Documentation forSolarWinds

DNS Audit tool

The DNS Audit tool in ETS for the Desktop helps you locate DNS database errors by scanning a range of IP addresses and performing reverse DNS lookups for each address. If DNS Audit receives a DNS response for an address, it attempts a forward DNS lookup to verify that the forward lookup resolves to the originally-scanned IP address.

Any errors found during the scan are highlighted. You can also filter the results to show the reverse DNS errors, the IP addresses that were not resolved, or forward DNS errors.

Open the DNS Audit tool

  • To launch the tool from the Toolset Launch Pad, locate the DNS Audit tool and click Launch.

  • You can add the tool to a tab in the Workspace Studio, and access it from there.

  • To launch the tool from the Windows Start menu:

    1. Click Start > All > SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset.

    2. Right-click DNS Audit, click More, and click Run as administrator.

Start an audit of an IP range

  1. Enter the beginning address of an IP range in the Starting IP address field.

  2. Enter the ending address of an IP range in the Ending IP address field.

  3. Click Scan.

  • If DNS Audit finds forward or reverse DNS records with more than one response, it will list them all.

  • DNS Audit uses the DNS and WINS servers already configured on your PC.

  • If multiple domain names are assigned to a single IP address, or there are multiple IP addresses assigned to a single domain name, DNS Audit will only show them when you run DNS Audit on Windows 2000.

Filter the results

Several different filters are available, including the ability to limit results to the following:

  • Addresses with reverse DNS responses
  • Addresses that do not respond to reverse DNS
  • Addresses with forward DNS errors

Click Filter, and then select the type of filter.

Interpret DNS Audit results

Consider the following when interpreting DNS Audit results:

  • The first column of the user interface provides the scanned IP address.

  • The Reverse Resolve column provides the DNS name, if the IP address resolves using reverse DNS.

  • The Reverse Resolve column contains red text <no reverse DNS response> if a response is not received.

  • The Forward Resolve column contains nothing if reverse resolution fails (forward resolution is not attempted).

  • The Forward Resolve column contains <did not resolve> if there was a failure of the forward resolution attempt.

  • The Forward Resolve column contains a red IP address if the forward resolution to an IP address is different than the originally scanned IP address.

Export, print, and copy calculations

After you perform an audit, the DNS Audit tool enables you to transfer that information to other tools through exporting, copying and pasting capabilities. You can also print the discovered information.

To export calculations:

  1. Click File > Export, and then select the type of export.
  2. Select the information to export.
  3. Specify the name and path for the exported information.

To copy calculations, click Edit, and then select the information to copy.

To print calculations, click File > Print, and then select the information to print.