GRCs DNS Benchmark

What is GRCs DNS Benchmark?

The GRC's DNS Benchmark is a comprehensive tool that provides users with a detailed analysis and comparison of the operational performance and reliability of up to 200 DNS nameservers simultaneously. The tool identifies all the DNS nameservers the user's system is currently configured to use and adds them to a built-in list of publicly available "alternative" nameservers. Each nameserver in the benchmark list is thoroughly "characterized" to determine its suitability as a DNS resolver, including testing for redirection behavior when handling bad domain requests When the benchmark is run, the current performance and apparent reliability of the DNS nameservers the system is using are compared against the performance and reliability of the benchmark's list of alternative nameservers. The results are continuously displayed and updated in the form of a dynamically sorted and scaled bar chart, as well as a tabular chart showing the cached, uncached, and "dotcom" DNS lookup performance of each nameserver. These values are determined by carefully querying each nameserver for the IP addresses of the top 50 most popular domain names on the Internet and also by querying for nonexistent domains Once the benchmark finishes, the results are heuristically and statistically analyzed to present a comprehensive yet simplified and understandable English-language summary of all important findings and conclusions

Highlights

• Identifies and compares the performance and reliability of up to 200 DNS nameservers simultaneously
• Tests each nameserver for redirection behavior when handling bad domain requests
• Continuously displays and updates the results in dynamic bar and tabular charts
• Queries each nameserver for the top 50 most popular domain names and nonexistent domains
• Provides a comprehensive and understandable summary of the analysis findings