Use Google As Your DNS Server

by Jason Faulkner on Dec 6, 2009 | 9 comments

Many of you may have changed your primary DNS servers from your ISP to use a public DNS service such as OpenDNS. If you have not done this (you would know if you did), the reason you would want to is to boost performance and provide additional security and options your ISP DNS servers do not.

Google is now in this market with their Google Public DNS offering. Setting up your environment is very simple, just change your DNS IP’s on your router to use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (amazing that they have those IP’s) and you are all set. There are walkthrough’s available for every OS on their page in the event you need them.

Is anyone going to swap from OpenDNS to Google Public DNS?

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Martik
can you tell me what is dns server for?
is it act like a proxy server? or …
milz
I’ve had Open DNS for some time now, and while there are still a few features that it lacks, it currently blows away Google’s DNS options. I imagine the only reason its getting so much attention is because their google. Every tech blog, podcast, etc is talking about this likes its a new thing.
OpenDNS allows for filtering/monitoring traffic, while performing the already basic functions that Googles DNS system offers (security, etc).
I’ll probably switch over once google starts enhancing their DNS. I hope its only a matter of time before they start making it nice nice.
milz
Explanation of DNS:
Basically, the web doesnot understand words. Think of a DNS as type of computer that specifically translates words into ip addresses (numbers). Once the computer has the numbers, it then forwards your request to another computer, and another, until the computer you are requesting information from is found. Once it is found, the results are then relayed back to you.
http://www.deflorence.com BdF
If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. Any significant advantages to switching from OpenDNS to Google Public DNS?
Lanks
I’ve been using opendns for a while and i was getting tired of how it handled non-addresses, this will be a nice switch
Matt
@Martik: Really?
The DNS system resolves domain names (such as martik.com) to their numeric IP addresses. Without DNS servers you wouldn’t be able to go to pcmech.com in your browser, you’d have to remember its IP address and type that in every time.
There’s a lot more to it than that of course.
Protip: If you don’t fully understand DNS, don’t go screwing around with your DNS settings. This tip (and the previous one about OpenDNS) is primarily useful for people who run a DNS server of their own. Although you can specify alternate DNS servers on a local machine, if you really want to.
Matt
Also, no, I think google knows enough about me as it is without logging every last one of my DNS queries.
Nice to know though, for future reference. Perhaps the increase in alternative DNS options will encourage ISPs to stop jerking us around and provide us with better DNS services… *rolleyes*cough*COMCAST*cough*.
http://www.bytehead.org/blog/ Bryan Price
They bought those numbers from Level 3
http://ws.arin.net/whois/?queryinput=8.8.8.8
Dick McLean
I was glad to find the article about the Google Public DNS. I have a satellite isp and I was getting a lot of DNS errors with it. Last week I changed to the Goodle DNS and I haven’t had a problem since.