The same format is used in the DNS for queries and responses (see figure 2).
Figure 2: Format of a DNS message
The individual sections of a DNS message have the following significance:
The header has a fixed length and contains metadata on the DNS message, including, among other things, the identification, the type of message (query or response) and the length of the following variable sections.
The Query section specifies the information to be found.
The Response section contains the found information in the form of a variable number of Resource Records.
The Authority section contains RRs with the names of other name servers in case the name server contacted earlier could not return a response.
The lowest section may include additional information in the form of RRs.