fix for public DNS returns farthest IP

RouterOS General
1

I have respectfully made these suggestions:

http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/MikroTik_RouterOS/Feature_Requests

When having many DNS servers specified - the ability to ask them all at once so that the fastest reply is used - a parralel use of DNS servers. This will be extremely useful to improve website performance.



A technology is needed to help improve DNS resolving times. For example - sticky DNS cache - that can prolong the DNS entries, for longer then their official specified times. Or instead of expiring - the DNS entry can be auto refreshed inside RouterOS to keep a fresh and fast copy in the local cache. Also - saving the DNS cache for after a restart. Also - a DNS server auto-selector - from 5 configured servers, to automatically choose and inform of the fastest.

This would bring up the following issue: A public DNS server such as OpenDNS or Google DNS will return you an IP address which is NOT close to you. I have just tested this with sip.skype.com.

Therefore I now ask the community for ideas how to improve on DNS response times and DNS geo-location.

If anyone can inform OpenDNS and Google of this issue - that would be cool.

Or could this be an issue with how Skype are managing their DNS?

Thank you.

2

http://www.afasterinternet.com/howitworks.htm

Also, I vehemently disagree with this:

For example - sticky DNS cache - that can prolong the DNS entries, for longer then their official specified times.

Let’s not go and break RFCs. If someone wants to set a low caching time you should always respect that. It might be low for a good reason.

3

fewi, of course that you are right. I suggested that specific idea so that readers brains would be provoked to come up with something better. What do you think about the parallel resolving and using fastest response suggestion ?

4

I just wanted to post this link, really: http://www.afasterinternet.com/howitworks.htm
That specifically addresses central DNS servers playing poorly with geo location services.

I don’t have an opinion on RouterOS as a DNS server, really. I don’t use my routers as DNS servers. DNS is an infrastructure service I’ve always deployed as dedicated.

5

Bringing up own DNS for every WISP is absurd. RouterOS can use upstream DNS and have caching which is the desired configuration in most cases. Let’s try and speed that up, shall we ?