DNS2GO.com free dynamic DNS service from Deerfield

DNS2GO - A great Dynamic DNS Service

Date: Aug 21, 2001 

Reviewer: Chris Kaminski

Score: 3/3 - Thums Up!

Web Site: DNS2GO

DNS2GO is a free service for anyone connected to the internet that wants a domain name to point to their home computer / IP address. Having your own domain name helps people find your computer for doing things like sharing files, playing games, running a web server, or even running your own mail server.

A DNS service translates Internet domain names into IP address. When you type http://www.homenethelp.com into a browser, a DNS server translates the homenethelp.com part into a set of numbers called an IP address. This set of numbers is kind of like your internet ‘phone number’.

Major web sites and other dedicated Internet servers have ‘static IP address’. This means their Internet IP address (like a phone number) never changes. This is the ‘standard’ DNS model – IP address’ that rarely if ever change.

When you connect to the Internet over a phone line you are assigned a dynamic IP address – like getting a different phone number each time you pick up the phone. Some broadband (cable/dsl) services also assign a different IP address to your computer every once in a while. This makes it difficult for your friends to connect to your computer to play games or to share files. It also makes pointing a domain name at your computer impossible with a standard DNS service.

A Dynamic DNS Service keeps track of your current IP address. When your IP address changes, the dynamic DNS should automatically update your domain name to point at the new IP address. Additionally, when your computer is not connected to the internet (or just turned off), a dynamic DNS service like DNS2GO can redirect your users to a particular web page on the Internet – perhaps one that explains that you are not on-line right now.

Why DNS2GO ? After looking at many dynamic DNS services, my favorite turned out to be DNS2GO from Deerfield. DNS2GO is free for the basic service and comes with a small client program that monitors your IP address. The DNS2GO client work from behind NAT and Proxy Internet sharing devices and contains many configuration options. Lastly, DNS2GO has reasonably priced premium options if you want to run a mail server.

The DNS2GO web site allows you to register a full domain name (www.mydomain.com) or you can get a free third level domain (www.mydomain.dns2go.com). Once created, your new domain name can be categorized and added to the DNS2GO directory or it can remain unlisted.

 

Once registered, you will want to download the DNS2GO client application. This Windows application sits in your task bar (or runs as a service) and monitors your Internet

Linux Support?

Clients are also available for 7 Linux builds plus BSD!

connection. If your IP address changes, it lets the DNS2GO serves know about it. When you disconnect from the Internet, the DNS2GO servers recognize that you are off-line and can sent people to an alternate web site or IP address. It accomplishes this with a unique ‘heartbeat’ system that connects to the DNS2GO servers in the background while you work. As a bonus, the DNS2GO client can keep your computer system clock in sync with various internet time servers!

The DNS2GO client also features an event viewer, diagnostic tools, SOCKS5 proxy support, automatic NAT firewall support, and the list goes on. The client is easily the feature that puts DNS2GO above the other dynamic DNS services.

DNS2GO also features some reasonably priced premium services that help you run your own mail server.

If you are running a mail server on your new custom domain and turn your computer off, other e-mail servers cannot deliver e-mail to you. This can lead to bounced and lost e-mail messages. DNS2GO can ‘cache’ your e-mail messages and deliver them to you when your computer is on-line. This ensures that there will always be an e-mail server up and running ready to receive your e-mail. If you don’t want to run an e-mail server on your computer at all, DNS2GO will fully host your e-mail for only $60.00 per year.

If you have ever been interested in getting a domain name pointed at your computer, give DNS2GO a try – it’s free! The next time you need someone to connect to your computer for a multi-player game or to access your web server, you will be glad you did.

Unfortunately Mac users can not run the DNS2GO client application. Macintosh users that need a dynamic DNS service can still use DNS2GO, but the client application is what really makes this service shine.

DNS2GO.com free dynamic DNS service from Deerfield