PowerShell is a powerful scripting language developed by Microsoft that provides an easy way to automate tasks and manage Windows systems. One of the most useful commands in PowerShell is the Resolve-DnsName command, which allows you to quickly and easily resolve DNS names to IP addresses. In this article, we’ll take a look at the syntax, parameters, inputs, outputs, examples, and tips for using the Resolve-DnsName command in PowerShell.
Syntax
The syntax for the Resolve-DnsName command is as follows:
Resolve-DnsName [-Name] <String> [-Server <String>] [-CacheOnly] [-DnsOnly] [-Type <RecordType>] [-TcpOnly] [-UdpOnly] [-CimSession <CimSession[]>] [-ThrottleLimit <Int32>] [-AsJob] [-CimClass <CimClass>] [-CimInstance <CimInstance>] [-ComputerName <String[]>] [-Protocol <ProtocolType>] [-Credential <PSCredential>] [-Authentication <AuthenticationLevel>] [-CertificateThumbprint <String>] [-InformationAction <ActionPreference>] [-InformationVariable <String>] [-Port <Int32>] [-UseSsl] [-PassThru] [-Confirm] [-WhatIf] [<CommonParameters>]
Parameters
The Resolve-DnsName command has a number of parameters that can be used to customize the command’s behavior. Let’s take a look at each of the parameters in detail.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name of the DNS record to resolve. |
| Server | The DNS server to use for the resolution. |
| CacheOnly | Specifies that the command should only use cached results. |
| DnsOnly | Specifies that the command should only use DNS for resolution. |
| Type | The type of DNS record to resolve. |
| TcpOnly | Specifies that the command should only use TCP for resolution. |
| UdpOnly | Specifies that the command should only use UDP for resolution. |
| CimSession | The CIM session to use for the resolution. |
| ThrottleLimit | The maximum number of concurrent connections. |
| AsJob | Specifies that the command should run as a background job. |
| CimClass | The CIM class to use for the resolution. |
| CimInstance | The CIM instance to use for the resolution. |
| ComputerName | The computer to use for the resolution. |
| Protocol | The protocol to use for the resolution. |
| Credential | The credentials to use for the resolution. |
| Authentication | The authentication level to use for the resolution. |
| CertificateThumbprint | The certificate thumbprint to use for the resolution. |
| InformationAction | The action to take when an informational message is encountered. |
| InformationVariable | The variable to store the informational message. |
| Port | The port to use for the resolution. |
| UseSsl | Specifies that the command should use SSL for resolution. |
| PassThru | Specifies that the command should return the resolved DNS record. |
| Confirm | Prompts the user for confirmation before running the command. |
| WhatIf | Shows what would happen if the command were to run. |
Inputs
The Resolve-DnsName command requires one input, the name of the DNS record to resolve. This can be either a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or an IP address.
Outputs
The Resolve-DnsName command returns a list of DNS records that match the specified name. The output includes the type of record, the IP address, and the TTL (time to live).
Examples
Let’s take a look at some examples of how to use the Resolve-DnsName command in PowerShell.
To resolve a domain name to an IP address, use the following command:
Resolve-DnsName example.com
To resolve a domain name to an IP address using a specific DNS server, use the following command:
Resolve-DnsName example.com -Server 8.8.8.8
To resolve a domain name to an IP address using only cached results, use the following command:
Resolve-DnsName example.com -CacheOnly
To resolve a domain name to an IP address using only DNS, use the following command:
Resolve-DnsName example.com -DnsOnly
To resolve a domain name to an IP address using only TCP, use the following command:
Resolve-DnsName example.com -TcpOnly
To resolve a domain name to an IP address using only UDP, use the following command:
Resolve-DnsName example.com -UdpOnly
Tips
Here are some tips for using the Resolve-DnsName command in PowerShell:
- If you don’t specify a DNS server, the command will use the system’s configured DNS server.
- If you don’t specify a record type, the command will resolve all record types.
- If you don’t specify a protocol, the command will use both TCP and UDP.
- If you don’t specify a port, the command will use the default