DNS Management Software: Explaining the Basics

It is very important to make sure that your DNS is working efficiently, as it is one of the most important aspects of web-technology. Generally, DNS makes sure that your website gives its visitors accurate, easily accessible and quickly reachable content. In the world where everything is happening online and changing extremely quickly, DNS management is really important.

What is DNS?

Essentially, DNS is short for domain name system, a database of computers, forming a network that allows simplified control of database segments, to put it simply, the so called ‘phone book of the internet’. Whether you're trying to access an internet page or send an e-mail, your computer uses a DNS server to look up the domain name that you're trying to access. This is called a DNS name resolution process, which involves converting a hostname, something like www.example.com to an IP address which is a computer readable number, for example 192.168.1.1. Once a computer has read the number, it knows the IP location of a web domain name and can open the web page in the browser.

Why Do You Need DNS Management Software?

DNS management software is extremely useful, because it controls DNS server clusters. This software is mostly used with the purpose of reducing possible human error that can occur when editing very complex and repetitive DNS data, minimizing the effort that is required to edit huge amounts of DNS data, validating DNS data before it is published to the DNS servers and automating the distribution of DNS data.

Best Providers

Currently, most popular providers for various DNS software products are these: MaraDNS, BIND, PowerDNS, DnsMasq, DJBDNS, Microsoft (News - Alert) DNS and MyDNS. Each of them offers a slightly different type of service.

• BIND is a free DNS management software solution. It is most widely used DNS software on the internet today and has earned the trust of most system administrators. The benefits of using BIND include: high security, multiprocessor support, DNS protocol enhancements and improved portability architecture.  
• PowerDNS is also a free software DNS server and can be used as both, hosted service and software solution. PowerDNS includes these features: basic reporting, integrated searching, growing support capacity for various RR types, restful API for integration to other systems and many more.
• DnsMasq provides an open source DNS software. Additionally to providing a DNS service it can also provide DHCP for a small network. It is also easy to integrate with private DNS systems.
• DJBDNS is a small open source DNS management software kit for dealing with DNS data. It’s simple, quick and reliable, and makes code sizes smaller and more manageable.
• Microsoft DNS service is included in Microsoft Windows operating system. There are some positive aspects of using Microsoft DNS software solution: support for Dynamic registration of SRV records, integration of DHCP with DNS, support for Secure Dynamic updates.
• MyDNS is another free DNS solution that works very well with UNIX operating system. With MyDNS software, DNS server is not required to reload after any change in any zone. Also, its speed is not affected by the number of zones, or the number of entries in the zone.

Considering your needs and the features offered by these providers, your choice of DNS management software should be much simpler now. Humans are not very good at remembering a bunch of random numbers from every web page visited, but we are far better at remembering words. That’s why, precisely the interaction between IP addresses and domain names is extremely important.