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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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What does namebench actually do?namebench looks for the fastest DNS (Domain Name System) servers accessible to your computer. You can think of a DNS server as a phone book: When you want to dial a company on the phone, you may have to flip through a phone book by name to find their phone number. On the internet, when you want to visit "www.google.com", a DNS server needs to looks up the correct IP Address for you. Over the course of loading a single web page, your computer may need to look up a dozen of these addresses. While your internet provider usually automatically assigns you one of their servers to handle looking up these addresses, there may be others that are significantly faster. namebench finds them. Will namebench make surfing the web faster?Yes. Will namebench make large downloads faster?Probably not. While namebench may significantly increase the speed of every day websurfing, it will not increase the speed of large file downloads such as watching movies online. This is because your computer only has to perform DNS lookups to start the download of the movie. Once the download initiates successfully, your download performance is at the mercy of your internet provider. Can I run namebench while downloading large files?namebench assumes your connection has a low amount of traffic while it is running. If this is not the case, the results will be less useful. Running namebenchnamebench fails to start on Windows 2000, XP, or VistaIf you get one of the following errors, your system is missing the Microsoft 2008 Visual C++ libraries: namebench could not be executed. This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem. To fix this, download the package from Microsoft: Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86). namebench fails to start on Mac OS X 10.4The default Mac user interface requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. As a workaround, you can download the namebench source code, open Terminal.app, and type the following to launch the Tk GUI: I_LOVE_TK=1 ./namebench.py What packages do I need for the UI in UNIX?Without the proper libraries installed, namebench will fall back to the command-line version. If you would like a UI:
Interacting with namebenchUsing the ResultsHow do you use the DNS servers recommended?See http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html Please note: If this machine is part of a larger internal network, use of an external DNS server may result in not being able to access other machines within the network. This should not affect home use, however. Why do I get different results each time I run namebench.The first run is the one that is most likely to be accurate. The more times to run namebench, the more likely you are to be repeating the same queries over and over again. This will skew your results toward the closest nameserver to you, rather than the one most likely to have your requests cached during normal operations. One work-around to avoid this is to switch between the Alexa dataset and your favorite browser as a history source. As the Alexa dataset is global in scope, it will tend to skew toward nameservers that cache queries from around the world, however. I run my own nameserver at home, why is it slower?A nameserver with only a few users is less likely to have as many hostnames in it's cache as ones with a larger pool of users. While the latency for cached results will be fastest from a DNS server on the same network as the client, this advantage is easily offset if the majority of requests are not able to be fulfilled from cache. What does "NXDOMAIN hijacking" mean?It means that the DNS server falsifies the result when a non-existent host is requested. This is usually used so that the DNS provider can place advertising when you make a typo when typing in a URL. What does "Incorrect result for..." mean?This means that the DNS server may be falsifying the result for a well known service, and redirecting you to another website. This is usually a very bad thing. This alert may also result in false positives when a website changes to a new network or CNAME. Other QuestionsWhat do you do with the browser history?namebench looks up what hostnames your web browser has accessed, and replays the requests for a random selection of hosts to the 11 best DNS servers. Alternatively, you can also use the Alexa Top 10,000 domains as a data source, though the queries will be not be personalized, and the results less accurate as a result. Are all of the "regional servers" public?If I do a test run, and it points me at various regional DNS servers, run by ISPs or transit providers, are these servers officially "public"? No. Many regional nameservers are only available to their direct or indirect customers. The ones that do show up on your list are the ones that do allow recursive lookups to your machine however. Like accessing a web page found on a search engine, it is possible that the DNS server was misconfigured to allow public access, and may disappear at any time. I run a public nameserver, how do I get added or removed?Enter an issue with a list of IP's to include or exclude. How do I submit a bug?Where can I discuss namebench? |
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fucking bitch
Why can't I enter my location. Only options are blank or other. ???
I take it no one reads these comments eh boris?
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Aside from comments above, this looks pretty useful. Too bad about the youtube-like pottymouths above...
I wanted to know why there are many "Wrong result for" messages. Maybe that happens when a name resolves to multiple IP addresses (load balancing)?
This is a DNS LASER. You can cut through the crude with it quickly and identify where you lookup delays are occurring.
Everyone just calm down.
I tried it but unusual result came out. The result showed my access point IP which is 192.168.1.1 the best one. quit strange but working result was quite good. coul any one explain technically how such thing is possible. Is my access point could be a public DNS.
Hi fpourmand,
Your computer is behinde a router or a firewall, The device you are using has a forwarder which is using your ISP names servers to do the lookups.
If you change the 192.168.1.1 name lookups for other computers on the network could fail.
If you wanted to change the dns servers you would have to login to your router.
Matthew.
So, Matthew, I got the same result as fpourmand. Namebench suggested a secondary and tertiary DNS in addition to saying my router (192.168.1.1) was the best. To optimize my results, should I change my router's primary static DNS IP address to the secondary recommendation provided by namebench, and add the third namebench recommendation as my router's secondary static DNS IP address? Or should I just leave it all as-is? Thanks!
won't update?
AppleInsider? just published an explanation by Daniel Eran Dilger of why streams and large downloads could be much faster when using a local DNS as opposed to big central ones like google, opendns, or others. The article seems to contradict the answer above to the question about speed of large downloads.
i don't now, please help me. tanks
Hi i dont understand a thing: it's always say that xxxxxx is x%faster that my current primary DNS server, but it always take my second DNS like primary DNS!! A solution?? thx
I got the same result as fpourmand and frank.ca Namebench suggested a secondary and tertiary DNS in addition to saying my router (192.168.1.1) was the best. Same question from me: To optimize my results, should I change my router's primary static DNS IP address to the secondary recommendation provided by namebench, and add the third namebench recommendation as my router's secondary static DNS IP address? Or should I just leave it all as-is? Thanks!
what do I do about the several "incorrect results" that showed up?
Try to run the program on a computer connected as close to the internet as possible to fix the 192.168.x.x issue. If you have a modem connected to a router and didnt do any additional setup then its the modems DNS settings you have to change and the modem you have to connect to directly while running this.
Personally if this is the case though your best course of action is to either leave things as is or seek help from someone more knowledgeable. They would need to set the modem into bridge mode and input all your internet providers information into your router.
It also shows 192.168.x.x when referring to your default DNS server. In your settings it might look like 0.0.0.0 this just shows its set to default and connecting to whatever your internet service provider uses. Chances are its the closest server available for obvious reasons.
I am using linux mint 10 - I installed from the repos - when I tried to run it:
> Ignoring /root/.kde/share/apps/konqueror/konq_history (only 77 bytes) Traceback (most recent call last):
TypeError?: init() takes at least 4 arguments (3 given)Hi i dont understand a thing: it always say that xxxxxx is x%faster that my current primary DNS server, but it always take my second DNS like primary DNS!! A solution?? thx
Dafma, I'm not sure if I quite understand what you're saying here, but it appears to me that perhaps you should switch the order between your P DNS and S DNS on your modem/router. My internet speed improved dramatically! Am using Ubuntu 10.04.
@ Gregjc: Have you tried running it from GNOME rather than from KDE? Also are you trying to run it as root? On my system root privileges are not required.
Am I supposed to enter my IP address into the bar or do I leave it as my Router's IP?
Is there any way that i can find the best dns servers for my xbox 360? I run name bench, and i put the dns servers it gives me on my xbox. but im not sure if it's the fastest...
Are these actually hijacked/incorrect? I get these on every DNS server listed. {Along with a few NXDOMAIN hijacking messages)
Am I doing something wrong? Any advice? Keep it fairly simple.
Thanks ...
This sounds ominous:" www.paypal.com is hijacked" What does it mean?
I get the same result; twitter.com appears incorrect: 199.59.149.198, 199.59.148.10, 199.59.148.82 www.paypal.com is hijacked: 173.0.88.34, 173.0.84.2, 173.0.84.34, 173.0.88.2 on all the DNS servers tested. Is it a global conspiracy or a namebench bug? Someone please explain if I should get worried.
I'm seeing the same result. Bug or Palevo infection?
according to the following bug report, the "paypal.com is hijacked" message appears because namebench isn't aware that paypal added some ip addresses.
namebench bug report: http://code.google.com/p/namebench/issues/detail?id=181
http://pro-webs.net/paypal-changes-on-april-7-2011/ http://www.host-99.com/blog/2011/04/paypal-changes-on-april-7-2011/
ARIN whois report: http://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-173-0-80-0-1
The results are hellish, with many fails, hijacks and the likes. I hate it when wee tools like this are popular as it is, and there is ZERO support! :(
Its useful though.. to an extent.
Also, has anyone noticed, that regardless of situation, the Google DNS servers are gonna come up top.. Its a damn conspiracy, and Google just want you to use their DNS for more stats1
I got a warning from dynamicdns that namebench site had spyware....I think the above comment may be right....
Google DNS was 30% slower than my current one. Huh.
Google DNS doesn't always come out of top - it was towards the bottom half for me. OpenDNS was the winner by a fair margin.
A line in my DNS reports says: "www.paypal.com is hijacked: 173.0.84.2, 173.0.84.34, 173.0.88.2, 173.0.88.34" Sounds like Chinese or Russian hackers broke into PayPal? or something really bad happened. Does that mean PayPal? is an unsecured or hackable payment method and that we should be using Google Checkout instead of PayPal? for web-based e-commerce applications? Please let me know what that line means, I couldn't find any news about PayPal? being hijacked by anonymous hackers on PayPal? or Google News, so either PayPal? is intentionally burying the news of getting hijacked so as to not let their massive customer-base know such serious vulnerabilities exist in their infrastructure or is this some NameBench? code that it totally unrated to hackers. Let me (and others) know what "Hijacked" means, we may have to start using Google Checkout instead.
No, PayPal? is not hijacked. Look up those IPs (173.0.84.2 etc) on arin. You'll see that they belong to PayPal?. Probably just a case of PayPal? adding more IPs and namebench not taking this into account. Doubt that "hackers broke into PayPal?" :)
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Installed .tar package on Ubuntu 11.04. This is a GREAT little python tool. It took me a few to get it configured correctly, but once I did it was a breeze. The synaptic manager installs all the dependencies and what not, but if you try to start it from command line, it fails (no such file in usr/local/lib/python
Installing from tarball was perfect. Double click on python script in installed directory, boom, in business. It's saved me the time of performing all the various DNS benchmarks, and seems to be pretty feature rich and un-bloated. Pretty elegant coding really. Simple, clean, to the point, powerful.
Why is this not included in the default packages?
Anyhow, as far as claiming this is a Google conspiracy, take off your tin foil hats. #1, so far, all my results point to my ISP's DNS as being MUCH faster. #2, from what I've seen from Google thus far, their embrace of the Open Source world, and being the only real power to stop that stench arising from Redmond (m$, ugh), I don't complain much about Google.
Maybe they pipeline some of my info for their own purposes, and TBH, IDGAF. They gotta pay for those server farms somehow. My 2 cents. Nice program.
I have been running this software on my computer for the past 10 houres and it seems no where near complete. It seems like I may have to run it the whole night. I do have torrents working in the back ground but why is it so slow? For instance now it says that it is doing health checks on 9 servers (6 threads)...[1547/4515].
i live in Korea and use a VPN in order to access site back in the states. Do I run this with my VPN on or off to get best settings? And do I put the location at the U.S. or Other? Thanks
YES. highjacked. my router is internal. my iPhone, IS my router.. using the Scanny app, shows "wireless broadband router also.. this has been my daily project for year and half. it isALL of the things stated above. I do not know who to talk too .. about the FACTS,evidenceIha drat shows.. andI am far from being arrogant nor saying anything nothacked by extreme facts.. it is a group. global. it IS .. the IP ADMINISTRATIRSAT ARIN, RIPE AND I TERNIC. it is Russia it is bahamasit isall of it together. it is GOOGLE,Facebook.. and factually I have beyond evideniciary evidencethat links .. somany co.s, an employee at each that makes it possible. I have VPN, tethered people without having tethering activated and .. so many .. I can't even sum up here. I KNOW because I know it's machine,there is an answer. what I have discovered after coming on that known assumption.. it IS the mail exchange, servers, hacker, code makers, we boaters and .. the companies that provide service.it is through thecable, planted antennas .. idont want to even wriggler because sounds so ridiculous. BUT.. I have personal awareness, so eons who is highly involved f*Ed up and opened her mouth. how I even knew she was on my stuff, let alone parents sisters multiple phones, all computers .. etc. because I wasn't knew I knew would fatal crash my new laptop , I prepared .. and once got back up..was stuck on the remote computers C: drive, cause she forgot to disconnect me. anyway .. the list is long. none of this is false. and when I say global , and root all the root uses of Internet, that is how. spend time gobbling domain names, and .. this doessou d homey. but if I had one person help to show it would .. come to light. I ha to WAIT for certain apps to be I vented. SYSTEM STATUS.. that is my saving grace. shows every iota of things happening.. since I know after 9 phones 4 computers.. no joke. shows all the activity. AND .. I can link certain things that I know NOONE can besides me. and after year and half, and the reality of my life, and bizarre Halle it's. I'm scared it confident. i just .. it's life threateningly scary. but real.
wow needed to spellcheck. if someone .. wanted to take aminute ..I'd love to say what I know. it's insane.
Many many hours to spend for a little difference...Paypal hijacked..(not as the word says...means another thing)so many fails....My default dns servers are good.Anyway is a good report tool
Ok ... why test against so many porn sites??? Seriously. I am extremely dubious about this program now to the point am doing a complete external virus/trojan check.
after waiting a grueling half an hour ... all i get is an error saying " none of the name servers tested are healthy " ...:o what do i do now ??
The test against pornsites is ofc to check DNS blocking. One of the first thing a company would do is to block pornsites.
Just a reminder: ignore 192.168.1.1. That's not a real IP address. Use whatever secondary/tertiary results you get. Also, as mentioned above, the fact that you test against so many porn sites is pretty weird. You should probably explain that to people who chose to check that box. (A Popup maybe?)
it is posible to install namebench without GUI, only cmd line version (for servers) ?
This is a great tool. Mine ended up being 11.8% faster, and it is evident in my web surfing experience now after installed namebench. I use ubuntu 11.04, the scanning process took around 20min, the result was remarkable. Thanks for this great tool.
WOWWWWWW!!! At first I was a little nervous about changing any settings. I didn't really know what settings I was supposed to change. Apparently I figured it out because my internet is screamin' fast now. I'm not getting the "cant find the server" messages anymore. Hopefully it will stay this way.