How To: Change DNS (and make web surfing faster)

How To: Change DNS (and make web surfing faster)

The Internet is so big now, and the average person has more bandwidth at home then existed in the entire world in 1980, that the biggest slow down in web surfing has become the initial DNS or Domain Name Service look up. DNS is the service that translates the human readable Domain Name of 1nova.com into the computer readable 173.236.191.132.

All ISP’s provide a DNS service of some sort that is usually automatically setup. By changing the default to faster servers, you can decrease the lookup time, and increase your web browsing speed. The first step to doing this is to download a program that looks for the fastest DNS near you.

namebench does exactly that.

Once you have a new DNS IP, follow the below directions. Note in the directions below that 8.8.8.8 are Google’s DNS servers. The actual numbers you want to use may differ.

Linux

In most modern Linux distributions, DNS settings are configured through Network Manager.
Example: Changing DNS server settings on Ubuntu
In the System menu, click Preferences, then click Network Connections.
Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, select the Wired tab, then select your network interface in the list. It is usually called eth0.
To change the settings for a wireless connection, select the Wireless tab, then select the appropriate wireless network.
Click Edit, and in the window that appears, select the IPv4 Settings or IPv6 Settings tab.
If the selected method is Automatic (DHCP), open the dropdown and select Automatic (DHCP) addresses only instead. If the method is set to something else, do not change it.
In the DNS servers field, enter the Google Public DNS IP addresses, separated by a space:
For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4.
For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844
Click Apply to save the change. If you are prompted for a password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.
Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.
If your distribution doesn’t use Network Manager, your DNS settings are specified in /etc/resolv.conf

Mac OS X

DNS settings are specified in the Network window.
Example: Changing DNS server settings on Mac OS 10.5
From the Apple menu, click System Preferences, then click Network.
If the lock icon in the lower left-hand corner of the window is locked, click the icon to make changes, and when prompted to authenticate, enter your password.
Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, select Built-In Ethernet, and click Advanced.
To change the settings for a wireless connection, select Airport, and click Advanced.
Select the DNS tab.
Click + to replace any listed addresses with, or add, the Google IP addresses at the top of the list:
For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4.
For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844
Click Apply and OK.
Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.
Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.

Microsoft Windows

DNS settings are specified in the TCP/IP Properties window for the selected network connection.
Example: Changing DNS server settings on Microsoft Windows 7
Go the Control Panel.
Click Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center, and click Change adapter settings.
Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, right-click Local Area Connection, and click Properties.
To change the settings for a wireless connection, right-click Wireless Network Connection, and click Properties.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Select the Networking tab. Under This connection uses the following items, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and then click Properties.
Click Advanced and select the DNS tab. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed there, write them down for future reference, and remove them from this window.
Click OK.
Select Use the following DNS server addresses. If there are any IP addresses listed in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server, write them down for future reference.
Replace those addresses with the IP addresses of the Google DNS servers:
For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4.
For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844
Restart the connection you selected in step 3.
Test that your setup is working correctly; see Testing your new settings below.
Repeat the procedure for additional network connections you want to change.

How To: Save Money on your next computer purchase

How To: Save Money on your next computer purchase

Us computer geeks always looking for ways to save money, especially since a recession is very likely. After all, upgrading to a bigger hard drive or more RAM is an expensive but sometimes very needed upgrade!

Luckily in the 21st century there are plenty of choices when it comes to buying computer hardware and accessories. Online services such as Newegg.com and BestBuy.com are good choice if you do not have a decent local store available. In addition to those though are literally hundreds of retailers who’ve taken advantage of the global economy potential in the Internet. Worse yet, they’re all having sales, rebates, and special offers on a daily basis.

Fear not though, there are plenty of online services to help you track down the best prices in hardware. Some of the best are:

  • http://www.techbargains.com
  • http://www.spoofee.com
  • http://www.hot-deals.org
  • In addition, many forums have good buy/sell/trade sections. These are especially good places to get really good deals, plus you’re usually able to post a want list to find the parts you need. Some good forums are:

  • http://www.arstechnica.com
  • http://www.hardocp.com
  • http://www.nekochan.net (good for obscure parts)
  • http://www.markeedragon.com(good for Game Consoles and gaming hardware)
  • Other resources such as Ebay and your local Craigslist are great choices. But remember, try to hit your local retailer first. Just because we live in a Global Economy, it’s not a reason to stop supporting your friends and neighbors.