This zone database file is stored as a standard text file.

This zone database file is stored as a standard text file.

• A. Secondary zone database
• B. Cache-only zone
• C. Stub zone
• D. Primary zone database

Answer: (D)

In DNS, the authoritative data for a zone is stored in a zone file on disk as a plain text file. This is the primary zone database—the master copy that administrators edit to define all resource records (like A, NS, MX, etc.). The server uses this file to answer queries for the zone authoritatively. A secondary zone is a copy of that data on another server, kept up via zone transfers and not the master source. A cache-only zone isn’t kept as a persistent zone file; it’s built in memory from cached responses. A stub zone contains only enough information to locate the real authoritative servers for the zone and doesn’t hold the full zone data. So the file stored as a standard text file that serves as the authoritative data source is the primary zone database.

In DNS, the authoritative data for a zone is stored in a zone file on disk as a plain text file. This is the primary zone database—the master copy that administrators edit to define all resource records (like A, NS, MX, etc.). The server uses this file to answer queries for the zone authoritatively. A secondary zone is a copy of that data on another server, kept up via zone transfers and not the master source. A cache-only zone isn’t kept as a persistent zone file; it’s built in memory from cached responses. A stub zone contains only enough information to locate the real authoritative servers for the zone and doesn’t hold the full zone data. So the file stored as a standard text file that serves as the authoritative data source is the primary zone database.