DNS management software

DNS management software is computer software that controls Domain Name System (DNS) server clusters. Its main purpose is to reduce human error when editing complex and repetitive text-based DNS server configuration files. Such files are often deployed on multiple physical servers.

DNS service providers often deploy a complex mix of different types of DNS servers in their networks. In addition, different zone resource records must be provided to DNS clients based on the clients' IP addresses (usually similar to a geographical location). The only practical way to manage such critical Internet infrastructure has been to rely on databases and complex DNS management software to insure homogeneity and avoid single points of deployment errors.

Before the availability of DNS management software, large DNS service providers relied on system administrators and in-house custom collections of Perl or Shell program scripts that provided some automation for managing large sets of DNS zones across a cluster of servers.

Some DNS software includes these high level management tools. The most widely used DNS software, the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) BIND DNS server software does not contain high level (server cluster) management software.

See also

• Comparison of DNS server software
• mysqlBind - GPL licensed, open-source DNS management software.
• Nominum - DNS software company founded by Paul Mockapetris
• webmin - Unix web application with some DNS configuration support.
• DNSbox - DNS management software from ApplianSys.
• Secure64 - DNS management software.
• Internet Protocol Address Management (IP, DNS and DHCP Management systems)

External links

• DNS Providers at the Open Directory Project
• Address Management at the Open Directory Project
• Nictool Open source DNS management software.
• SolidServer - DNS management software from EfficientIP.
• UltraTools - DNS software suite by NeuStar.
• DnsBindEditor - cross-platform DNS editor for ISC BIND.