Which command-line utility is commonly used to verify DNS name resolution from Windows?

Which command-line utility is commonly used to verify DNS name resolution from Windows?

• A. nslookup
• B. ping
• C. tracert
• D. ipconfig

Answer: (A)

Verifying DNS name resolution means asking a DNS server to translate a domain name into its IP address and checking what the server returns. The best tool for this on Windows is nslookup, a dedicated DNS lookup utility. It lets you query a specific DNS server, see the exact records returned (such as A, AAAA, or MX), and even perform reverse lookups. For example, nslookup www.example.com 8.8.8.8 shows what Google’s DNS server says about that domain. This focused capability makes nslookup ideal for diagnosing DNS issues, beyond just checking whether a host is reachable. In contrast, ping tests reachability and may use DNS internally but doesn’t reveal DNS records; tracert traces the route to a host and isn’t about DNS; ipconfig shows network settings including DNS servers but doesn’t verify name resolution.

Verifying DNS name resolution means asking a DNS server to translate a domain name into its IP address and checking what the server returns. The best tool for this on Windows is nslookup, a dedicated DNS lookup utility. It lets you query a specific DNS server, see the exact records returned (such as A, AAAA, or MX), and even perform reverse lookups. For example, nslookup www.example.com 8.8.8.8 shows what Google’s DNS server says about that domain. This focused capability makes nslookup ideal for diagnosing DNS issues, beyond just checking whether a host is reachable. In contrast, ping tests reachability and may use DNS internally but doesn’t reveal DNS records; tracert traces the route to a host and isn’t about DNS; ipconfig shows network settings including DNS servers but doesn’t verify name resolution.