Search⌘ K

Exercise: Finding Name Servers

Explore how to use the host command to find authoritative DNS name servers and identify your local DNS server on UNIX-based systems. This lesson helps you understand DNS lookup utilities, command syntax, and practical ways to investigate DNS behavior.

Finding The Authoritative Name Server Using host

Shell
host -t ns google.com

host is a DNS lookup utility. It is normally used to map hostnames to IP addresses. However, with a combination of flags, it can be programmed to perform a myriad of DNS-related tasks.

The syntax of the command above, for instance, is

Shell
host -t ns hostname.com
  • host invokes the host command
  • -t
...