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RE: Google aims to speed up DNS requests

mejohnsn Updated - 1st Feb 2010

Actually, after reading both this article, the earlier CNET article it links to, AND the RFP, I see that both articles have confusing wording: at first, it does sound like it is just as you say (and just as I thought at first): DSN only.

But in fact, they are really talking about propagating to Resolvers a capability currently supported only at the top of the DNS chain, the Authoritative Server level. Namely, the ability to return different IP addresses for the same name, depending on the geographical (or topological) proximity of the client (user) IP address to one of the several IP addresses representing the same server.

So now that I have figure that out, I am beginning to have misgivings about it, too. How will they guarantee that the two different IP addresses for the same server really do represent the same thing? Mirroring isn't THAT reliable.

It also leaves too much room for dictatorial governments (think China) to play with the packets and return IP addresses that do NOT really represent the same thing, just the censored version.

And who is really thinking about the security implications? Won't this make forging server names even easier?