Using a Hosts File To Make The Internet Not Suck As Much

Re:Using a Hosts File To Make The Internet Not Suck As Much by X-Istence on Friday February 22, 2013 @11:02AM (#5264873)

Or run your own caching recursive DNS server, and have it cache entries for as long as possible.

Google DNS, Level 3 DNS can't shake a stick at my local cache, which is off course to be expected.

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Re:Using a Hosts File To Make The Internet Not Suck As Much by antihero on Friday February 22, 2013 @11:10AM (#5264936)

Care to link a tutorial on how to do this?

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Re:Using a Hosts File To Make The Internet Not Suck As Much by marios on Friday February 22, 2013 @11:28AM (#5265064)

Depending on your OS, it is possible there is already something like this in place. IIRC, Ubuntu shipped with dnsmasq [1] at some point, thus maintaining a local DNS cache which in turn speeds up browsing. Otherwise, it's as easy as installing dnsmasq via your preferred package manager, and configuring dnsmasq.conf / resolv.conf

dnsmasq.conf needs to point to the DNS server you wish to use resolv.conf needs a line "nameserver 127.0.0.1" or whatever IP dnsmasq is listening on.

Make sure dnsmasq is started at boot, and that your resolv.conf isn't overwritten by your dhcp client, and you're good to go. Further configuration needs to done to make dnsmasq provide authoritative answers for other domains.

If you don't need caching, then use adsuck (linked it in my previous comment in this thread).

[1] http://www.thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/doc.html

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Re:Using a Hosts File To Make The Internet Not Suck As Much by X-Istence on Friday February 22, 2013 @11:58AM (#5265212)

I personally run a local caching server on my home network. Rather than locally on my personal machine. That way I get the best of two worlds, when I move my laptop it will pick up new DNS fast and easy (especially if it is required for captive portals and the like) and at home I get fast speeds over the local network.

I run unbound, I don't have a tutorial or anything like that, mainly because I don't know what OS you are running or where you want to do this.

My personal unbound also connects to a locally hosted nsd, which is used to host the zone network.lan. On network.lan is where all of my hosts live, it is where I have entries for various of my internal servers, as well as all of my test sites.

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