Restart DNS server service

[MicheleAnn716]

Every few months I run into an issue with my DNS server at one of our international offices. It will not resolve the names of another one of our offices (setup as a forward lookup zone). We lose connection to it and if I restart the DNS Server service, all clear.

Has anyone experienced this issue or have an ideas on what I should look for?

 

[stfaprc]

are you sure the named is actually running when the problems riset up?
anything in the messages log regarding named for the time right before the problems?

 

[elgrandeperro]

What software/OS are you using for the forwarder?

Most implementations have a way to "dump" the running database or cache.

I would check if it is running, its memory usage, its log, and its logging usage.

If you configured the localhost zone and the reverse 127.0.0.1, I would query that when it was down to see if
the service is operational or the forwarding is hosed.

 

[ITPangaeaArchitect]

Assuming Windows DNS here...go to the properties of the server and enable full debug logging (this can be resource intensive, so if theres a pattern, wait until closer to the next suspected problem date).
When the problem occurs, go to the monitoring tab and attempt to test local and recursive queries. Does this succeed? If so, the cache may be the issue here.
Are there any secondary or primary zones with the same name as the target domain on the DNS server performing packet forwarding?

What type of DNS is this? If Windows, what OS, ad is the zone AD integrated?

-Brandon Wilson
MCSE00/03, MCSA:Messaging00, MCSA03, A+
Manager - Global AD Operations
ACS, Inc.