DNS Client

WinGate comes with a DNS Client that helps to automate the discovery and use of DNS Servers by WinGate for all its DNS requirements. This includes providing DNS to system components (such as proxy services) when they require name lookups, and providing functionality for the optional WinGate DNS Service when it has been installed. The WinGate DNS service can be installed when you need to provide DNS lookups for WinGate clients that aren't configured to use a proxy (NAT,WGIC) or they don't have an accessible DNS server to use.

Replacing the DNS resolver from previous WinGate versions, the DNS Client has been designed to be more intelligent in determining the types of DNS servers that are available to WinGate. It has the ability to detect the types of records a DNS server will return, including whether or not a DNS server is responsible for returning records for the domain WinGate is on (e.g. an Active Directory DNS server).

DNS probing

During the start up of WinGate, the DNS Client will probe any DNS servers that it has configured in its network properties, to see what type of DNS requests they are capable of answering. This helps WinGate to determine whether the listed DNS server is able to fulfill name lookups on the Internet for WinGate clients (if required through the WinGate DNS service).

If WinGate has been installed to an Active Directory domain, the DNS Client can also determine whether a DNS server is the actual server responsible for that domain. This helps WinGate with distinguishing local and Internet name lookup requests, saving time (and avoiding possible DNS loops) in scenarios where the Active Directory DNS server should not be used by WinGate to fulfill Internet name lookups.

DNS Client settings

The DNS Client settings, located in the Control Panel of the WinGate Management console, allows you to manually list the DNS servers that WinGate should use, and manually set what sort lookups they should be used for if required. They also allow you to set various options on how the DNS Client will handle the records returned from the DNS servers that WinGate has been configured to use.