A DNS server translates a human address like google.com into a numerical IP address so your computer can take you to the right site. Usually, this takes a few hundred milliseconds to complete so it’s barely noticeable, but over time, these milliseconds can really build up. Also, your ISP’s DNS server isn’t always reliable as witnessed by Comcast subscribers recently when their DNS server failed, leaving customers unable to access Google and other sites. By using OpenDNS and FastCache, you can solve the two problems of reliability and speed.
OpenDNS runs a distributed network of DNS servers so using it is more reliable. It filters out bad addresses so phishers and spammers can’t direct you to their site. OpenDNS also detects typos in the URLs you enter so entering craigslist.og leads you to craigslist.org.
A piece of software called FastCache takes care of the problem of speed. It stores the IP address that is returned by your DNS server so your computer doesn’t have to request it every time you want to go to a particular site, saving a few hundred milliseconds each time. Read More»
Posted in Internet | No Comments »
October 02, 2008 by
Jason At the start of September 2008, Microsoft Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich revealed that he was cooking a major update for Process Monitor, one of the components of the Sysinternals suite. As of September 30, version 2.0 of Process Monitor became available for download. The
description of the tool authored by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell reveals that Process Monitor 2.0 is designed to integrate seamlessly with both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 2000 SP4 with Update Rollup 1, Windows XP SP2, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and Windows Vista.
“Process Monitor v2.0: this major update to Process Monitor adds real-time TCP and UDP monitoring to its existing process, thread, DLL, file system and registry monitoring. You can now see the TCP and UDP activity processes performed, including the operation (e.g. connect, send, receive), local and remote IP addresses and DNS names, and operation transfer lengths. On Windows Vista, Process Monitor also collects thread stacks for network operations,†revealed Curtis Metz, Program Manager, Microsoft Sysinternals. Read More»
Posted in Windows Vista, Windows XP | No Comments »
January 27, 2007 by
Jason As a computer consultant to nonprofit organizations, I frequently encounter clients who pay more for their Internet service than they need to. They may have listened to a salesperson instead of a trusted advisor when selecting service, or never renegotiated their rate over the years as prices dropped. The result is that nonprofits sometimes end up paying hundreds of dollars a year for a level of Internet service they don’t need.
I’ve worked with organizations that have paid $24 per month for dial-up Internet service when less-expensive Internet Service Providers ( ISPs) abound, others that have paid $200 a month for SDSL when ADSL is adequate and costs less, and some that have paid high rates for slow ISDN when speedy ADSL is available for less. Read More»
Posted in Internet | No Comments »
Loading ...
