dyndns.com looks good, but looking for more solutions. I just want external dns servers to use for various sites.

Any recommendations?

worldwidedns.net has been ok for me.

That looks pretty good, lm. When you setup a ns, do you get several different choices or do you always have to point to:
ns1.worldwidedns.net
ns2.worldwidedns.net

?

No, you only have the main three unfortunately.  I would be interested in a service where you could mix it up too if you find one.

I've spent a very small amount of time looking but I don't think this is out there, at least to the public.

I'm thinking about doing it this way:
dyndns
worldwidedns
maybe another one or two paid services
registrar dns
host dns
set up my own ns

With 5-7, that should mix it up well enough on a given server.

not being 100% sure what you're doing but .....

could you not register the domains you have as nameserver with your registrar and use the same IP as you will for the hosting?

Yes, you can do that but it 1) has to be available at your registrar and 2) you still have to point to the dns server IP at your host which is subject to change and will break dns if it does.

Cloudflare has free dns, uses different subdomains for ns, has a CDN delivery type network and caches a lot of your stuff, plus blocks bad bots and attacks.

Free level of service does all this.
https://www.cloudflare.com/
Trying it out on a new server.

Can I ask the gumby question?

Since I can edit my zone records and create all the A, CNAME and MX records I want on the Moniker's DNS server, why do I need this?

Are you trying to achieve the look of a more distributed network (separate IPs, separate hosting locations, separate registrars, separate DNS servers), get failover protection or is it some other thing I have no clue about (other than the two possiblities listed, assume any other rationale is something I have no clue about)?

I look at some of these services and, while impressive, I can't see anything that a little guy like me needs. Am I just not getting it or is that essentially accurate?

From what I understand you can do it like that, if the registrar supports it, but I have read some warnings by setting up via CNAME causing problems. I don't know what the problems are, it's above my level of dns expertise.

What I've been looking at this for is primarily a distributed network as you call it, and failover protection as a secondary reason.

Places like dyndns and cloudflare offer the failover. What I have been looking for is a setup to separate my dns. Everything I have is either separated by host (nodes of 5-15 on the same ip) or dedicated ips but with the same dns.

I think what makes the most sense for what I want to do is this:

- Setup my own nameservers at my host on dedicated ips. (Standard vps/hybrid/dedicated setup.) This way the dns server ips never change.
- Register vanity servers for each domain at the registrar, and point to the dedicated ips reserved for dns.

The only issue is prying eyes could still see the same ip if they dig it, but this is probably enough.

The other option, and what I may use on larger projects is 2 dedicated ips per site. One is just dns and the second is secondary dns server as well as site server.

Dras, you are talking about doing this to existing domains?  If you are talking new domains, why not just spread out the hosting and let the hosts handle the DNS?

Existing ones mainly right now, but upcoming ones as well.

Shared hosting isn't cutting it anymore with some of the setups I'm building, so  I was looking for the easiest way to continue doing this with more sites on bigger (fewer) accounts.

Ah thanks.

>>warnings by setting up via CNAME

I usually use A and MX records, but my knowledge of the DNS system is, uh... not exactly deep. Of course, I don't get the other advantages.

A and MX records will do everything you need if you're running your own boxes/VPSs. CNAME is an alias, and produces the same result as Apache's ServerAlias directive - potentially duplicate content unless you handle it with a 301 on the server or with a Canonical tag.

There's going to be some sort of footprint if:
. You have all your domains with a single registrar
. You have the same namehosts (DNS) for all your domains - even a selection of subdomains are likely to have the same or similar IPs
. All your domain have the same registration details
. You have all your hosting in one place, as your IPs will tend to be on the same subnet in most cases - SEO focused hosting being a possible exception

So to have no footprint you'd have to spread your domains amongst multiple registrars, with different namehosts (and using the registrars ones would be the path of least resistance), false registration details and hosting spread around different hosts.

Still not clear on what benefit running your own nameserver/s or using third party DNS is going to have.

Right on jetboy, I've had the list covered since the beginning focusing on clusters of 10 or so, just wanting some more insulation on the DNS.

Third party dns is good for the shared hosts. Setting up/using my own seems as easy as using the registrar's dns and each domain has its own. In the case of more than one domain on a server using the same registrar, dns host is unique.