DnsValidateName_W function (windns.h)

The DnsValidateName function validates the status of a specified DNS name. Like many DNS functions, the DnsValidateName function type is implemented in multiple forms to facilitate different character encoding. Based on the character encoding involved, use one of the following functions:

  • DnsValidateName_A (_A for ANSI encoding)
  • DnsValidateName_W (_W for Unicode encoding)
  • DnsValidateName_UTF8 (_UTF8 for UTF-8 encoding)

Syntax

DNS_STATUS DnsValidateName_W(
  [in] PCWSTR          pszName,
  [in] DNS_NAME_FORMAT Format
);

Parameters

[in] pszName

A pointer to a string that represents the DNS name to be examined.

[in] Format

A DNS_NAME_FORMAT value that specifies the format of the name to be examined.

Return value

The DnsValidateName function has the following possible return values:

Remarks

To verify the status of the Computer Host (single label), use the DnsValidateName function type with DnsNameHostnameLabel in Format.

The DnsValidateName function works in a progression when determining whether an error exists with a given DNS name, and returns upon finding its first error. Therefore, a DNS name that has multiple, different errors may be reported as having the first error, and could be corrected and resubmitted, only then to find the second error.

The DnsValidateName function searches for errors as follows:

  1. Returns ERROR_INVALID_NAME if the DNS name:
    • Is longer than 255 octets.
    • Contains a label longer than 63 octets.
    • Contains two or more consecutive dots.
    • Begins with a dot (.).
    • Contains a dot (.) if the name is submitted with Format set to DnsNameDomainLabel or DnsNameHostnameLabel.
  2. Next, DnsValidateName returns DNS_ERROR_NUMERIC_NAME if the full DNS name consists of only numeric characters (0-9) or the first label of the DNS name consists of only numeric characters (0-9), unless Format is set to DnsNameDomainLabel or DnsNameDomain.
  3. Then, DnsValidateName returns DNS_ERROR_NON_RFC_NAME if the DNS name:
    • Contains at least one extended or Unicode character.Note  Windows 8 or later: DnsValidateName_W does not return an error if International Domain Name (IDN) encoding is enabled.
    • Contains underscore (_), unless the underscore is a first character in a label, in the name, submitted with Format set to DnsNameSrvRecord.
  4. Next, DnsValidateName returns DNS_ERROR_INVALID_NAME_CHAR if the DNS name:
    • Contains a space.
    • Contains any of the following invalid characters: { | } ~ [ \ ] ^ ' : ; < = > ? & @ ! " # $ % ^ ` ( ) + / ,
    • Contains an asterisk (*), unless the asterisk is the first label in the multi-labeled name, submitted with Format set to DnsNameWildcard.
Note  If DnsValidateName returns DNS_ERROR_NON_RFC_NAME, the error should be handled as a warning that not all DNS servers will accept the name. When this error is received, note that the DNS Server does accept the submitted name, if appropriately configured (default configuration accepts the name as submitted when DNS_ERROR_NON_RFC_NAME is returned), but other DNS server software may not. Windows DNS servers do handle NON_RFC_NAMES.

If DnsValidateName returns any of the following errors, pszName should be handled as an invalid host name:

DNS_ERROR_NUMERIC_NAME
DNS_ERROR_INVALID_NAME_CHAR
ERROR_INVALID_NAME
 

Requirements

Requirement Value
Minimum supported client Windows 2000 Professional [desktop apps only]
Minimum supported server Windows 2000 Server [desktop apps only]
Target Platform Windows
Header windns.h
Library Dnsapi.lib
DLL Dnsapi.dll

See also

DNS_NAME_FORMAT

DNS_RECORD

DnsNameCompare

DnsQuery