DNS Lookup - Custom DNS Server

[futureweb]

It would be very helpful if the DNS Lookup Tool allowed specifying a custom DNS server to query.

We regularly run into situations where we need to compare responses from different DNS servers to identify which one is serving stale data or is not up to date. Having the option to select the DNS server directly in the tool would make this workflow much easier and faster.

[BornToBeRoot]

You can add custom dns servers in the settings or edit existing profiles.

[futureweb]

@BornToBeRoot Oh okay, thanks for the quick reply – classic RTFM on my side 🙈🤣

That said, it would still be very handy to be able to enter a DNS server on the fly directly in the DNS Lookup tool. Typical workflow: you query a domain like test.tld, see that ns1.dom.tld / ns2.dom.tld are configured as authoritative name servers, and then want to quickly query exactly those servers. Having to go through the settings and edit/add a profile each time is a bit cumbersome in that situation – it works, but it could be more efficient. 🙂

[BornToBeRoot]

I have a working PoC (#3261) for your request... when i have some time this or next weekend, i will review & implement it...

The input will be ip:port, i don't know if it makes sense to allow hostnames as dns server (then i need to query dns (to system dns??), to resolve dns)

Edit: need to check if nslookup supports this, if yes, i implement it the same way. Because it makes sense to also resolve the hostname of a dns... e.q. aws route53...

[futureweb]

@BornToBeRoot

Thanks a lot for picking this up so quickly – really appreciate how fast you reacted to this! 🙌

If possible, it would be great if NETworkManager could also accept DNS server hostnames in addition to IP addresses. For example, when running a dig NS query for a domain, you usually get the nameserver hostnames back (like sec1.rcode0.net, sec2.rcode0.net) instead of their IPs.

Being able to paste or use those hostnames directly would make the workflow a bit smoother in this kind of setup.

Thanks again for your great work on this project!

-

[BornToBeRoot]

@futureweb i published a pre-release, if you want you can test the new feature: https://github.com/BornToBeRoot/NETworkManager/releases/tag/2025.12.13.0

[futureweb]

@BornToBeRoot I just tried the portable version — works like a charm! 😊
Thanks for implementing the feature so quickly.

Best wishes from Tirol,
Andy

[BornToBeRoot]

Great. thanks for the feedback. If you find an issue, let me know 😄