How to Test a Secondary DNS

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a naming system used in networking. It assigns Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to names that are readable to people (IP addresses uniquely identify devices on a network). This mechanism is what allows you to type in the name of a website as an address in a Web browser and navigate to it as a result. A DNS server is a computer that performs this service to devices that request it, and most configurations have a secondary server listed in case the first one fails to respond. You can test it by manually assigning the secondary DNS as the primary.

• 1

  Open your "Start" menu and select "Control Panel." If you don't see it, look under "Settings."

• 2

  Open the "Network and Sharing Center" icon.

• 3

  Click "Change adapter settings." This window will show icons of all the network devices that are installed on your system. Each will be labeled by the company name and model. Right click on the one you use to connect to the Internet and select "Status."

• 4

  Click the "Details" button and find "IPv4 DNS Servers" in the list. You'll typically see a column of 2-3 DNS server addresses. You'll want to copy down the first two.

• 5

  Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" and click "Properties."

• 6

  Click "Use the following DNS server addresses:" if it's not selected. Type the secondary DNS into the "Preferred DNS server:" box. Click "OK" to save your settings.

• 7

  Surf the Internet; if you're able to do it, then your secondary DNS server is working properly. Go back to the "Properties" window from before and click "Properties" again. You can change your DNS servers back to their original configuration and click "OK" to save your settings.