DNS Database is the collection of database files, or zone files, and associated files that contain resource records for a domain.

What is DNS database?

DNS Database is the collection of database files, or zone files, and associated files that contain resource records for a domain. These files are stored on a name server. DNS database files are typically flat-file database files in the form of simple ASCII files.

On a Microsoft Windows server with the Microsoft DNS Service installed, these database files are located in the \System32\DNS directory. The DNS database files in this directory are:

• The zone file, which has the extension .dns and contains the resource records that the DNS server manages
• The reverse lookup file, which resolves IP addresses into host names
• The cache file, which has the names and IP addresses of the root name servers for DNS
• The boot file, which is used for startup configuration of the DNS server and is needed only for resolving the names of hosts that are located outside the zones for which the DNS server is authoritative

On a Windows DNS server, DNS database information can be either stored in the preceding standard text files or integrated into Active Directory, depending on how DNS is installed and configured on the machine. Using Active Directory for storing DNS database information has the benefits of Active Directory’s enhanced security features and multimaster replication, providing faster and more efficient replication of DNS zone information than using standard DNS text files.