TCP/IP and the DNS Client
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4/8/2010
Domain Name System (DNS) is an industry-standard protocol used to locate computers on an IP-based network. IP networks rely on number-based addresses to move information throughout the network. DNS allows you to refer to another computer on the network by its name rather than by its hardware address. Therefore, it is necessary to translate user-friendly names into addresses that the network can recognize. DNS is the service of choice to locate such resources and translate them into IP addresses.
To make host name resolution scaleable and centrally manageable, IP address mappings for fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) are stored on DNS servers. Windows Embedded CE does not support hosting a DNS server. However, Windows Embedded CE queries a DNS server for name resolution if a server exists on the network.
Because DNS is an open protocol, efforts from the industry as a whole ensure that its implementation on various systems does not limit interoperability. The standards body overseeing such recommendations is the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
The following table shows the Requests for Comments (RFCs) that are implemented by the DNS protocol.
| RFC number or Internet draft | Title |
|---|---|
1034 |
Domain Names — Concepts and Facilities — Implementation and Specification — Application and Support |
1035 |
Domain Names |
1123 |
Requirements for Internet Hosts |
1886 |
DNS Extensions to Support IP Version 6 |
1995 |
Incremental Zone Transfer in DNS |
1996 |
A Mechanism for Prompt DNS Notification of Zone Changes |
2136 |
Dynamic Updates in the Domain Name System (DNS UPDATE) |
2181 |
Clarifications to the DNS Specification |
2308 |
Negative Caching of DNS Queries (DNS NCACHE) |
Internet drafts are also available that may eventually become RFCs. For more information, see the Internet Engineering Task Force Web site.
Note
Web addresses can change, so you might be unable to connect to the Web site or sites mentioned here.
For information about how TCP/IP DNS client interacts with the DNS server using TCP/IP, see Host Name Resolution Using a DNS Server for IPv4.
For information about host name resolution for IPv6, see Host Name Resolution for Dual Stack (IPv4/IPv6).
For more information about DNS, see this Microsoft Web site, and then search for "About Domain Name System".