Which DNS action does a forward zone perform for queries within its scope?

• A. Forward to upstream DNS servers
• B. Always respond authoritatively
• C. Always respond from cache
• D. Block the query

Answer: (A)

Forward zones handle queries by sending them to predefined upstream DNS servers for resolution. When a query falls under the zone you’ve configured, the resolver forwards that request to the forwarders you specified, and the response from those upstream servers is then returned to the client. This means the zone does not provide answers from its own authoritative data, nor does it rely solely on cached results or block the query. The forwarding setup centralizes external resolution and can apply policies for that domain space, while queries outside the forward zone’s scope are unaffected.