Any Easy Way to run your own DNS server on WIndows? I'm fed up with my ISP's DNS issues. ..

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
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Looking for an easy windows solution to run a DNS server that will let me use the internet - I'm not looking to host things on my puter like websites n such.

Thanks.
 

episodic

Lifer
Feb 7, 2004
11,088
2
81
Wow, this makes a measurable difference in my browsing. Big time.

Now, I've only got one question, what was that program that turns things into 'services'? This runs in a black dos box window. . .
 

azev

Golden Member
Jan 27, 2001
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do you have win2k server product ? Win2k has a built in DNS server thats pretty easy to configure and it will also act as a caching server.
 

BDawg

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
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If you're not hosting something, what's the advantage to running your own DNS service? You'd still need a forward lookup zone. Why not just put that in your Windows DNS settings?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
If his ISPs servers frequently take a long time to resolve or time out then it is very advantageous to run your own DNS server, plus it will cache any request it has made.
 

BDawg

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
11,631
2
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Originally posted by: spidey07
If his ISPs servers frequently take a long time to resolve or time out then it is very advantageous to run your own DNS server, plus it will cache any request it has made.

It'll cache it, but wouldn't your personal DNS server still forward lookup to the ISP servers? Wouldn't they still be the slow link?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: BDawg
Originally posted by: spidey07
If his ISPs servers frequently take a long time to resolve or time out then it is very advantageous to run your own DNS server, plus it will cache any request it has made.

It'll cache it, but wouldn't your personal DNS server still forward lookup to the ISP servers? Wouldn't they still be the slow link?

No.

A DNS server goes to the "roots" to find who is authoritative for a domain and then asks directly the authoritative name server for that domain. If you setup a DNS you really shouldn't foward it unless its a private network - as in you are running a large internal domain and have caching or secondary name servers on a large enterprise network. Somebody has to be the root for that domain, this server in turn fowards requests to the InterNic roots.

Search for "root hints" or "caching DNS server"
 

Rilex

Senior member
Sep 18, 2005
447
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The prefered method would be to configure forwarders, namely reliable forwards. Only after the forwarders fail should the roots be referenced.

I always use Verizon as forwarders:
4.2.2.3
4.2.2.4

They seem fairly reliable.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Rilex
The prefered method would be to configure forwarders, namely reliable forwards. Only after the forwarders fail should the roots be referenced.

I always use Verizon as forwarders:
4.2.2.3
4.2.2.4

They seem fairly reliable.

Really?

I always go to the roots.
 

Atheus

Diamond Member
Jun 7, 2005
7,313
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I was about to have a rant about how there's no point running a dns server for the caching alone, because the client should be caching anyway, but... it looks like windows makes an external request every time it gets URL rather than an IP address. In fact, a visit to anandtech.com generates up to 9(depending on the ads) seperate DNS requests and reloading the page generates them all over again. This sucks. Anyone know how to turn dns caching on in windows? in linux?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Atheus
I was about to have a rant about how there's no point running a dns server for the caching alone, because the client should be caching anyway, but... it looks like windows makes an external request every time it gets URL rather than an IP address. In fact, a visit to anandtech.com generates up to 9(depending on the ads) seperate DNS requests and reloading the page generates them all over again. This sucks. Anyone know how to turn dns caching on in windows? in linux?

Windows was never very good at obeying the rules (RFCs)

The resolver "should" cache those requests.
 

azev

Golden Member
Jan 27, 2001
1,003
0
76
hmmm, I know for sure my windows dns server caches almost every query it made to the root servers.
 

Eltano1

Golden Member
Aug 6, 2000
1,897
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No, that is Bloomington Profesional Services.

My questions was about the DNS IP address for the root.

Eltano