Microsoft KB Archive/263558

= How Internet Explorer uses the cache for DNS host entries =

Article ID: 263558

Article Last Modified on 1/27/2007

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 128-Bit Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0

-



This article was previously published under Q263558



WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.



SUMMARY
In earlier versions of Internet Explorer (Internet Explorer 3.x), DNS host entries are cached for 24 hours by default. In many cases, this is too long. During this period, some host entries stop working because of change in the IP address of the remote server that was initially resolved.

Internet Explorer 4.x and later versions modify how DNS host entries are cached by decreasing the default time-out value to 30 minutes.



MORE INFORMATION
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

In some cases, this new time-out setting is too short. If your environment has a number of clients that are connecting and are all performing DNS lookups every 30 minutes, you may experience an unwanted increase in network traffic. To modify this behavior, make the following registry change:  Start Registry Editor. Locate and click the following key in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings

 On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry values:

Value Name: DnsCacheTimeout

Data Type: REG_DWORD

Radix: Decimal

Value: (time in seconds)

Value Name: ServerInfoTimeOut

Data Type: REG_DWORD

Radix: Decimal

Value: (time in seconds)

 Quit Registry Editor.

For example, to set the time-out value to 10 minutes, use a value of 600 seconds.

Note You must use both the registry values listed in step 3 to control the Internet Explorer internal resolver cache mechanism.

Additional query words: ie cache dns timeout

Keywords: kbhowto kbinfo kbenv KB263558

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.