reaching an internet website) or on the DNS server of a particular site you’re trying to reach (preventing the site from being reached).

What to Do When Things Go Bad?

When DNS works properly, people can find your site and you can browse the interwebs without a fuss. But when things go awry, given the complexity of the system, problems might pop up in a variety of places. Therefore, it is best to have a good troubleshooting strategy at hand. Here are some of the common methods we recommend.

Check Network Connectivity

When you experience a problem in reaching a certain website, make sure to check your web connectivity first. You can access your Network Connectivity settings via Network and Sharing Center. Here, you should see the connection between your computer, your local network, and the internet. If all is fine and dandy with the network and internet connection, you can proceed with DNS troubleshooting. Also, check if you have a valid IP address. Many times, the problem is as simple as a wrong IP address.

Try to Reach Your DNS Server

The next thing you might try is to reach your DNS server. Go to Start Menu by clicking the Windows button in the lower left corner of your monitor. Next, start the command prompt. Typically, the Command Prompt will open with the following location: “C:UsersYour Computer Name>”. Type the command “cd” and press Enter. Repeat the same command until you reach the “C:” location.

Next, type the command “ipconfig” and press Enter. The Command Prompt will then show you your DNS and IP settings. To reach your DNS server, type the command “ping”, then press space and enter the numbers you see in the “Default Gateway” column. When you have entered them, press Enter. Your computer will then try to reach the DNS server. If you have DNS problems, you won’t be able to reach it.

If you don’t have internet access, it will display the “Media Disconnected” message. On the other hand, if you have connectivity, you will receive a report with the sizes of data packages and the time it took for them to be transferred to the DNS server and back.

Try to Reach a Site

Using the same “ping” command, you should try to reach a website. We’ll use Google for this example Type the command “ping” into the command prompt, press space and enter www.google.com, and press Enter. If everything is OK, you will receive a report with details the replies from Google. If your computer can’t reach Google’s host, you will receive the message “Ping request could not find host www.google.com. Please, check the name and try again”. This means the site you’re trying to reach has DNS problems.

Conclusion

DNS makes the everyday use of the worldwide web drastically easier. It allows us to find the sites we want using their domain names, instead of having to type in their exact IP addresses. Potential DNS failures can cause all sorts of problems for all users. In any case, it is good to know what to do when the disaster strikes. Hopefully, this article was helpful to you.