Can I create a DNS list on my computer?

[- - s r b - -]

I hope this isn't a stupid question... :-)

Is it possible to create (and maintain) a small DNS listing for websites 
that I frequent to enable quicker connecting (I'm on dial-up). And if 
so, can I make my computer check this list first, and then the ISP's DNS 
if no match is found?

Thanks.

[Ben Steeves]

On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:13:16 -0400, - - s r b - -  wrote:
> I hope this isn't a stupid question... :-)
>
> Is it possible to create (and maintain) a small DNS listing for websites
> that I frequent to enable quicker connecting (I'm on dial-up). And if
> so, can I make my computer check this list first, and then the ISP's DNS
> if no match is found?

[bcs@zephyr bcs]$ yum info caching-nameserver
Looking in Available Packages:
Name   : caching-nameserver
Arch   : noarch
Version: 7.2
Release: 12
Size   : 24.58 kB
Group  : System Environment/Daemons
Repo   : Fedora Core 2 - i386 - Base
Summary: The configuration files for setting up a caching name server.
Description:
 The caching-nameserver package includes the configuration files that
will make BIND, the DNS name server, act as a simple caching
nameserver. Many users on dialup connections use this package along
with BIND for this purpose.

If you would like to set up a caching name server, you will need to
install the caching-nameserver package and bind.

... so yes, you can.  Install the caching-nameserver package.

[- - s r b - -]

Ben Steeves wrote:
> [bcs@zephyr bcs]$ yum info caching-nameserver
> Looking in Available Packages:
> Name   : caching-nameserver
> Arch   : noarch
> Version: 7.2
> Release: 12
> Size   : 24.58 kB
> Group  : System Environment/Daemons
> Repo   : Fedora Core 2 - i386 - Base
> Summary: The configuration files for setting up a caching name server.
> Description:
>  The caching-nameserver package includes the configuration files that
> will make BIND, the DNS name server, act as a simple caching
> nameserver. Many users on dialup connections use this package along
> with BIND for this purpose.

Ben,

Thanks for the info! What servers do you have in your yum.conf? My yum 
servers do not have this program... :-(

Thanks!

[Alexander Dalloz]

Am Sa, den 31.07.2004 schrieb - - s r b - - um 0:27:
> > [bcs@zephyr bcs]$ yum info caching-nameserver
> > Repo   : Fedora Core 2 - i386 - Base
> Thanks for the info! What servers do you have in your yum.conf? My yum 
> servers do not have this program... :-(

caching-nameserver is a Fedore Core package, not Extras nor third party
repo.

Alexander

[David Cary Hart]

On Mon, 2004-06-28 at 10:13, - - s r b - - wrote:
> I hope this isn't a stupid question... :-)
>
> Is it possible to create (and maintain) a small DNS listing for websites 
> that I frequent to enable quicker connecting (I'm on dial-up). And if 
> so, can I make my computer check this list first, and then the ISP's DNS 
> if no match is found?

Why not just add the list to "hosts?"
> Thanks.
>
> -- 
> srb
>
> fedora core 2|kernel 2.6.6-1.427
> amd 2500+|asus a7n8x-x|msi fx5200

[Ben Steeves]

On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 10:15:35 -0400, David Cary Hart  wrote:
> On Mon, 2004-06-28 at 10:13, - - s r b - - wrote:
> > I hope this isn't a stupid question... :-)
> >
> > Is it possible to create (and maintain) a small DNS listing for websites
> > that I frequent to enable quicker connecting (I'm on dial-up). And if
> > so, can I make my computer check this list first, and then the ISP's DNS
> > if no match is found?
>
> Why not just add the list to "hosts?"

Because maintaining hosts is not fault-tolerant, whereas DNS is.  For
example, this week www.somedns.com may point at 123.12.12.123, but
www.somedns.com is actually hosted on some guy's broadband connection,
and his ISP uses PPPoE.  Next week www.somedns.com points at
45.123.123.46, and your host entry is invalid.  A caching-only
nameserver would update itself properly, avoiding the whole mess.

The only entries that  should go into hosts are IPs on your local
network that don't have DNS entries (i.e, private IPs).

[Alan Horn]

On Mon, 28 Jun 2004, Ben Steeves wrote:
> The only entries that  should go into hosts are IPs on your local
> network that don't have DNS entries (i.e, private IPs).

I've found that the primary IP address for the host is sometimes a good 
thing to put in hosts as well, assuming you're not on DHCP of course.

Cheers,

Al

[David Cary Hart]

On Mon, 2004-06-28 at 10:20, Ben Steeves wrote:
> > Why not just add the list to "hosts?"
>
> Because maintaining hosts is not fault-tolerant, whereas DNS is.  For
> example, this week www.somedns.com may point at 123.12.12.123, but
> www.somedns.com is actually hosted on some guy's broadband connection,

While that is absolutely correct there are experience issues AND I doubt
that the caching name server will improve performance since the cache is
volatile.

[Andy Green]

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On Monday 28 June 2004 15:13, - - s r b - - wrote:
> I hope this isn't a stupid question... :-)
>
> Is it possible to create (and maintain) a small DNS listing for websites
> that I frequent to enable quicker connecting (I'm on dial-up). And if
> so, can I make my computer check this list first, and then the ISP's DNS
> if no match is found?

Is your initial DNS lookup really slow?  If so, remove ipv6 by adding

install ipv6 /bin/true

to /etc/modprobe.conf

and you may well see a big improvement.  If not, use tcpdump to watch what is 
going on with ppp0 when you do a slow dns lookup.

- -Andy

- -- 
Automatic actions for USB cameras, cardreaders, memory sticks, MP3 players
http://warmcat.com/usbautocam
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[- - s r b - -]

Andy Green wrote:
> Is your initial DNS lookup really slow?  If so, remove ipv6 by adding
>
> install ipv6 /bin/true
>
> to /etc/modprobe.conf
>
> and you may well see a big improvement.  If not, use tcpdump to watch what is 
> going on with ppp0 when you do a slow dns lookup.
> -Andy

Yes it seems like my DNS is slow, hence the original inquiry! :-)

I will try this out as well as Ben's caching-nameserver suggestion... 
just one question, is the syntax of your instruction correct? By adding 
"install ipv6 /bin/true" to my /etc/modprobe.conf, that will UNinstall 
ipv6?? It looks backwards, but maybe I am misinterpreting it... :-)

Thanks for your help!

[Andy Green]

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On Monday 28 June 2004 15:46, - - s r b - - wrote:
> Yes it seems like my DNS is slow, hence the original inquiry! :-)
>
> I will try this out as well as Ben's caching-nameserver suggestion...
> just one question, is the syntax of your instruction correct? By adding
> "install ipv6 /bin/true" to my /etc/modprobe.conf, that will UNinstall
> ipv6?? It looks backwards, but maybe I am misinterpreting it... :-)

Yes, it tells the (module tools?  initscripts?) that to install the ipv6 
module, you just run /bin/true.  And naturally you get a happy return code 
from that ;-)

I once managed to leave in /etc/resolv.conf a static DNS cache from here on a 
machine I then took elsewhere.  I was puzzled it was slow and it was puzzled 
as to why I was telling it to look at 192.168.0.1 for DNS :-)  Hence I 
suggest looking with tcpdump at what goes on at the wire when you are doing a 
DNS lookup.  192.168.0.1 stuck out like a sore thumb when I did this.  You 
might as well turn off ipv6 anyway, but if it is trying to talk ipv6 that 
will also stick out like a sore thumb.  tcpdump is very very useful.

- -Andy

- -- 
Automatic actions for USB cameras, cardreaders, memory sticks, MP3 players
http://warmcat.com/usbautocam
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