NSLOOKUP Returns Time-out Error When Query for an MX Record (198551)

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server 4.0
Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server 4.0a

This article was previously published under Q198551

SYMPTOMS

If you use Nslookup.exe to query for a Mail Exchanger record (MX), it may fail with the following error:

*** Request to dnsserver.example.microsoft.com timed-out

NOTE: dnsserver.example.microsoft.com is the host name of the DNS server you are querying.

CAUSE

If the DNS server that you are querying has an MX record in the DNS zone similar to

   domainname.example.microsoft.com.    MX    10    192.168.1.1

you may see the error mentioned above.

RESOLUTION

Change the MX record to point to a host name that will then, in turn, resolve to the same IP address. For example, in the domainname.com zone, make the following change:

   domainname.example.microsoft.com. MX 10 host1.domainname.example.microsoft.com
   host1                             A  192.168.1.1

STATUS

This behavior is by design. According to RFC 974:

Each MX matches a domain name with two pieces of data, a preference value (an unsigned 16-bit integer), and the name of a host.

Modification Type:	Major	Last Reviewed:	5/14/2003
Keywords:	kbprb KB198551