• Registered: 2011-07-27
  • Posts: 826

Topic: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

Yep ... here comes another long, drawn out babbling how to for folks to enjoy.

First let's get summin straight, I am always trying to make things faster, lighter ... More tweaked n retweaked. Am guessing I'm not alone in the pursuit either. So while am cutting back on dumping time on gnu/nix forums. Played around w summin, got good results, so why not share with others ?

This covers fiddling with your dns server settings to speed up web browsers. If you have ( are behind a router, you can change this there and all the PC's on your network can benefit) Or do it to each gnu/nix OS, though also works with window$ too. All this babble is also assuming you don't have a router that uses IPv6, though steps are no doubt more or less the same ... blahblahblah.

As mentioned, who doesn't want a faster web browser ? So this got me thinking and tweaking about a couple popular alternative dns services that are supposed to give that, they did for me for sure.

Opendns and google public dns.


1st things 1st, backup your existing config file so you can change it back whenever.

Open terminal type ...

 cat /etc/resolv.conf

Highlight the contents of the file, everything includ # Generated by NetworkManager on, copy it and paste it into a new text file, so o course you can copy/paste it back if things don't turn out well. There's your default ( ISP's ) dns server IP folks.


Now we do this an easy gui way by typing in terminal ...

gksu nm-connection-editor

Credit goes to septennial a #!'er I borrowed it from in the forum.

Network Connections opens, we select the internet connection we want to fiddle with, then we select the edit button. In my case, that's Auto eth0. Next choose the tab "IPV4 Settings" and we see a choice for Method there, we click on that and change it to "Automatic (DHCP) addresses only". And you'll see a place to enter a new DNS server address. This is where we're going to enter either opendns's dns server IP's or the ones for google public dns.


*For opendns: Official site link.

208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220

Which o course is the two IP addresses for their DNS servers, separated by a comma and a space. Just like you see above. Then we click save ... Reboot ... done. Take your new dns settings for a spin ! Yay ! wink

Go here to test if you're now using the opendns dns servers. If ya didn't do summin right, you get the red X of death ! If all is well, you will most definitely know it. big_smile

Babblings about opendns ... I didn't like it, you might ... who knows. Why didn't I like em ? Because they hijacked my mozilla address bar searches and redirected them to opendns results instead. You may not care, I did, it was annoying. Opendns seemed a bit heavy handed to me. There are o course no doubt fixes out there. My fix was to use google's dns servers.

*For google public dns: Official link too.

8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4

We put these IP's instead of the IP addresses for opendns's DNS servers. Guess it doesn't hurt to keep a copy of all these dns server IP's, your ISP default, opendns and googles. Changing them around, is just changing that one file. ie: Though on second thought, might stick w the graphical process above.

gksu gedit /etc/resolv.conf

File opens as root, we copy and paste the dns servers we prefer, save, close, reboot ... done. Both opendns and google public dns servers are better, faster and more reliable than the one my ISP's using. Yay, again !



Extra credit babbling for fellow mozilla browser users. A couple about:config tweaks I think go well here, if someone is using ipv4. We of course type about:config in the mozilla browsers address bar, accept the warning if we haven't when dirt was invented. In the search bar, we search for ipv and these suckers will popup.

network.dns.disableIPv6

Right click, select toggle and set that to true. Obviously if we aren't using IPv6 we don't need it. Then if the following isn't already set, toggle it to false.

network.http.fast-fallback-to-IPv4

There ya have it, hope ya enjoy da browser boost, happy computing fellow gnu/nixers. If I missed anything, by all means share.


vll! and (CB) wink


PS, This is a masterpiece of babbling ... *Mwah! iz muey bueno ...  lol

Last edited by CBizgreat! (2012-03-12 14:12:04)

  • From: The Collective
  • Registered: 2009-08-21
  • Posts: 180

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

Thanks for the write up, good stuff.

You should also take a look at pdnsd.

Debian Sid Desktop Install Guide (Draft)
  • finwin
  • #! CrunchBanger
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2011-01-08
  • Posts: 110

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

CBizgreat! wrote:
 cat /etc/resolv.conf

Highlight the contents of the file, everything includ # Generated by NetworkManager on, copy it and paste it into a new text file, so o course you can copy/paste it back if things don't turn out well. There's your default ( ISP's ) dns server IP folks.

You dont need to do that. Just run

cp /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf_backup
ffwn
  • ~HP
  • #! CrunchBanger
  • Offline
  • From: Elsaß (fr_FR)
  • Registered: 2010-01-01
  • Posts: 178

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

# cat /etc/resolv.conf
domain private
search private
nameserver 127.0.0.1
nameserver 192.168.1.102

~HP's Website

  • From: inside Ed
  • Registered: 2011-07-25
  • Posts: 2,803

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

Quick info for users with the resolvconf package. IT replaces /etc/resolv.conf with a symlink to /etc/resolvconf/run/resolv.conf, so that's the file to change. That is, if one is using ifupdown or wpasupplicant and resolvconf together, network manager and WICD have their own config. 

# cat /etc/resolvconf/run/resolv.conf
# Dynamic resolv.conf(5) file for glibc resolver(3) generated by resolvconf(8)
#     DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE BY HAND -- YOUR CHANGES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN
nameserver 8.8.8.8
nameserver 8.8.8.4

Last edited by el_koraco (2012-01-22 13:35:20)

LVM | Catalyst | Wireless
  • From: UK
  • Registered: 2011-10-20
  • Posts: 160

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

Out of curiosity:
1) Does Google mind being used as an alternatives DNS?
2) Could using Google as a DNS lead to privacy issues? (Presumably, if you're going to their servers for every site you visit, they could, hypothetically, keep tabs)

All we ever were, just zeroes and ones.

Throne777's Website

  • From: inside Ed
  • Registered: 2011-07-25
  • Posts: 2,803

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

1. Of course not, this is why they offer the public DNS
2. Google public DNS is a resursive resolver, meaning it stores queries for a time. Read up on this here: http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/intro.html

LVM | Catalyst | Wireless
  • Registered: 2011-07-27
  • Posts: 826

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

Thanks jelloir will keep in mind, all additions and clarifications welcome for sure. El_koraco's add is definitely welcome and finwin's too.


Random babbling opinion @ Throne777 ...

Google did the dns deal imo for a couple obvious reasons. Google does have an interest in speeding up the net for folks, but more to keep them using google's services, so it's another free service they came up with to ingratiate google inc and keep making them even more $.

Also did it to keep someone else, like opendns ... from hijacking search results from google. Thus again ... doing what they can to keep making google inc yet more $. Apparently google inc really likes money.


Brief imo babble about online privacy. Imo you don't have any anyway, people spend wayyyyy too much time worrying about it. Expecting real privacy online, is pretty much like expecting privacy in public. Once you step out that door ... privacy mostly gone regardless. Google ( your ISP) and many, mucho, mas others have more ways to track internet activity than I'd care to think about. Sure govt's are doing it for "national security" or whatever other bs justification they decide to use. Legally, illegally ... blatantly unconstitutional or not. etc. Google possibly logging dns traffic is nothing to have a heart attack over me thinks. Even if they are doing it and lying about it, shrugs. I don't know/care one way or the other. I do care about faster web browsing o course.

And yep ... there are no doubt many the step a person can take to cover tracks online too. Unless you are doing something that really warrants going through such headache, doesn't make any sense anyway. Just me ... but if I wanted to go to some sleazy website ... lets make one up for the purposes of being funny and call it, Nunslikeit2.com or whatever. I don't really care if the gestapo, google or whoever else knows I'm a pervert. What are they going to do ? Charge me w gross perversion n make me stand in da corner or summin ? big_smile

PS, Also forgot to link to the thread that started this. Folks might want to run the prog Johnraff mentions in the thread. Link 2 it.

Last edited by CBizgreat! (2012-01-22 22:00:51)

  • Registered: 2011-07-27
  • Posts: 826

Re: Get a better dns server ... faster web browsing.

On second thought ... better not babble anymore, lol.

Anyone really interested in online privacy + IT sec etc. Am sure there are thread(s) in the forum that discuss it. Jmo ... I don't spend too much time worrying about who's tracking me. Some reasonable precautions, getting rid of flash or supercookies ... blahblahblah.

More babbling on da obvious, mainly cuz it's funny and somebody may get a chuckle.

At some pt your web browser is going to need a dns server regardless. What's to keep them from logging what you're doing ? Ans:  Nothing at all ...

At least if Google Inc is doing it ( don't know as mentioned ), at least they're doing it almost twice as fast as the one my ISP is using. Which is considerate ... at least I can have my privacy invaded twice as fast and don't have to stand around waiting as long for whoever else to get it done. lol


big_smile

Last edited by CBizgreat! (2012-01-22 21:48:23)