Question on Non-Cached Resolution Time

I have a quick question about length of time it should take to resolve a non-cached record.

I have set up a new DNS server running RedHat 6.3 and BIND 9.8.x. I am not doing any forwarding, and at this point the server has no cache built up as it is not in production.

If I do a query against one of my own records or zones, the response is instantaneous. Works great. However, if I query some other random entry on the Internet, it takes 2-4 seconds. I assume this is because it has to use the root hints and start the resolution process all the way down the chain until it hits the proper server and returns the final resolution. Of course if I query that same entry again, it is then instantaneous as it is coming from cache.

So my question is, does this 2-4 seconds on non-cached entries (not using a forwarding server) sound legitimate, or does it sound like I have an issue in my setup?

Thanks guys.

DNS resolution times using Recursion will vary widely, because it is dependent on how quickly your server finds the authoritative server and how quickly the authoritative server responds. 2-4 seconds is not out of the ordinary at all.

J.A. Coutts

Thanks for the response. I was assuming that it was working properly based on what I could see in the logs and all, but I was looking for some confirmation. Thanks for that.