What is DNS?

A DNS or Domain Name System is responsible for pointing your networked or internet-connected computer to the the right website or server for your request. Every networked or internet-connected computer is assigned an IP address. Basically an IP address functions the same was a postal address. Your mail gets delivered to the postal address, the same way that a request to connect is directed to a specific IP address.

Say you want to go to OpenDNS’ website. You type in http://www.opendns.com. Your browser will ask a DNS server, “Hey, how do I get to www.opendns.com?” The DNS server will then look it up in its records and reply, “Oh, that. Go to the IP 208.69.38.160 and you’re all set.” Your browser goes to that IP and you see the webpage.

Your ISP or office network (in the case of corporate networks) will usually have their own DNS server. It is not uncommon though for ISP’s and other companies to use DNS services provided by third parties so they don’t have to maintain it themselves. There‘s also the issue of speed. The internet is one gigantic intricate web of interconnected computers. Depending on where you physically are and where the server of the site you’re browsing is, your computer may have to find a route through different servers in different countries. It will ‘hop’ through each before it finds its way to the website’s own server. Your computer will have to find its way through that maze. Services like OpenDNS have servers all over the world and that helps because it can find the fastest route to the computer hosting webpage your going to.

If you would like to try and use a different DNS server to see if that’s faster than you ISP’s, give OpenDNS a try. It’s what I personally use. You also get the added benefits of web content filtering and phishing protection if you want to turn those on. That means it filters out those unsavory porn sites and fake banking sites that try to steal your login credentials. For instructions on how to change the DNS server settings on your Windows computer, go here.

OpenDNS - Faster DNS, Faster Internet

I've been wondering for a few weeks why my internet connection had started slowing down the last few weeks and I haven't been able to figure out what was causing it. Last night I finally got it figure out. I had almost always used OpenDNS as my DNS server whenever I configure my machines (I wrote a post about how to do that here: http://techthroes.blogspot.com/2010/03/use-opendns-to-protect-yourself.html). Well 2 or so weeks ago, while troubleshooting a slow internet connection, I changed the settings on my machine to PLDT's default DNS servers. I made a mental note to instead set up OpenDNS on the router instead so I wouldn't have to do that on each of my machines. Guess what? I forgot to do it on the router - LOL.

So last night I remembered what I forgot to do while trying to isolate the cause of my slow connection. Pages took too long to load, about 2-3 minutes to load a page like SpeedTest.net. I was slower with large pages like Facebook or even Blogger. I decided to try using OpenDNS again. This time, I set it up on the router. Guess what? Every page I threw at my browser suddenly loaded a lot more faster. Facebook loaded in about 5 seconds. Blogger in 4 seconds. A welcome surprise was my torrent downloads, Linux images mind you, became  inexplicably faster. I'm not a networking wizard, so I can't figure out how resolving DNS addresses can make downloads faster. I can understand how that would make finding other computers seeding the images would be, but I'm amazed that the overall download speeds have shot back up to what they were before my troubles started.

Anyway, I'm just glad that it sped up. I can finally have the computer finish downloads faster. That means I wouldn't have to leave the computer on as long as it does when downloads take longer to finish.

Use OpenDNS to Protect Yourself

In a recent poll Paypal, the IRS and Facebook have been ranked the most phished sites. Clearly, scammers are out to get us and our valuable personal data and financial information. One way to protect your self is to use a service that screens out phishing sites. OpenDNS is one option and the good news is it is free!

OpenDNS features phishing site filtering, warning you if a site you're going to is a scammer's site trying to get your information. Add to that, OpenDNS can also help speed up your browsing speed or filter out adult sites with parental controls.

Its easy to set-up. Here's how to do it in Windows 7:

1. On your taskbar, right-click network icon (the one that looks like a computer monitor) and click Open Network and Sharing Center:

2. In Network and Sharing Center, click on Change Adapter Settings on the left pane:

3. In the Network Connections window, right-click on the Local Area Connection and click Properties:

4. In the Local Area Network Properties window, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties:

5. In the IPv4 window, check the option Use The Following DNS Server Address and type in 208.67.222.222 as your Preferred DNS Server and 208.67.220.220 as your Alternate DNS Server, then click the OK button to save the changes:

After doing the steps above, you're all set. Your computer will ask OpenDNS where it should go every time you type in a website address on your browser. Be careful out there!