What distinguishes a static DNS record from a dynamic one?

What distinguishes a static DNS record from a dynamic one?

• A. Static records can only be updated by administrators, while dynamic records can be updated automatically.
• B. Static records are faster to resolve than dynamic records.
• C. Static records can be updated automatically by clients, while dynamic records require manual updates.
• D. Static records include both A and AAAA records; dynamic records only A.

Answer: (A)

Static and dynamic describe how DNS entries are updated, not the kind of data they hold. A static DNS record is configured and changed manually by an administrator in the DNS zone; it stays fixed until someone edits it. A dynamic DNS record is designed to be updated automatically by devices or network services (for example, a host or DHCP server publishing its current IP to the DNS server). This automatic updating is what lets a hostname keep pointing to the correct address when a device’s IP changes. So when a device’s address changes, a static entry would require a manual admin update, whereas a dynamic entry updates itself. The other statements aren’t the defining difference: resolution speed depends on caching and server performance, not on whether a record is static or dynamic, and both types can store various record kinds (not limited by one or the other).

Static and dynamic describe how DNS entries are updated, not the kind of data they hold. A static DNS record is configured and changed manually by an administrator in the DNS zone; it stays fixed until someone edits it. A dynamic DNS record is designed to be updated automatically by devices or network services (for example, a host or DHCP server publishing its current IP to the DNS server). This automatic updating is what lets a hostname keep pointing to the correct address when a device’s IP changes. So when a device’s address changes, a static entry would require a manual admin update, whereas a dynamic entry updates itself. The other statements aren’t the defining difference: resolution speed depends on caching and server performance, not on whether a record is static or dynamic, and both types can store various record kinds (not limited by one or the other).