Question

Difficulty: MediumUtilizing Command-Line Network Troubleshooting Utilities

A network technician is troubleshooting an issue where a dual-stack client workstation fails to connect to an internal host named `app-server.corp.local` over IPv6. The technician runs `nslookup -type=AAAA app-server.corp.local` and receives a response stating that the domain name does not exist. However, executing `nslookup app-server.corp.local` successfully returns the IPv4 address 10.1.10.4510.1.10.45. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this issue?

  1. The DNS server has a configured IPv4 (A) record for the target host but lacks a corresponding IPv6 (AAAA) record.Answer
  2. B
    The target server requires a Canonical Name (CNAME) record to automatically translate IPv4 A records into IPv6 host addresses.
  3. C
    The `nslookup` tool automatically defaults to reading the local HOSTS file instead of contacting the network DNS server when querying AAAA records.
  4. D
    The command-line lookup failed because IPv6 name resolution queries use TCP port 443 rather than standard DNS port 53.

Answer

The DNS server has a configured IPv4 (A) record for the target host but lacks a corresponding IPv6 (AAAA) record.
The standard `nslookup` command requests IPv4 address (A) records by default, which resolved successfully to 10.1.10.4510.1.10.45. Specifying `-type=AAAA` forces the utility to explicitly query for an IPv6 host record. The non-existent domain error returned by the server confirms that while the host exists with an IPv4 A record, no corresponding IPv6 AAAA record has been added to DNS.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the default `nslookup` command execution.
Executing `nslookup app-server.corp.local` returns 10.1.10.4510.1.10.45, confirming active connectivity to DNS and the presence of an IPv4 (A) record.
By default, `nslookup` queries for type A records when no explicit type parameter is specified.
2
Analyze the targeted `-type=AAAA` command execution.
The query `nslookup -type=AAAA app-server.corp.local` returns a non-existent domain/record failure.
The `-type=AAAA` switch explicitly restricts the DNS query to IPv6 host records.
3
Synthesize the outputs to determine the missing configuration.
Because IPv4 address resolution succeeds but IPv6 address resolution fails, the DNS zone file contains an A record but lacks an AAAA record.
Dual-stack network operation requires separate A (IPv4) and AAAA (IPv6) resource records for host resolution.

Key Concept

DNS Command-Line Utilities and Resource Record Query Analysis
Rate this question