dnstracer

Information Gathering > DNS > dnstracer

The tool is for finding which DNS server resolves a specific domain. It sends a non-recursive query to the DNS server, and based on the answer it makes additional queries. Here is a very good article about the process:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc775637%28WS.10%29.aspx

In summary, the client makes a DNS query to its own server, and if it doesn't know the answer it returns a list of servers, which might be able resolve the request. Then the app will query those servers, and so on till it gets the answer, we even could reach the root server. Running is finished, when all DNS servers were queried.

If we use the "-v" option it will print the DNS packets as well.

Here is an example:

Official website: http://www.mavetju.org/unix/dnstracer.php