CompTIA Network+ Practice Test

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What is the primary function of an authoritative DNS server?

To cache DNS queries
To list the address corresponding to a domain name
To perform forward lookups only
To resolve all local names

The correct answer is: To list the address corresponding to a domain name

An authoritative DNS server's primary function is to provide the definitive answers for queries regarding the domain names it is responsible for. This means that it holds the actual DNS records that map domain names to their corresponding IP addresses. When a client queries an authoritative DNS server for a specific domain, the server directly responds with the correct IP address, ensuring accuracy and reliability in the response. While caching DNS queries is a function associated with recursive DNS servers to improve performance and reduce lookup times, authoritative DNS servers do not cache information from other servers; they return fresh data based on their own records. The assertion that authoritative servers only perform forward lookups is limiting; while they primarily handle forward lookups (translating domain names to IP addresses), they can also manage reverse lookups (IP addresses to domain names). Resolving all local names is typically the role of local DNS servers or caching resolvers, not specifically an authoritative server. Thus, the defining purpose of an authoritative DNS server is to list the address corresponding to a domain name it has authority over.