Root hints
Every recursive or caching DNS server installation must have a pre-loaded file containing the IP addresses of the 13 Root servers, so that it may perform recursive lookups on behalf of clients. This file is commonly known as the root hints (or root.hints) file.
The content of the root hints file that a given DNS server uses ultimately depends on the administrator of that DNS server. This fact is what enables alternate root servers and the Open Root Server Network to exist.
However, in practice the vast majority of DNS server administrators will use the default root.hints file shipped with their DNS server software (for example ISC BIND or the Microsoft DNS Server. The content of this file is always identical to the root.hints file published by IANA.
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