Which scenario best benefits from forward zones?

• A. An enterprise network that uses a central Internet gateway DNS resolver
• B. A small network with a single local domain server
• C. A network that requires authoritative hosting for many zones
• D. A network that blocks all external DNS queries

Answer: (A)

Forward zones route external DNS queries to a specific upstream resolver instead of answering them locally. This is especially useful in an enterprise that uses a central Internet gateway DNS resolver because all requests for Internet domains can be forwarded to that single, controlled resolver. Centralizing the forward path brings consistent DNS policy, easier logging and security enforcement, and caching benefits that reduce WAN traffic and speed up responses across branches. A small network with one local domain server doesn’t gain as much from this pattern, and networks that require hosting many authoritative zones rely on their own authoritative servers rather than forwarding; likewise, if all external DNS queries are blocked, forwarding has nothing to send upstream.