I have seen both terms being used and I am not sure if there is a difference between them.
2 Answers
Is there a difference between a name server lookup and a domain name lookup?
A Name Server lookup retrieves the IP address associated with a Domain Name.
A Domain Name lookup (also called whois) retrieves the domain registration data (the domain owner details).
How do I perform a Name Server Lookup?
Online using a variety of name server lookup services
On Windows use nslookup
On Unix use dig.
Example Output (Windows nslookup):
F:\test>nslookup redhat.com Server: UnKnown Address: 192.168.42.129 Non-authoritative answer: Name: redhat.com Addresses: 64:ff9b::d184:b769 209.132.183.105 Example Output (Linux dig):
$ dig redhat.com +nocomments +noquestion +noauthority +noadditional +nostats ; <<>> DiG 9.7.3-RedHat-9.7.3-2.el6 <<>> redhat.com +nocomments +noquestion +noauthority +noadditional +nostats ;; global options: +cmd redhat.com. 9 IN A 209.132.183.81 How do I perform a Domain Name Lookup?
Online using a variety of domain name lookup services.
On Unix use whois.
Domain Name: google.com Registry Domain ID: 2138514_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.markmonitor.com Registrar URL: Updated Date: 2015-06-12T10:38:52-0700 Creation Date: 1997-09-15T00:00:00-0700 Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2020-09-13T21:00:00-0700 Registrar: MarkMonitor, Inc. Registrar IANA ID: 292 Registrar Abuse Contact Email: Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2083895740 Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited () Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited () Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited () Domain Status: serverUpdateProhibited () Domain Status: serverTransferProhibited () Domain Status: serverDeleteProhibited () Registry Registrant ID: Registrant Name: Dns Admin Registrant Organization: Google Inc. Registrant Street: Please contact , 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Registrant City: Mountain View Registrant State/Province: CA Registrant Postal Code: 94043 Registrant Country: US Registrant Phone: +1.6502530000 Registrant Phone Ext: Registrant Fax: +1.6506188571 Registrant Fax Ext: Registrant Email: Registry Admin ID: Admin Name: DNS Admin Admin Organization: Google Inc. Admin Street: 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Admin City: Mountain View Admin State/Province: CA Admin Postal Code: 94043 Admin Country: US Admin Phone: +1.6506234000 Admin Phone Ext: Admin Fax: +1.6506188571 Admin Fax Ext: Admin Email: Registry Tech ID: Tech Name: DNS Admin Tech Organization: Google Inc. Tech Street: 2400 E. Bayshore Pkwy Tech City: Mountain View Tech State/Province: CA Tech Postal Code: 94043 Tech Country: US Tech Phone: +1.6503300100 Tech Phone Ext: Tech Fax: +1.6506181499 Tech Fax Ext: Tech Email: Name Server: ns1.google.com Name Server: ns2.google.com Name Server: ns4.google.com Name Server: ns3.google.com DNSSEC: unsigned URL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System: Example Output (Linux whois):
$ whois google.com Registrant: Dns Admin Google Inc. Please contact 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View CA 94043 US +1.6502530000 Fax: +1.6506188571 Domain Name: google.com Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com Registrar Homepage: Administrative Contact: DNS Admin Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View CA 94043 US +1.6506234000 Fax: +1.6506188571 Technical Contact, Zone Contact: DNS Admin Google Inc. 2400 E. Bayshore Pkwy Mountain View CA 94043 US +1.6503300100 Fax: +1.6506181499 Created on..............: 1997-09-15. Expires on..............: 2011-09-13. Record last updated on..: 2010-03-30. Further Reading
- How do I find the authoritative name-server for a domain name?
- Domain Name System
- 10 Linux DIG Command Examples for DNS Lookup
- nslookup - Lookup IP addresses on a NameServer.
domain name lookup can be responded by a cache (i.e. on localhost or by your provider). A name server lookup goes directly to the nameserver, thus bypasses caches between you and the name server.
