Edge DNS provides a secure, high-performance, scalable, and highly available edge service for authoritative DNS. Use the these report to check service availability (uptime), monitor traffic, analyze patterns for troubleshooting and threats, compile information for others, and forecast capacity.

If you are using Shield NS53, you can also generate reports on Shield NS53 traffic, events, and service availability. Shield NS53 is a DNS proxy that protects your origin infrastructure, such as an authoritative DNS name server, firewall, or a global server load balancer, from DNS resource exhaustion attacks.

You can access the reports from the REPORTS page. See How to use reports.

The next sections describe the data granularity, filters, graphic visualizations, and metrics associated with each report.

For additional information about these reports, see also Monitor and report on service, traffic, and threats in the Edge DNS user guide help.

Edge DNS Availability report

The Edge DNS Availability report tracks service availability (uptime) of the top-level DNS name servers for your selected contract and time frame up to 90 days.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Contracts. Each contract is assigned a set of top-level DNS name servers. Availability is calculated by looking at the uptime of the name servers for your contract.

Graphic visualization

Availability By Time. Graphic visualization displaying availability percentages for the selected time frame. This widget updates every 10 minutes. When viewing the report over longer time frames, availability can summarize across wider intervals (for example, every hour). Hover over the graph to see the percentage availability for a give date and time.

Metrics

Avg Availability %. Average availability percentage for the selected time frame.
Max Availability %. Maximum availability percentage for the selected time frame.
Min Availability %. Minimum availability percentage for the selected time frame.

Edge DNS report

This traffic report provides DNS hit counts and request rates for the selected zones and time frame up to 90 days.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Zone names. Names of the zones to report on.

Graphic visualizations and table

DNS Requests per Second. Graphic visualization displaying the rate of DNS hits per second. Hover over the graph to see Requests/Sec for a given Date/Time.
NXDOMAIN Responses/Sec. Graphic visualization displaying the rate, in seconds, of nonexistent domain (NXDOMAIN) responses during the specified time frame. Hover over the graph to see Responses/Sec for a given Date/Time.
Zone Summary. Table summarizing the total number of DNS requests per zone, the total number of NXDOMAIN responses, and the percentage of NXDOMAIN responses.

The graphic visualization and table widgets display data for the same time period to facilitate comparisons.

Metrics

Total DNS Hits. Total number of DNS hits (responses). This count includes Total NXDOMAIN Hits.
Peak Hits/Sec. Maximum (peak) DNS hits per second.
Total NXDOMAIN Hits. Total number of NXDOMAIN hits (responses).
Peak Hits/Sec. Maximum NXDOMAIN hits per second.

Edge DNS Today report

The Edge DNS Today report includes more detailed traffic data than the Edge DNS report, for the selected zones and time frame up to 14 days.

The report provides a heat map of query source locations by geographic region, as well as graphic visualizations and analytics of DNS requests.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 14 days of data.

Filters

Zone names. Names of the zones to report on.

Graphic visualizations and tables

Sources of Traffic by Region. Heat map displaying the sources of DNS requests by region.
Top Requests. Table summarizing the Sources of Traffic by Region heat map data. The table shows the top DNS requests by region and the associated number of requests.
DNS Requests per Second. Graphic visualization displaying the rate of DNS hits per second. Hover over the graph to see Requests/Sec for a give Date/Time.
NXDOMAIN Responses per Second. Graphic visualization displaying the nonexistent domain (NXDOMAIN) responses per second for the specified time frame. Hover over the graph to see Responses/Sec for a give Date/Time.
Zone Summary. Table summarizing the following metrics by zone: total number of DNS requests, total number of DNS requests that resulted in NXDOMAIN responses, and percentage of all DNS requests that resulted in NXDOMAIN responses.

Metrics

Total Requests. Total number of DNS requests.
Total NXDOMAIN Responses. Total number of NXDOMAIN responses.
NXDOMAIN Percent. NXDOMAIN responses as a percentage of all DNS hits.
Peak Requests/Sec. Maximum (peak) DNS hits per second.
Peak NXDOMAIN Responses/Sec. Maximum NXDOMAIN responses per second.
Total DNS Hits. Total number of DNS hits (responses). This count includes Total NXDOMAIN Hits.
Peak Hits/Sec. Maximum number of DNS hits per second.
Total NXDOMAIN Hits. Total number of NXDOMAIN hits.
Peak Hits/Sec. Maximum number of NXDOMAIN hits per second.

Edge DNS Zone Detail report

The Edge DNS Zone Detail report provides even more traffic data than the Edge DNS Today report for one selected zone and time frame up to 14 days.

The report provides a heat map of query source locations by geographic region, along with graphic visualizations and analytics of DNS requests. Additionally, the report provides hits per second over time, record-level counts, and top nonexistent domains (NXDOMAINs) for the selected time frame.

Record-level counts are helpful to learn about use at the label level. Top NXDOMAINs help characterize and understand a common attack vector known as random subdomain, where an attacker gains control over a subdomain of a target domain.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 14 days of data.

Filters

Zone name. Name of the zone to report on.

Graphic visualizations and tables

Sources of Traffic by Region. Heat map displaying query source locations by geographic region.
Top Requests. Table summarizing the Sources of Traffic by Region heat map data. The table shows the top DNS requests by region and the associated number of requests.
DNS Requests per Second. Graphic visualization displaying the rate of DNS requests per second. Hover over the graph to see Requests/Sec for a give Date/Time.
NXDOMAIN Responses per Second. Graphic visualization displaying the rate of NXDOMAIN responses per second. Hover over the graph to see Responses/Sec for a given Date/Time.
NXDOMAIN Summary. Table summarizing the NXDOMAIN Responses per Second graph data.
Requests by Record. Table displaying the total number of DNS requests for each record.
NXDOMAIN by Record. Table displaying the total number of NXDOMAIN responses for each record.

Metrics

Total Requests. Total DNS requests.
Total NXDOMAIN Responses. Total nonexistent domain (NXDOMAIN) responses.
NXDOMAIN Percent. Percentage of all DNS requests that resulted in NXDOMAIN responses.
Peak Requests/Sec. Maximum (peak) number of DNS requests per second.
Peak NXDOMAIN Responses/Sec. Maximum number of NXDOMAIN responses per second.
Total DNS hits. Total number of DNS hits (responses). This count includes Total NXDOMAIN Hits.
Peak Hits/Sec. Maximum DNS hits per second.
Total NXDOMAIN Hits. Total number of NXDOMAIN hits (responses).
Peak Hits/Sec. Maximum number of NXDOMAIN hits per second.

Report Limitations

The Requests by Record and NXDOMAIN by Record sections in the Edge DNS - Zone Detail report are limited to displaying only the top 100 names that have received 10 or more DNS requests within the report period. This limitation optimizes UI performance, as some zones may contain tens or hundreds of thousands of names.

Obtaining Full DNS Request Data

Use Data Stream 2 if you require full details beyond the UI limitations. Data Stream 2 allows you to collect and analyze complete request logs, and provides deeper insights into all DNS request activity within your zone.

Edge DNS Threats Summary report

The Edge DNS Threat Summary report includes summary data about potential threats associated with the selected zones and time frame up to 90 days.

The report includes graphic visualizations of DNS requests per second and NXDOMAIN responses per second over time, a table summarizing the graph metrics, and a table listing per-zone metrics of potential threats. Additionally, the report includes a link to each zone's Edge DNS Threat Details report for further threat analysis.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Zone Names. Names of the zones to report on.

Graphic visualizations and tables

DNS Requests per Second. Graph displaying the number of DNS requests per second for the specified zones and time frame.
NXDOMAIN Responses per Second. Graph displaying the rate of nonexistent domain (NXDOMAIN) responses per second.
Zone Details. Table listing the number of DNS requests received per zone during the specified time frame, the number of requests that resulted in NXDOMAIN responses, and the percentage of DNS requests resulting in NXDOMAIN responses.
Threat Details. Table listing threat information per zone, which includes the start and end times of the threats, duration of the threats, percentage of DNS requests that resulted in NXDOMAIN responses, and the top country from which the threat requests were sent. Click the zone name in the table to open the Edge DNS Threat Details report. The report drills down to provide additional visualizations and analytics about the possible threat.

If no threats are detected, the message NO DATA TO DISPLAY appears instead of the Threat Details table.

Metrics

Total Requests. Total number of DNS requests per second.
Total NXDOMAIN Responses. Total number of DNS requests that resulted in NXDOMAIN responses.
NXDOMAIN Percent. Total NXDOMAIN responses as a percentage of total DNS requests
Threats Identified. Total number of threats identified.

Edge DNS Threat Details report

The Edge DNS Threat Details report includes more data than the Edge DNS Threats Summary report about potential threats associated with one selected zone during the selected time frame up to 90 days.

For the selected zone threat, the report provides threat summary metrics including total DNS requests, total NXDOMAIN responses, NXDOMAIN percent, peak requests per second, and peak NXDOMAIN responses per second. Additionally, the report includes graphic visualizations of DNS requests per second and NXDOMAIN responses per second, heat maps and tables with DNS request counts and NXDOMAIN response counts by geographic region, and record-level counts of the most-requested existing DNS records and most-requested nonexistent DNS records.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Zone Name. Name of the zone to report on.

Graphic visualizations and tables

DNS Requests by Region. Heat map displaying the DNS requests for the selected zone by geographic region.
DNS Requests by Region. Table summarizing the data in the DNS Requests by Region heat map.
NXDOMAIN Responses by Region. Heat map displaying the number of nonexistent domain (NXDOMAIN) responses for the selected zone in the selected time period.
NXDOMAIN Responses by Region. Table summarizing the data in the NXDOMAIN Responses by Region heat map.
Most Requested Existing DNS Records. Table listing the most-requested existing DNS records and the total request count.
Most Requested Nonexistent DNS Records (1 Day Granularity). Table listing the most-requested nonexistent DNS records for the entire day the threat occurred, rather than just during the threat duration time. For example, if the threat spans from 07/13/2023 13:45 UTC to 07/13/2023 14:00 UTC, the table data would cover the period from 07/13/2023 00:00 to 07/13/2023 23:59 UTC.

Metrics

Total Requests. Total number of DNS requests.
Total NXDOMAIN Responses. Total number of DNS requests that resulted in nonexistent domain responses.
NXDOMAIN Percent. Total NXDOMAIN responses as a percentage of total DNS requests.
Peak Requests/sec. Maximum (peak) DNS hits per second.
Peak NXDOMAIN Responses/sec. Maximum (peak) nonexistent domain hits per second.

Shield NS53 Proxy Traffic

The Shield NS53 Proxy Traffic report shows graphical data on DNS requests and responses. This data includes the total number of DNS requests and responses, the number of DNS requests and responses based on autonomous system (AS) region, the number of DNS responses served from the resolver’s cache, and the number of DNS responses that were positive or negative.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Name. Name of the shield configuration that you’re reporting on. You select one shield.

Graphic visualization and tables

DNS Requests vs Responses. Graph that shows how much traffic was received by Shield NS53. An increase in requests and responses shows there was an increase in your DNS traffic. If the Responses value dips significantly below Requests, this might indicate there’s an issue that should be evaluated. Hover over the graph to see the precise number of requests and responses that occurred. You can also click Requests or Responses in the legend to show or hide this data in the graph.
DNS Requests Broken Down by Region. Graph that shows the number of DNS requests based on AS regions. You can use this information to determine the volume of DNS requests that originated from specific AS regions. Hover over the graph to view the number of DNS requests for a region. You can also click the AS region number in a legend to show or hide this data in the graph. To learn more about the numeric region values, contact your Akamai account manager.
DNS Responses Broken Down by Region. Graph that shows the number of DNS responses based on AS regions. You can use this information to determine the volume of DNS responses that originated from a specific AS region. Hover over the graph to view the number of DNS responses for a region. You can also click the AS region number in a legend to show or hide this data in the graph. To learn more about the numeric region values, contact your Akamai account manager.
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The DNS Requests Broken Down by Region and DNS Responses Broken Down by Region graphs may take some time to load.
DNS Responses Broken Down by Cached. Graph that shows the number of DNS responses based on cache level. This graph lets you see how many requests were served from a resolver's cache. The graph compares this value to the total number of DNS responses. You can hover over the graph to view response data. You can also click items in the legend to show or hide data in the graph.
DNS Responses Broken Down by Type. Graph that shows the number of DNS responses based on how many were positive. A positive response indicates the request is valid. As a result, Shield NS53 can answer the request from its cache or request a response from your authoritative name server. A negative response indicates that the requested domain is invalid. As a result, Shield NS53 drops the request and based on the request, serves an NXDOMAIN or refused response. You can hover over the graph to view DNS response data. You can also click items in the legend to show or hide this data in the graph.

Shield NS53 Proxy Traffic by Region

The Shield NS53 Proxy Traffic by Region report shows graphical data on DNS requests and responses based on autonomous system (AS) regions. To learn more about the numeric region values, contact your Akamai account manager.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Name. Name of the shield configuration that you’re reporting on. You select one shield.

Graphic visualization and tables

DNS Requests Broken Down by Region. Graph that shows the total number of DNS requests for a region. You can hover over the graph to view the number of requests for each region. You can also click on the region number in the legend to show or hide data in the graph for a specific region.
DNS Responses Broken Down by Region. Graph that shows the total number of DNS responses for a region. You can hover over the graph to view the number of responses for each region. You can also click the region number in the legend to show or hide data in the graph for a specific region.

Shield NS53 Proxy Top Usage

The Shield NS53 Proxy Top Usage report shows the most requested domains and IP addresses and the top events that occurred for those domains and IP addresses.

Data granularity

This report returns one day of data. You can select any date within the last three months.

Filters

Name. Name of the shield configuration that you’re reporting on. You select one shield.

Graphic visualization and tables

Daily Top Domain Events. Table listing the domains that generated the most events and the number of events that occurred. The category for the event is shown. For example, if the traffic was blocked or denied, REFUSED is shown as the category.
Daily Top Domain Usage. Table listing the domains that were most requested and the number of requests that were made to these domains.
Daily Top IP Events. Table listing the top IP addresses that generated events and the number of events that occurred. The category for the event is shown. For example, if the traffic was blocked or denied, REFUSED is shown as the category.
Daily Top IP Usage. Table listing the top IP addresses that were requested and the number of requests that were made to these IP addresses.

Shield NS53 Proxy Queries

The Shield NS53 Proxy Queries report shows the number of queries that were processed and the number of queries that were blocked by the service.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Name. Name of the shield configuration that you’re reporting on. You can only select one shield.

Graphic visualization and tables

Queries Processed. Graph that shows the number of queries processed by Shield NS53. You can hover over the graph to view the exact number of queries that were processed on a specific date.
Queries Blocked Broken Down by Block Reason. Graph that shows the number of queries blocked by Shield NS53 and the reason for the block. Reasons may include a refused response, NXDOMAIN, or a server failure. You can hover over the graph to view the exact number of queries that were blocked on a specific date. You can also click the block reason in the legend to show or hide this data in the graph.

Shield NS53 Proxy Availability

The Shield NS53 Proxy Availability report shows the response times for DNS responses, the minimum and maximum number of DNS responses within a specific response time, and data on overall service availability.

Data granularity

This report returns up to 90 days of data.

Filters

Names. Name of the shield configuration that you’re reporting on. You can only select one shield.

Graphic visualization and tables

DNS Responses Viewed by Response Time (ms). Graph that shows how many responses were handled in more and less than 80 milliseconds (ms). You can hover over the graph to view specific values. You can click >80ms or <80ms in the legend to show or hide values that are greater or less than 80 ms.
DNS Responses Viewed by Response Number. Graph that shows the minimum, maximum, and total number of DNS responses that were handled by Shield NS53 within a specific response time. You can hover over the graph to view specific values. By default, the graph shows total values. You can also click the minimum, maximum, and total values in the legend to show or hide those values in the graph.
Service Availability. Graph that shows the availability of Shield NS53 and the volume of requests processed by the service. You can use this graph to correlate service availability with the volume of responses served.