Domain Name System (DNS) latency can significantly affect application responsiveness. In this article we explore methods to diagnose and improve DNS performance on Windows platforms.
Key Metrics
| Metric | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Lookup Time | Time taken to resolve a hostname | < 30 ms |
| Cache Hit Rate | Percentage of queries served from cache | > 80 % |
| Server Response | Average response time from DNS servers | < 20 ms |
Diagnostic Tools
nslookup– Basic lookup and server testing.dnscmd– Advanced DNS server management.Get-DnsClientCache(PowerShell) – View client cache entries.- Performance Monitor – Counter: DNS Client → Resolution Time.
Performance Testing
Best Practices
- Configure multiple reliable DNS servers (primary/secondary).
- Increase the DNS cache size on the client.
- Enable DNS over HTTPS (DoH) where supported.
- Regularly clean stale entries with
Clear-DnsClientCache. - Monitor server load and latency using automated scripts.
Implementing these steps can reduce average lookup times by up to 40 % in typical enterprise environments.
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