Anyone uses google dns?

[Maneesh Godbole]

My internet service has turned crap recently. I am getting too many DNS server errors.

I talked to their tech support and he said problem is with my laptop. I pointed out that I also connect by phone and another laptop to the same network over wifi and all these are facing dns server errors. Then they send over some idiot who doesn't even know how network settings are configured in a Mac and asks me for my root password. I told him to fuck off.

A bit of googling told me I can use google DNS (amongst others).
Has anyone actually used google dns?  I suppose I should be using the configuration for IPv6 right?
https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using

[Ron McLeod]

I run a local caching DNS server at home to speed-up resolutions for commonly used sites, and use both Google and OpenDNS as forwarders.  Performance-wise and reliability-wise both are excellent.

If you have a Windows PC at home, you could get a feel for the performance of the various open DNS providers with Steve Gibson's Domain Name Speed Benchmark application (160kB - no adware/spyware/malware if downloaded from his site).  This is the top performing dozen or so name servers that I see (from Vancouver, Canada) - the top two are my local resolvers.

Red: cached lookup
Green: uncached lookup
Blue: DotCom lookup

[Joe Ess]

Has anyone actually used google dns?

I have used Google DNS as a primary in the past and right now have it set as my secondary DNS.  I'm also using OpenDNS on the kids' computers as a buffer against inappropriate material.  Both seem to work fine.

I suppose I should be using the configuration for IPv6 right?  

Does your network use IPv6?  If not, use IPv4.

[Maneesh Godbole]

Thanks Ron, Joe  

Couple of quick questions:

If I set it as secondary, does it mean it's a fallback if my primary fails? If yes, it would wait for the timeout on primary before hitting the secondary. Result, slow connection.
Or is not that how it works?

I cannot figure out how my network comes into the picture for IPv4/IPv6. Isn't it the IP of the target site which is IPv4/IPv6? Also isnt IPv6 a superset of IPv4?

I checked my wifi router settings. It is configured to use my ISP DNS. However my Mac network settings have an entry for 10.0.0.1 which I do not remember ever configuring. If I am understanding this correct, I should change the values only for the router and leave the Mac settings alone. Is that correct?

[Tim Moores]

If I set it as secondary, does it mean it's a fallback if my primary fails? If yes, it would wait for the timeout on primary before hitting the secondary. Result, slow connection.  Or is not that how it works?

Generally, yes. Although if it's even half smart it should keep using the secondary, and periodically check whether the primary is back up.

I cannot figure out how my network comes into the picture for IPv4/IPv6. Isn't it the IP of the target site which is IPv4/IPv6?

No, the entire route must be IPv6. If your home network, or your network provider, or the target site, does not use IPv6, then you need to use IPv4. Neither my home DSL provider, nor my mobile provider, nor the hosting company of my web site, currently support IPv6, so for me personally IPv6 is largely a non-starter so far.

Also isnt IPv6 a superset of IPv4?

Not really. Quite some contortions are necessary to use IPv4 in conjunction with IPv6, for example: see 6over4 and 4in6.

However my Mac network settings have an entry for 10.0.0.1 which I do not remember ever configuring. If I am understanding this correct, I should change the values only for the router and leave the Mac settings alone. Is that correct?

Depends on what 10.0.0.1 is - if it's the router used to connect to the network it may do some useful caching on its own, in addition to being the ultimate reference for other devices on the local network. On my Mac it's set to 10.0.1.1 - the WLAN router.

[Maneesh Godbole]

Thanks Tim

[Roger Carpenter]

GoogleDNS have problems with Akamai.