If you are researching what secondary DNS is, pretty sure you already know the relevance of DNS for the Internet, websites, sites’ owners, and users.
Knowing that proper performance and constant accessibility rely on DNS infrastructure, it is easier to understand the value of redundancy. No doubt, having DNS records saved in different servers offers attractive advantages for your business.
What is it?
Secondary DNS is a helpful mechanism to distribute DNS records (specific DNS zone) through different servers. Let’s put it this way. A primary DNS server, in the past also known as “master server”, informs a bunch of secondary DNS servers, also known as “slave servers”, about a change in the DNS zone. So the secondary servers have the instruction to request those changes to the primary DNS server to keep updated.
Making it simple, Secondary DNS is a solution for pulling DNS records from the main server to many others through the DNS queries and keep a copy of these DNS records.
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Differences between Primary and Secondary DNS
Let’s go step by step. Every DNS zone has just one primary DNS server, an authoritative one, for keeping the DNS zone’s info and for being the entrance for the administrator in charge of the specific zone. All necessary adjustments or changes to maintain the zone are configured on this primary DNS server. That’s how it becomes the source for other servers.
Secondary DNS can be one or many more servers linked to a primary. The idea is those servers are located in different and strategic points of the globe for your business. Backup DNS servers get info about a zone from a primary DNS through the zone transfer. They are used to mirror DNS records. Usually, people choose a different DNS provider from the one hosting their primary DNS, to host the backup DNS. The reason is simple. They narrow the possibilities of failures affecting their websites’ operation (attacked servers, downtime, etc.) while increasing redundancy.
All DNS servers can be configured as a primary DNS or secondary DNS. A primary DNS server for a specific zone can work simultaneously as a backup DNS for a different zone.
Advantages of having Secondary DNS
Honestly, the advantages are many and big ones.
- Just having a primary DNS server means risk in case of failure, error, or attack. Authoritative records for the DNS zone simply won’t be available. Secondary DNS is a great solution not to worry about this.
- Avoid overloading in your primary DNS. If you reach a large number of queries, you will be able to distribute the load and guarantee DNS records’ availability.
- Get 100% uptime. Even if the primary DNS goes down, your website will be served to users through the backup DNS. If you are into e-commerce, you perfectly understand what a solid uptime means in terms of profits.
- Have an efficient backup. If whatever happens to the primary DNS, this is your perfect B plan. Backup DNS will provide you a copy of your DNS records.
- Be close to your target, answer the queries faster. The further the users are from the primary DNS server, the longer they will wait for a response. Secondary DNS servers strategically located will supply high-speed responses and more profits for your business.
- Positive customer experience. More speed brings extra benefits for the user, like a shorter time waiting for a response and faster load time. Therefore a better position for your business in search engines’ results.
- Backup DNS is easy to enable through your own control panel (primary DNS). Remember all the changes you make will be copied automatically by the secondary DNS.
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Conclusion
Now you know why secondary DNS is important for you and your business. Such advantages are not just for being read but for being experienced. Bulletproof your domain with secondary DNS. Be sure nothing stops your DNS resolving. 100% availability means 0% lost sales. So go for it!