Troubleshooting Tips: How to Solve DNS Server Not Responding Problems

You almost never see a network administrator who isn’t very fond of DNS servers. It helps us get rid of IP addresses and makes our job much easier. With DNS, you just need to remember the hostname instead of the IP address. However, in some cases, your DNS server may not respond or give problems. You will have a hard time trying to access websites, apps, or any other services that require you to type their IP address or their hostname. Don’t worry! In this article, we will go through some troubleshooting tips on how to solve DNS server not responding problems in your network.

What to Do When Your DNS Server Isn’t Responding?

If your DNS server isn’t responding, you will have problems connecting to websites and other network resources. The first thing you need to do is to check whether your DNS server is down or not. There are a few steps you can follow to check and confirm if your DNS server is actually down. If you check and confirm that your DNS server isn’t responding, you will need to troubleshoot it and fix the issue. You can use the nslookup command to ping your DNS server. nslookup is a command-line tool that comes with Windows and Linux. You can also use other online tools, such as the Network Utilities DNS Lookup or the What Is My DNS feature to confirm if your DNS server is down or not.

Check DNS Ports

If there are some issues with DNS, you can check it by checking its ports. You may have set up your DNS server to listen on a different port number. If the DNS server is not responding or if a particular port is not working the way it is supposed to work, you will see a DNS server port not working message. If you are facing this issue, you will have to check your DNS server and make sure that it is listening on the correct ports. If you have set up your DNS server to listen on a non-default port number, make sure that you have configured the DNS server with the correct port number. Also, make sure that your firewall isn’t blocking traffic on the port you configured for your DNS server.

DNS Server is Outdated or has a Bad Firmware Version

If you are using a DNS server provided by your ISP, you need to make sure that your DNS server is up to date. On the other hand, if you are using a third-party DNS server, you need to make sure that the DNS server is updated with the latest DNS server versions. Make sure that the firmware version on your DNS server is up to date. You can do so by logging into the web interface of your DNS server and make the necessary changes. If you are using a DNS server provided by your ISP, you can call your ISP and ask them to push the latest firmware version on your DNS server. If your DNS server is outdated and has a bad firmware version, you will have DNS resolution issues. You will see DNS server not responding messages on your network. You will also see a lot of DNS resolution errors.

DNS Server May Be Blocked by Firewall or Other Security Software

If your DNS server is listening on the correct IP address and the correct port number, but you are still getting DNS Server not responding messages on your network, it is possible that your firewall or other security software is blocking your DNS server. You may have a firewall or some other network security software installed on your network that is blocking your DNS server. If this is the case, you will see firewall blocking messages on your network. To fix this issue, you will have to find the firewall or other network security software and make sure that it is not blocking your DNS server. If you have various firewall software on your network, you will have to find each one of them and make sure that they are not blocking your DNS server.

DNS Resolution Errors

If your DNS server is down or if it is blocked by security software, you will have DNS resolution issues. You may notice DNS resolution errors on your computer and other network devices. If you are getting DNS resolution errors, it means that your computer is unable to resolve domain names to IP addresses. If this is the case, you will have to check your computer and make sure that the computer is using your DNS server for DNS resolution. You will see a network adapter setting on your computer that will show the DNS server your computer is using for DNS resolution. Make sure that the DNS server your computer is using is your DNS server. If it is not, you will have to change it.

Check Network and Confirm Everything Works From There

If you have checked all the above-mentioned DNS issues and you are still getting DNS server not responding messages on your network, it means that your DNS server is up and running. However, the issues might be somewhere on the network. You will have to check your network devices and make sure that everything is working fine. Start by checking your modem or router and confirm that it is not having any issues. If there are no issues with your modem or router, check your network switch and confirm that it is working fine. Make sure that your network cables are plugged in. If everything is fine on the network devices, you will have to restart your computer and reconnect to your network again.

Conclusion

DNS servers are very helpful in managing domain names and IP addresses. They are used to find the IP address of a domain by mapping it to a domain name. If your DNS server isn’t responding, it means that your computer is unable to find the IP address of a domain. There may be various reasons behind this, such as an outdated DNS server or a bad firmware version. It is recommended to check the DNS server configuration and ports. If everything is fine, you will have to check your network devices and confirm that everything is working fine.