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DNS Basics LAB

In this lab, you will install the DNS Server role on a Windows Server system and become familiar with the DNS management console. You will then explore how DNS resolves names by testing both recursive and iterative queries, helping you understand how clients and DNS servers interact to locate resources on a network.

Session duration: 60 minutes· Typical launch: ~4 min

Difficulty

Beginner

Lab level

Lab VMs

1

1 Windows

XP Reward

300 XP

On completion

Virtual machines

Lab VMs

Windows

Windows Server 2025

Windows

Username / Password

user / password

Connection type

In-browser RDP / RDP

CPU / RAM

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Lab instructions

Follow the steps below to complete the lab.

This lab demonstrates how to install and manage DNS on Windows Server and understand how name resolution works through recursive and iterative queries.

  1. Login to the Server with username ladmin and password password123.
  2. Open Server Manager from the Start menu button.
  3. In the Server Manager window, click on Manage in the top right corner.
  4. From the dropdown menu, select Add Roles and Features.
  5. In the Add Roles and Features Wizard, click Next, then click Next again until you reach the Server Selection page.
  6. Ensure your server is selected and click Next.
  7. On the Server Roles page, check the box next to DNS Server.
  8. A pop-up window will appear; click Add Features to include the necessary features for DNS.

NOTE: A validation check message will pop-up with a warning regarding the DHCP IP Address. Click Continue to disregard the message.

  1. Click Next, and Next again through the Features page, and then again through the DNS Server page.
  2. Review the information on the Confirmation page, then click Install to begin the installation process.
  3. Wait for the installation to complete, then click Close.
  4. To check if the installation succeeded you should see on Server Manager to the left side that we have a new DNS addition to the options.
  5. Additionally, if we click on the Tools menu we now have a new DNS tool.
  6. Click Check Step.
  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator on the DNS server.
  2. Run the following command to test a recursive DNS query: Resolve-DnsName google.com
  3. Review the output and confirm that the DNS server successfully resolves the external domain name.
  4. Run the following command to display the local DNS resolver cache: ipconfig -displaydns.
  5. Review the cache entries and locate records related to recently resolved domains such as google.com.
  6. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and launch nslookup: nslookup
  7. Configure nslookup to use Google Public DNS: server 8.8.8.8
  8. Disable recursion for the query: set norecurse
  9. Query the following domain: google.com
  10. Review the response and observe that the DNS server responds with the best information it has available instead of fully resolving the query recursively.
  11. Type the following command to exit nslookup: exit