NirSoft's DNSDataView is a free DNS lookup tool with a graphical user interface (GUI) for Windows that can replace the nslookup command in most use cases. You need an nslookup tool when you want to query your local or an external DNS server.
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DNSDataView supports the most important query types: MX (mail exchanger record), NS (name server record), A (address record), SOA (start of authority record), Txt (generic text record), and AAAA (IPv6 128-bit address record).
The only other record types I use every now and then, and that are missing are CNAME (canonical name for a DNS alias), PTR (domain name pointer), and SVR (service record). The last one in particular can be important for Windows administrators because Active Directory makes use of them. Of course, there are many more record types. But I guess the average Windows admin doesn't need them.
Even though DNSDataView doesn't support all query types, the portable DNS lookup tool has some advantages over its command line counterpart. I find it useful that you can query multiple record types in one go. DNSDataView allows you to select the record types and displays the results in a clearly arranged table.
Also useful is that the DNS lookup tool supports queries of multiple domains. That way, you can get a quick overview of the DNS configuration of several Internet domains.
Another advantage over the nslookup command is that you can easily export selected DNS query results into a text or HTML file. Moreover, it is also possible to copy one or multiple items to the Windows clipboard. This is practical if you want to email a DNS query to a colleague.
Like the nslookup command, DNSDataView by default uses the locally configured DNS server for its queries. However, you can also query another DNS server. Unfortunately, it is not possible to query multiple DNS servers, simultaneously. This would be useful if you have to hunt down DNS synchronization errors.
By the way, the portable nslookup tool also works fine on Windows PE 3.0. I tested DNSDataView v1.05.
I thought it will return the all records in DNS server zone files..but it disappointed me. I can get more or less similar output with “nslookup -type=all google.com”
Sitaram, the man point about DNSDataView is that it is more convenient than nslookup. Of course, you can get the same information on the command prompt.
I wana lookup all forward & reverse dns records in a specific dns server, I have used the tool and entered the dns server name/IP but couldn’t get all records, only few records were seen. Can anyone guide about it?