DNS Queries Test

Using this test, administrators can monitor the DNS queries of different types that are received by the target BIG-IP GTM. Using this test, administrators can figure out which type of DNS queries is received in large volumes by the target BIG-IP GTM - is it the DS queries? or DNSKEY queries? or NSEC3Param queries? or AXFR queries? or IXFR queries?

Target of the test: BIG-IP GTM

Agent deploying the test: An external agent

Outputs of the test: One set of results for BIG-IP GTM that is being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter	Description
Test period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The IP address of the target host to be monitored.
SNMPPort	The port at which the monitored target exposes its SNMP MIB; the default value is 161.
Data Over TCP	By default, in an IT environment, all data transmission occurs over UDP. Some environments however, may be specifically configured to offload a fraction of the data traffic – for instance, certain types of data traffic or traffic pertaining to specific components – to other protocols like TCP, so as to prevent UDP overloads. In such environments, you can instruct the eG agent to conduct the SNMP data traffic related to the monitored target over TCP (and not UDP). For this, set this flag to Yes. By default, this flag is set to No.
Timeout	Specify the duration (in seconds) within which the SNMP query executed by this test should time out in this text box. The default is 10 seconds.
SNMPVersion	By default, the eG agent supports SNMP version 1. Accordingly, the default selection in the SNMPversion list is v1. However, if a different SNMP framework is in use in your environment, say SNMP v2 or v3, then select the corresponding option from this list.
SNMPCommunity	The SNMP community name that the test uses to communicate with the switch. This parameter is specific to SNMP v1 and v2 only. Therefore, if the SNMPVersion chosen is v3, then this parameter will not appear.
Context	This parameter appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPVERSION. An SNMP context is a collection of management information accessible by an SNMP entity. An item of management information may exist in more than one context and an SNMP entity potentially has access to many contexts. A context is identified by the SNMPEngineID value of the entity hosting the management information (also called a contextEngineID) and a context name that identifies the specific context (also called a contextName). If the USERNAME provided is associated with a context name, then the eG agent will be able to poll the MIB and collect metrics only if it is configured with the context name as well. In such cases therefore, specify the context name of the USERNAME in the CONTEXT text box. By default, this parameter is set to none.
Username	This parameter appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPVERSION. SNMP version 3 (SNMPv3) is an extensible SNMP Framework which supplements the SNMPv2 Framework, by additionally supporting message security, access control, and remote SNMP configuration capabilities. To extract performance statistics from the MIB using the highly secure SNMP v3 protocol, the eG agent has to be configured with the required access privileges - in other words, the eG agent should connect to the MIB using the credentials of a user with access permissions to be MIB. Therefore, specify the name of such a user against this parameter.
AuthPass	Specify the password that corresponds to the above-mentioned Username. This parameter once again appears only if the SNMPversion selected is v3.
Confirm Password	Confirm the AuthPass by retyping it here.
AuthType	This parameter too appears only if v3 is selected as the SNMPversion. From the AuthType list box, choose the authentication algorithm using which SNMP v3 converts the specified username and password into a 32-bit format to ensure security of SNMP transactions. You can choose between the following options: MD5 - Message Digest Algorithm SHA - Secure Hash Algorithm SHA224 - Secure Hash Algorithm 224 bit SHA256 - Secure Hash Algorithm 256 bit SHA384 - Secure Hash Algorithm 384 bit SHA512 - Secure Hash Algorithm 512 bit
EncryptFlag	This flag appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPVersion. By default, the eG agent does not encrypt SNMP requests. Accordingly, this flag is set to No by default. To ensure that SNMP requests sent by the eG agent are encrypted, select the Yes option.
EncryptType	If the EncryptFlag is set to Yes, then you will have to mention the encryption type by selecting an option from the EncryptType list. SNMP v3 supports the following encryption types: DES - Data Encryption Standard 3DES - Triple Data Encryption Standard AES - Advanced Encryption Standard AES128 - Advanced Encryption Standard 128 bit AES192 - Advanced Encryption Standard 192 bit AES256 - Advanced Encryption Standard 256 bit
EncryptPassword	Specify the encryption password here.
Confirm Password	Confirm the encryption password by retyping it here.
EngineID	This parameter appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPVersion. Sometimes, the test may not report metrics when AES192 or AES256 is chosen as the Encryption type. To ensure that the test report metrics consistently, administrators need to set this flag to Yes. By default, this parameter is set to No.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
DNSKEY queries	Indicates the number of DNS queries of DNSKEY type received by the target BIG-IP GTM during the last measurement period.	Number	DNSKEY queries are typically done by resolvers (DNS clients) to validate the DNS answers received from name servers. BIG-IP GTM can be used to provide DNSSEC validation for the DNS answers sent to the clients.
NSEC3Param queries	Indicates the number of queries of NSEC3PARAM type received by the target BIG-IP GTM during the last measurement period.	Number	An NSEC3PARAM query is a type of DNS query used to retrieve information about the NSEC3 (Next Secure Version 3) algorithm used in a domain's DNSSEC configuration. The NSEC3 algorithm is used to provide authenticated denial of existence for DNS records, which means that it can be used to prove that a specific record does not exist in a zone without revealing the names of other records in the zone.
DS queries	Indicates the number of queries of DS type received by the target BIG-IP GTM during the last measurement period.	Number	A DS (Delegation Signer) query is a type of DNS query used to retrieve the public key information for a child domain. The DS query is used in DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) to authenticate the delegation of a domain from a parent domain to a child domain.
AXFR queries	Indicates the number of AXFR queries received by the target BIG-IP GTM during the last measurement period.	Number	An AXFR (zone transfer) query is a type of DNS query used to retrieve a complete copy of a domain's DNS zone from a DNS server. The AXFR query is typically used by secondary DNS servers to synchronize their copy of the zone with the primary DNS server.
IXFR queries	Indicates the number of IXFR queries received by the target BIG-IP GTM during the last measurement period.	Number	An IXFR (Incremental Zone Transfer) query is a type of DNS query used to retrieve only the changes made to a domain's DNS zone from a DNS server, as opposed to a complete copy of the zone like an AXFR query. IXFR is more efficient than AXFR when it comes to zone transfer, as it only transfers the changes made to the zone instead of the entire zone.