Which command queries the DNS system to find IP addresses for domain names?

The command that queries the DNS system to find IP addresses for domain names is nslookup. This utility is specifically designed to perform DNS queries, enabling users to retrieve the IP address associated with a domain name or to find information about the domain itself, such as the mail servers or other DNS records.

When you use nslookup, it sends a request to a Domain Name System server, which responds with the necessary information about the queried domain. This capability is essential in network troubleshooting and management, allowing administrators to verify DNS resolution and diagnose connectivity issues.

Other options serve different purposes. For example, the ping command tests the reachability of a host on a network and can provide the IP address of a domain if specified, but it does not directly query DNS for that information. Gpupdate is used to refresh group policy settings in a Windows environment, and tracert traces the route that packets take to a specific network destination, which does not involve querying DNS for address resolution.