DNS Optimization

2011-09-24

A discussion on the MHV LUG mailing list pointed to the Gibson Research DNSBench utility. Letting it chew on all the nameservers it can find, then mulling over the results for a bit, produced this short list:

NY Public Library: 68.88.88.2
Level 3 Comm: 4.2.2.3 or .5
Yale: 130.132.1.10 or 11
NTT: 129.250.48.98

Feed those into Network Manager (or /etc/resolv.conf) in some permuted order and away you go… at least if you’re near Poughkeepsie and using Optimum Online. Change anything and the results will differ.

I’d been using OpenDNS at 208.67.22[02].22[02], but the new ones test out as marginally faster and are certainly more diverse. Who knew NYPL ran a DNS?

Comments

10 responses to “DNS Optimization”

2011-09-24

John Rehwinkel

UUnet has wretched customer service, but their caching name server is fast, near me and well connected, so even though I haven’t bought connectivity from them for a long time, I still use their nameserver at 198.6.1.1. I memorized its IP address for use when I’m in a DNS-broken situation but have some sort of connectivity.
1. 2011-09-24
  
  Ed
  
  nameserver at 198.6.1.1
  
  Ow! I’d blunder that every time: too many digits in common with the 192.168.x.x. private block behind the firewall here!
2011-09-24

david

L3 also runs 4.2.2.2 which I find easier to remember. :) Though I’m told they aren’t very happy about the amount of random traffic they get.
1. 2011-09-24
  
  Ed
  
  Dunno. They have 0.8% of the entire IPV4 address space, inherited from BBN, so the rest of us probably look like roundoff error.
  
  Can you look at the roster of companies on that list and not wonder what some of them do with all those IP addresses?
2011-09-24

david

Also, OpenDNS is about fourteen kinds of utter evil, just FYI. :)
1. 2011-09-24
  
  Ed
  
  Yeah, but they were miles better than Optimum Online’s in-house DNS, back when I last thought about such things…
2011-09-26

Patrick

I use the Google public DNS 8.8.8.8 in the “I can’t remember an IP for DNS” scenario. Only 1 digit to remember :)
1. 2011-09-26
  
  Ed
  
  Heck, even I can manage that!
  
  Thanks…
  1. 2011-09-28
    
    Raj
    
    Google also has a secondary 8.8.4.4 along with 8.8.8.8
2011-10-17

Frans
Or of course, if your regular nameserver is having a temporary hiccup and you don’t need the Internet except for a small lookup, don’t forget

$ nslookup w3.org 8.8.8.8 Server: 8.8.8.8 Address: 8.8.8.8#53 Non-authoritative answer: Name: w3.org Address: 128.30.52.45