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Cisco buys a DNS provider to protect you in the cloud
When you think of internet security from Cisco, you probably imagine firewalls and routers (usually) stopping hackers and malware from hitting your network. You're going to have to expand that definition very shortly, though. Cisco has snapped up OpenDNS, whose domain name services you might have used to dodge regional restrictions or improve on your internet provider's less-than-stellar connection. The networking giant isn't making the acquisition for any of those reasons, though. Instead, it's all about boosting Cisco's cloud security -- the goal is to defend against attacks on your corporate network wherever you happen to be, and to predict threats before they strike.
Turkish ISPs make getting to YouTube a little easier, but haven't unblocked it yet
Even after the unbanning of Twitter and a court ruling in Google's favor, YouTube is still blocked in Turkey. Accessing the video streaming site did get a little easier today however, as the Wall Street Journal has confirmed residents can once again use DNS servers from Google, Level3 and OpenDNS that will route them around the block. More easily implemented than using a VPN, it finally reopens access via those servers after they were blocked ten days ago. There's no public statement available from the ISPs or the Turkish government, but hopefully unrestricted access to the best YouTube has to offer is coming soon.
Global Internet Speedup pushes DNS optimization, wants to bring content closer to you
When you think of factors affecting Internet speed, domain name servers probably don't top your list. But a consortium including Google, OpenDNS and a number of content delivery networks believes otherwise, and wants to draw attention to DNS optimization. To that end they've proposed the Global Internet Speedup initiative. What's that, you ask? The group wants to append truncated IP addresses to typical webpage requests: that will provide geographic information, letting providers make better choices about how to serve their users. For example, if a user in Kalamazoo, Michigan happens to have a DNS server in San Francisco, that server might pass the request off to the nearest content network – also in San Francisco. That means having to push data from SF to Kalamazoo, which is obviously a longer trip than necessary. If the DNS server knew just where its requests originated, geographically, it could make smarter choices about content providers: that Kalamazoo user, say, might instead use a Detroit content network. Not everyone's on board with the plan; Akamai isn't impressed, saying there are better ways to speed up the net. But you'll surely earn geek cred for bringing up DNS optimization at your next cocktail party.
Apple TV streaming can be hindered by Google DNS
If you are experiencing problems with streaming video on your Apple TV, you may want to take a closer look at your DNS settings, according to Mac developer Joe Maller. Maller recently rented an HD video via iTunes and was astonished to discover it would take two hours to download over a reasonably fast 15-20 MBps Internet connection. Maller searched for an explanation and stumbled upon other users who were reporting the same problem while streaming rentals. According to Maller, the problem occurs when you change your DNS settings from your ISP to a third-party like OpenDNS or GoogleDNS. When you revert your DNS setting to your ISP's servers, the problem disappears. According to Maller's theory, Akamai is able to obtain the correct geography information and accurately route you through the closest server when you use your ISP's DNS settings. If you subvert this process using a third-party DNS service, then the routing from Akamai may be less than optimal. It may even route everyone through the same pipes which causes congestion and slows down streaming. While this intuitively makes sense, Maller only provides anecdotal evidence to support this theory. Until more evidence surfaces, I would not go around telling everyone they need to ditch OpenDNS or GoogleDNS. Nonetheless, this possible DNS effect is something to store in the back of your mind as changing your DNS is potentially a quick and easy solution if you are having difficulties while streaming Apple TV rentals. [Via ZDNet]
15 Minutes of Fame: Around the world playing World of Warcraft
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.If you've ever wanted to quit your job, travel the world and play WoW whenever and wherever you please – take it from Caesar of US Dark Iron-H, it's as good as you'd ever dreamed it could be. In March 2007, Caesar sold his house, put the rest of his belongings in storage and hit the road. Since then, he's managed to keep his WoW account alive and has played on and off from his laptop and internet cafes all over the Pacific and Asia. So far, he's logged in from two dozen different countries on almost every sort of network issue you could imagine.We caught up with Caesar in Kuala Lumpur to see if his travels are turning out to be as cool in practice as the idea was on the drawing board. (TLDR version: They are.)
Solving recent connection issues
Many of us, both in and outside of the United States, have been having serious connection issues with the game recently. Not only can we not connect to the game, but we can't even get on the main World of Warcraft website. This can be particularly infuriating because we can't go and find help. When I got dropped in the middle of Kael'Thas (the real fight, not the weeksauce one in Magisters' Terrace), I wanted to take my computer out to a field and yell obscenities at it about PC load letter.WoW Insider feels your pain! After all, imagine having to write about WoW only to find out you can't get into WoW.I wanted to answer a lot of the comments about what people can do. First and foremost, we're not Blizzard. So we can't really say for sure what's going on. We can make educated guesses through. Continue reading after the break for what you can do and where you can go to solve this problem.
