When accessing a website, your computer queries a DNS server to resolve the site’s domain name into its corresponding IP address. Typically, your network utilizes DNS servers provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). To determine if a DNS server is causing access issues, you can attempt to reach the website directly via its IP address. If successful, this indicates a potential problem with the DNS server, such as outdated records. In such cases, employing a DNS traceroute tool can help identify the source of the issue by mapping the path your request takes through the DNS hierarchy.
DNS Traceroute Report
A DNS traceroute is a great tool for identifying issues with DNS servers. It shows you how DNS requests go through all the steps of a DNS hierarchy, from ROOT servers to your local DNS server. If the DNS traceroute to one of the DNS servers doesn’t respond, or responds incorrectly, you can find it in the results of the DNS traceroute report.
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Supported DNS Record Types
To access a DNS traceroute report follow the steps provided below:
- Log in to your account. From the Device Manager page, select Online Reporting from the Reports menu on the left sidebar.
- Once on the Online Reporting page, you will be prompted to select your target or device. You can also click the device name in the Device Manager list to access the Online Report.
- On the Online Report page, select the appropriate monitoring location where the error or errors occurred, and then drill-down further into the Step where the error has been identified. Navigate to the appropriate line and click DnsTrace.
The DNS Trace A and AAAA visualizations highlight any unresponsive DNS servers, marking problematic branches with a red icon and an exclamation point. Refer to the image below for an example.
