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What is an IPv6 DNS server?

Published in IPv6 DNS 3 mins read

An IPv6 DNS server is a Domain Name System (DNS) server that supports and uses IPv6 addresses. It is responsible for translating domain names into IPv6 addresses, allowing devices on an IPv6 network to access resources using human-readable names instead of complex IPv6 addresses.

While the provided YouTube video excerpt doesn't directly define an IPv6 DNS server, it touches on the concept of domain name resolution and mapping domain names to IP addresses. The manual creation of a domain name resolution table as mentioned in the video, is an example of how to resolve domain names to IP addresses. In IPv6 networks, DNS servers perform this role automatically on a much grander scale, allowing for seamless access to online resources.

Key aspects of an IPv6 DNS server:

  • Resolution of Domain Names to IPv6 Addresses: The primary function of an IPv6 DNS server is to resolve domain names (e.g., www.example.com) into their corresponding IPv6 addresses (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
  • AAAA Records: IPv6 DNS servers store IPv6 addresses in AAAA records (also known as quad-A records). When a client queries for the IPv6 address of a domain, the DNS server returns the AAAA record.
  • Support for IPv6 Connectivity: These servers must be reachable over IPv6. This means they need an IPv6 address assigned to their network interface and proper IPv6 routing configured.
  • Reverse DNS Lookups: IPv6 DNS servers also support reverse DNS lookups, which allow you to determine the domain name associated with a given IPv6 address. This is done using PTR records in the ip6.arpa domain.

Static vs. Dynamic Resolution

The YouTube video excerpt discusses static resolution, which involves manually creating and maintaining a table that maps domain names to IP addresses. This is suitable for small networks but not scalable for the internet. IPv6 DNS servers, on the other hand, provide dynamic resolution, where the DNS server automatically handles the mapping and updating of domain names to IP addresses.

Example Scenario

  1. A user types www.example.com into their web browser.
  2. The user's computer queries its configured IPv6 DNS server for the IPv6 address of www.example.com.
  3. The IPv6 DNS server looks up the AAAA record for www.example.com.
  4. The DNS server returns the IPv6 address associated with www.example.com.
  5. The user's computer uses the IPv6 address to connect to the web server.

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