In a Windows DNS server environment , if forwarders are configured, they take precedence over root hints for resolving external (non-local) domain names.
Order of Operations:
- Local Zones and Cache:
- The DNS server first checks its local (authoritative) zones and cache for the requested record.
- Forwarders:
- If the record is not found locally, the DNS server checks if any configured forwarders can resolve the record.
- Root Hints:
- If no forwarders are configured, or if the forwarders fail to resolve the record, the DNS server will use the root hints to initiate the recursive resolution process.