NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Re: DNS vs. CDN
This gets to my point that the DNS should not be a base level mechanism but an application outside the network. The premise of the DNS is that the mapping of intent to destination should necessarily be done by translating the intent into a name and then looking up the name. This makes no more sense than presuming that everyone wants a reliable circuit. The decision on reliable delivery should be outside the network with best efforts being the more fundamental protocol because best efforts reflects the underlying reality. In the same way mapping of intent should not be forced into the reductionist mold of a single name. I recently ordered another copy of Co-Pilot for my iPad and it had to bring down the entire 2GB map set over the network. If, instead, it had a protocol for hailing for the content it might've found it on an adjacent computer. This is what torrents aim for and that approach should be treated as alternative to the DNS with equal standing. Though this isn't the only problem with the DNS it does go to the heart of how we think about what the Internet is and what it can be. This doesn't mean that the Internet is or should be content delivery network as some people think. It's just that by moving the intent mapping outside the network we put content delivery on equal footing with other ways of and reasons for exchanging bits. -----Original Message----- From: nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org [mailto:nnsquad-bounces+nnsquad=bobf.frankston.com@nnsquad.org] On Behalf Of Lauren Weinstein Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 11:09 To: nnsquad@nnsquad.org Subject: [ NNSquad ] DNS vs. CDN DNS vs. CDN http://bit.ly/cbU2T3 (Sajal Kayan) Unfortunately, not only poor performance but other (often undesirable, from the standpoint of many users) manipulations that some ISPs perform on their DNS services are part of what's driven the move to services like OpenDNS and Google DNS in the first place. But there are clearly other mechanisms that could be employed to better establish users' locations for CDN (Content Distribution Networks) homing purposes, and the example of DNS vs. CDN is simply another indication of DNS' rapidly increasing obsolescence vis-a-vis the Internet of the 21st century. --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator