Disclaimer

dig  for Windows  7, Vista, XP, 2000  
(dig is a powerful tool to investigate [digging into] the DNS system)

Source of the binary is from ftp.isc.org
Manual Page of dig, in the cryptic Unix style, for reference only.

(1) Download:
dig version 9.3.2
Create a folder   c:\dig
Download dig-files3.zip and save it to c:\dig
Use Open source 7-zip to extract all the files inside dig-files3.zip to c:\dig

Note: If msvcr70.dll already exists in %systemroot%\system32\ , then you can delete c:\dig\msvcr70.dll

Note: Included in dig-files*.zip is a command line whois, version 4.7.30:
The canonical site of the whois source code is http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/main/w/whois/
The whois.exe file inside dig-files*.zip is compiled using cygwin's gcc-mingw compiler.

(2) File integrity check (reason: some stupid anti-virus programs mis-identify certain dll files as virus and destroy them without giving warnings)
Windows XP and  Windows 2000: Click Start.. Run ... type CMD
Windows Vista and Windows 7: Click  ... type CMD
cd   c:\dig
sha1sum   *

You should see the SHA1 hashes (SHA1 hash is used as an integrity check, similar to the legacy checksum idea).
Compare your hashes with the following table.

If your hashes are the same as the above table, then your files pass the integrity check.
Type exit to close the black screen.

(3) Installation and setup:

Windows Vista Windows 7
Install a Vista Powertoy utility:
File name: CmdHereAsAdmin.inf   (right click the link, choose save; then on your local copy, right click the .inf file, choose Install)
(Thanks to Aaron Spurlock of Ogden, UT, USA and Patryk Bratkowski for their contributions)
Click  ...click Computer, click C:
right click on c:\dig , choose Cmd Prompt Here As Administrator
copy resolv.conf  %systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc\

Windows XP Windows 2000
Click start...run... type  cmd
cd c:\dig
copy resolv.conf  %systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc\

(4) Add path:
(thanks to Jason Partridge of Akento Technology Sourcing, Bloomington, IN, USA for his contribution)
Windows 7: Click  ... type environment variables ... choose "edit environment variables for your account"
Windows Vista: Click  ...click Control Panel, in the Search Box, type environment variables ... choose "edit environment variables for your account"
Windows XP : Click..Start...click Control Panel ...in Category "Performance and Maintenance", System, Advanced, Environment Variables.
Windows 2000 : right click My Computer icon, choose properties, Advanced, Environment Variables.

Look in the top half of the screen, "User variables" section.
If a PATH variable exists, double click the variable PATH to enter edit mode,
append  ;c:\dig  to the Variable value.
If the PATH variable does not exist, click the New button,
Variable name:  PATH
Variable value:  c:\dig

How to use dig to query the DNS system (No Masters Degree in Special Education or Information Assurance Degree required):

You can also use dig to help setting up your security camera system. First add a "A record" to your name server to point the "A record" of your chosen domain to an ip address. Make sure that the "A record" points to an ip address of your dvr recorder's external ip address (or the D-Link/Linksys router that sits in front of your security device). If all is good and you have the necessary ports open or forwarded, you should be able to remotely access your security system over a network of Internet.

 Windows Vista/Windows 7: Click  ... type  cmd

Windows XP/Windows 2000 : Click Start... Run... type  cmd

dig   --help will show you a "help screen" to intimidate and confuse you.
dig   -h will show you a even more intimidating "help screen".
dig  ns .  will show you the 13 "root-level name servers", these are the 13 Internet gods.

dig  com.  NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level domain name servers controlling the .com domain

dig  net. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .net domain

dig  org.  NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .org domain

dig  gov. NS
shows you the (TLD) top level name servers controlling the .gov (US Government) restricted domain

dig  mil.  NS
shows you the (TLD) top level name servers controlling the .mil  (US military) restricted domain

dig  edu.  NS
shows you the (TLD) top level name servers controlling the .edu (US post secondary) restricted domain

dig  int. NS
shows you the (TLD) top level name servers controlling the .int (international treaties) restricted domain

Each country code has its authoritative name servers (below is some of the 244 ccTLD)

dig  ca. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .ca (Canada ) domain

dig  us.  NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .us (US ) domain

dig  uk. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .uk (United Kingdom ) domain

dig  de. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .de (Germany ) domain

dig  au. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .au (Australia ) domain

dig  cn. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .cn (China ) domain

dig  kr. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .kr (Korea ) domain

dig  tw. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .tw (Taiwan ) domain

dig  hk. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .hk (Hong Kong ) domain

dig  gs. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .gs (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ) domain

dig  ws. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .ws (Western Samoa ) domain,
some "domain registrars" confuse the public by inferring this domain as the "Website" top level domain.

dig  tv. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .tv (Tuvalu ) domain,
some "domain registers" confuse the public by inferring this domain as the "Television" top level domain.

dig  ae. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .ae (United Arab Emirates ) domain

dig  gr. NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .gr (Greece ) domain

dig  id.  NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .id (Indonesia ) domain

dig  ru.  NS
shows you the top level name servers controlling the .ru (Russia ) domain

dig  aero. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .aero domain (for aviation industry)

dig  biz. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .biz domain (for businesses)

dig  coop. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .coop domain  (for co-op associations)

dig  info. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .info domain

dig  jobs. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .jobs domain (for human resources)

dig  mobi. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .mobi domain (for mobile products and services)

dig  museum. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .museum domain (for museums)

dig  name. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .name domain (for individuals)

dig  pro. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .pro domain  (for credentialed professionals)

dig  travel. NS
shows you the (gTLD) top level name servers controlling the .travel domain  (for travel industry)

The Internet god approved these gTLD domains.

As of 2008, the Inernet god has changed its policy, anyone who can afford to pay lots of money each year can administer any name as a top level name.
In addition, non-Latin scripts are allowed.

More examples of how to use dig to query the DNS system:

dig  dell.com.  NS
shows you the Name Servers for "dell.com"

dig  dell.com.  MX
shows you the mail servers for receiving email for the "dell.com" domain (geeky terminology: Mail eXchange ).
The mail server with the smallest number in front of it will be contacted first. If that mail server is down or busy,
the mail server with the larger number will be contacted next (for fault tolerant).

dig  www.dell.com.
shows you the IP address of the computer www.dell.com (geeks call computer a "host")
(geeks also like to call www.dell.com a FQDN to intimidate others around them)

Sometimes you see the word CNAME in the answer section, CNAME is a geeky way of saying "an alias".

dig  www.ibm.com.    @hub.ubc.ca
lookup the IP address of www.ibm.com by making a DNS query to the DNS server "hub.ubc.ca"

Most DNS name servers are recursive (friendly), they try to find an answer for you.
However, some "system administrators" suffering from extreme-paranoia configure their name servers to
refuse answering queries that are outside of their "comfort zones".
These extreme-paranoia servers are called "non-recursive" (aka unfriendly) name servers.

dig   -x    216.21.128.22
will look up the "host name" from an IP address
(geeks call this a "reverse DNS lookup" to intimidate and impress others around them)
The equivalent human-friendly command is  
host  216.21.128.22

dig  www.ibm.com. +trace
will give you some DNS server performance data.

dig   vs   whois

The DNS system and the whois system are not the same, they are only loosely tied together.
If the whois system is broken, (while the DNS system is working) the whole Internet will work fine.
If the DNS system is broken (while the whois system is working), the whole Internet will die.

The whois system is supposed to display who owns the domain and their corresponding name servers,
however, due to usually defective software at whois servers at domain registrars,
(the amount of defects is proportional to the registrar's domain registration fees),
the DNS name servers information obtained from the whois query is often wrong, out of date, and inaccurate.

Use whois to find out approximately who owns the domain.

Use dig to lookup the DNS name servers of that domain.

For example, to find out who owns the name ibm.com

whois   ibm.com

   or

whois   ibm.com  |  more (hit space bar to scroll forward)

© 2002-2011 Nicholas Fong

Burnaby, B.C. Canada  

Disclaimer

Revised: February 22, 2011