May 28, 2020 nslookup is a DNS lookup query utility comes with every Windows operating system, and can be used to query and lookup DNS resolution of a host against default DNS server or alternate DNS server specified. By default, nslookup will send the DNS resolution queries to DNS servers that are configured in Windows operating system’s DNS settings.
Whenever you try to access a website, a DNS server is the one that is responsible for resolving the IP address of the website address you just typed. Typically, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) provides with a default DNS server so that you can access the internet properly. However, the default DNS server provided by the ISP may not be that fast, secure, or reliable. Especially, they won’t have a huge infrastructure like Google Public DNS or OpenDNS which arguably provide faster and better DNS services.
Read: How to change DNS Server in Windows|Mac|Android|iOS
Fortunately, there are a ton of third-party DNS services to choose from. However, you can’t just randomly choose one and hope it is faster than the one provided by your ISP. To deal with that, here are some of the best DNS benchmarking tools that can reliably test the speed and security of a wide range of DNS servers so that you don’t have to do the guesswork.
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Best DNS Benchmarking Tools
1. DNS Jumper
If you are using Windows for any part of the time, you might be familiar or even used some free and small software from Sysinternals or Nirsoft utilities. One such other developer who creates small, lightweight and free software is Sordum.
Off all the software from Sordum, DNS Jumper is the one that I’m using for years. Personally, it is one of the best when it comes to finding and setting fastest DNS on your system. The good thing about DNS Jumper is that it is not only lightweight but is also portable. Moreover, the software packs a lot of features within its small file size. For instance, DNS Jumper has a pre-configured list of 27 different DNS services. If you cannot find the DNS service you are looking for, you can add it with the name of your choice with just a few clicks.
Of course, you can benchmark all the DNS services in the list with a single click. To benchmark the available DNS services, just click on the “Fastest DNS” button appearing at the left-hand side of the window.
Read: How to Bypass Chromecast DNS and Circumvent Geo-Blocking
When the software finds the fastest DNS, it highlights that specific DNS in the list. You can set it as your DNS by clicking on the “Apply DNS Server.” If need be, you can mix and match DNS addresses for more reliability and speed. Just select the checkbox “Mixed” before starting the DNS benchmark test.
To set a custom DNS server, simply select the checkbox “Custom DNS Server,” enter the DNS addresses in the available fields and click on the “Apply DNS” button appearing on the left side of the window. If you want to, you can benchmark the DNS response time by clicking on the “Check Resolve Time” button under address fields.
Like I said, for ease of access, you can add your own custom DNS servers to the list. To do that, click on the “Gear” icon appearing in the Choose a DNS Server field. Now, Enter DNS Server Name, first and second DNS addresses and click on the “Add” button and you are good to go. When you benchmark next time, your custom DNS server is also tested.
If you want to, you can create DNS groups and divide the available DNS servers into different folders like family safe, secure, unblock, etc. To create a DNS Group, click on the “+” icon next to the “Default DNS List,” type a name and press “Enter.”
So, if you are looking for a fully featured DNS benchmark tool which does more the benchmarking different DNS servers then DNS Jumper is for you. Being a free software, give it a try and see if it fits your needs.
2. DNS Benchmark
If you are looking to benchmark various DNS servers with comprehensive reports then you should try DNS Benchmark from GRC. The software may look simple at first glance but it is pretty good at what it does.
The best thing about this software is that unlike other software which just shows the response time, DNS Benchmark gives you some extensive data like minimum response time, average response time, maximum response time, the standard deviation of each DNS Server, and their reliability.
To benchmark, all the available DNS servers, simply go to the “Nameservers” tab and click on the “Run Benchmark” button. When benchmarking each DNS server, the software does three different tests like Cached Name, Uncached Name, and DotCom Lookup for accurate results. While at it, DNS Benchmark also does the DNSSEC Authentication test on every DNS server. Due to all these tests, it can take some time to complete the benchmark.
Read: SmartDNS vs VPN – What’s the Difference?
Once the test has been completed, DNS Benchmark will sort the servers by fastest first. If you go to the “Tabular” tab, you can find the detailed test results.
Just like DNS Jumper, DNS Benchmark has 20+ pre-configured DNS Servers to benchmark. If you can’t find your favorite DNS server, simply click on the “Add/Remove” button to add the DNS server.
Mac Os X Dns Server
Unfortunately, DNS Benchmark doesn’t offer any way to set the DNS server directly. You have to manually set it on your OS or router. All in all, DNS Benchmark is a pretty good software to have in your repository. After all, it is free, lightweight, and portable. So, give it a try.
3. Namebench
Namebench is one of the simplest and oldest software to benchmark DNS servers. Of course, just like the other software on this list, Namebench is also free, lightweight and portable. Though the developer has not released any new update for quite a long time, it still works like a charm. There is also a MacOS version. The DNS servers it tests include but not limited to Google Public DNS, OpenDNS, UltraDNS, RoadRunner, Comodo Secure DNS, DynGuide DNS, etc.
The cool thing about Namebench is that it can even do censorship checks on all the DNS servers in the list. Moreover, depending on where you live, it can also add best available regional DNS services which often provide better speed by virtue of being near to you. Other than that, you can also customize other settings like your location, health check, number of quires, and query data source.
If you can’t find your favorite DNS server within the list, simply enter those DNS IP addresses in the Nameservers field and then click on the “Start Benchmark” button. Unfortunately, there is no way you can add your own DNS server addresses to the list. You have to manually enter them each and every time you want to benchmark the DNS servers.
That being said, the other thing I really like and that is sorely missing from the other two software I shared earlier is that it can detect when your ISP is disregarding your custom settings and redirecting all the DNS traffic via their own servers. When an ISP is redirecting all your DNS traffic, no matter what DNS server you set in your OS or Router, the DNS quires will still go through the ISPs DNS server.
Simply put, you won’t get the benefits of speed, security, and parental control provided by the third-party DNS servers. If your ISP is doing such a thing, all you can do is ask or petition them to respect your changes or move to another ISP who respects your configurations.
That’s it for now and if you think I missed any other good DNS benchmarking software then comment below sharing it with us.
Read: How to Flush DNS Cache on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
The internet has changed almost every aspect of our life. However, to the majority of the people, they neither understand nor appreciate what happens in the background to make the web what it is.
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One of the things that make the web an easy place to find what you are looking for is the addressing system. To maintain order, there is a precise manner in which this is done, and it is the responsibility of the DNS server.
Dual DHCP DNS Server
Dual DHCP DNS server is an open source software dedicated to the DNS service as well as an optional role of DHCP. The software has a version for Windows and Linux and thus giving a larger group of people. Dual DNS is developed by a community of expert and largely depend on donations.
MaraDNS
MaraDNS is an open source DNS server that is lightweight, secure, easy to set up and remarkably small. These are the features that make it very loved in this category. The program implements domain name system which is very crucial to the accessing of the internet and runs on clones of UNIX and Windows.
PowerDNS
PowerDNS is an open source and actually among the first to offer this kind of service. The software takes pride of a great level of services as well as support which is a very rare thing, especially for freeware. The products offered include dnsdist, precursor, and Authoritative Server all of which are open source.
Other Platform
DNS servers play an important role when it comes to making the web a good place. This being the case, it is thus important to have these soft wares in virtually all the platforms so as to ensure that everyone no matters their platform is able to enjoy their services at all times.
haneWIN DNS Server for Windows
haneWIN DNS Server is a tool that has the ability to resolve DNS names across all variants of the Windows operating systems. The good part about haneWIN DNS Server is that it can be implemented both as the primary or secondary name server and also support dynamic DNS update.
Mac Get Dns Server
iDNS for Mac
iDNS is a configuration tool available for the Mac users and it simplifies the process of setting up of your DNS server. It uses BIND which is the default DNS server installed in all Mac machines. The server is easy to use and more so to those that have an experience with Mac OS X server.
DNS Server for Android
DNS Server is an Android App that enables you to run all your DNS requests right from your smartphone. This places a lot of control as well as power on your hands and eliminates the need to have this on your computer. With this app, you can set rules when need be.
Mac Os X Dns Server Software
Most Popular Software for 2016 – Simple DNS Plus
Simple DNS Plus is a DNS server that is very powerful yet surprisingly easy and convenient to use. As a matter of fact, this plus reliability are some of the reasons it has attracted so many users and become a favorite. Especially with novice users, Simple DNS Plus offers the ability to quickly set it up.
What is a DNS Server Software?
The operations of the web remains a thing that remains a mystery to the majority of the people, and even some have no idea of what happens in the background. One of this magic is the DNS (Domain Name Service) essentially, the web files and all related resources are stored in computers and the only accurate way to establish these computers is via their IP addresses.
However, it would be very difficult to remember these numbers and also considering that they can change from time to time for various reasons. This is where a DNS server comes in to resolve this.
The internet has been one of the biggest revolutions that witnessed by the world. It has had effects in nearly all sectors, and it is appearing as something that we perhaps cannot live without. However, a fact is that without DNS server, the web could be disorganized and inaccessible.