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A group of experts has released an open-source alternative to the BIND DNS server software that boasts higher performance and better security.

The new DNS server — dubbed Unbound 1.0 — is available  here. 

Unbound is a recursive DNS server, which is used by ISPs and enterprises to support DNS look-ups by users. DNS is the feature of the Internet that matches domain names with IP addresses, and it is used for Web browsing, e-mail, and Internet-based telephony.

Unbound was released Tuesday to open-source developers by NLnet Labs, VeriSign, Nominet and Kirei. NLnet Labs, a nonprofit research firm based in The Netherlands, will provide ongoing support for the software.

From its first prototype in 2004, Unbound was designed to be a faster, more secure replacement for BIND. Unbound supports DNS security extensions ( DNSSEC ), which authenticate DNS lookups but are not yet widely deployed because they rely on a public key infrastructure.

"One of the main advantages is that it's high performing. We designed it from the beginning to be fast," says Matt Larson, director of DNS research with VeriSign. "We also designed it from the beginning to support DNSSEC. Other DNS servers had to bolt that on, but we were able to start fresh."

VeriSign has tested Unbound but isn't using it in production mode.

VeriSign runs the authoritative DNS servers for .com and .net, which are the servers that respond to queries from recursive DNS servers like Unbound. VeriSign uses homegrown software it calls ATLAS for its authoritative DNS servers.

VeriSign said that by offering Unbound to the open-source community, it is trying to give back to the Internet community.

"Our goal [with Unbound] is to have an active community. We want to get to the point where the community is looking at it, monitoring it and adding patches," Larson says. "This is just another example of VeriSign's innovation. We're always moving forward."

Developed in the early 1980s, BIND (Berkeley Internet Name Domain) is the most popular DNS server software on the Internet. However, BIND has suffered from serious security flaws, even in its current release, BIND 9.

BIND alternatives already exist, including DNS server software from Microsoft and Cisco and appliances from Infoblox, InfoWeapons and others. Another option is free DNS services from OpenDNS and NeuStar.

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Really nice question-based flow to get what you need at the NIVEA Logo Download Finder.

Newsweek sliders
Rob Alan writes:

The new Newsweek.com is showing some slider love, such as this one for font size:

and this one (bottom) for the Top Ten range:

“Yes to All”
Scott Hughes writes:

I saw the enclosed dialogue box on a colleague’s PC and thought that you might find it amusing.

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Read the full article by Max Chafkin online.

Note: Jake and Jeffrey (the cover boys above) will be speaking at the Seed Conference on June 6th here in Chicago. There aren’t many seats left so pick up one up while you can.

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An online retailer in the U.K. is taking preorders for a motherboard equipped with the upcoming Diamondville version of Intel's Atom processor for £53, or $104.

Tranquil PC's D9454GCLF Mini-ITX motherboard measures 17 centimeters by 17 centimeters and has a 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor and an Intel 954GC chipset, which includes integrated graphics. The motherboard is not a complete system, and still requires users to add memory and a hard disk, among other parts.

Diamondville is a variant of the Atom processor used in the Centrino Atom package for handheld computers. The Diamondville chips are intended to be used in low-cost laptops and desktops.

Tranquil is pitching the Atom-based motherboards as a powerful upgrade to Mini-ITX boards based on Via Technologies' rival C7 processor. The company says users can expect to see benchmark scores that are three to four times higher with the Atom system compared to the C7.

While users can order Atom motherboards from Tranquil now, they won't ship until the first week of June, when Intel plans to formally launch Diamondville at the Computex exhibition in Taipei. The Tranquil motherboard isn't the first product based on Intel's upcoming Atom chips to hit the market. Online retailer Expansys is taking preorders for Micro-Star International's Wind laptop, which also uses Diamondville.

REFERENCES:
MSI's upcoming Wind laptop priced from $560, May 12, 2008

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Microsoft made available for download Tuesday the latest beta of its virtualization add-on for Windows Server 2008.

The company said Hyper-V RC1 (Release Candidate 1) is feature complete, but it did add on additional Windows guest operating system support and integration features.

A Release Candidate signifies the software is out for final beta testing before final release. The previous RC, RC0, was released two months ago.

"This is the last planned Hyper-V milestone before RTM," says Jeff Woolsey, senior program manager for Windows Server virtualization. RTM stands for Release to Manufacturing, which signifies the software development process is complete.

Microsoft said in April that it was ahead of schedule on the new timetable for release of Hyper-V and that the technology would likely show up in June or July.

The company has said since the May 2007 decision to cut Hyper-V from Windows Server 2008 that the virtualization technology would ship within 180 days of the release of the server, which was Feb. 28.

"We are feeling pretty good that it won't be up to the full 180 days," said Dai Vu, director of virtualization products and solutions in Microsoft's server and tools division, at Microsoft's Management Summit in April.

Microsoft also confirmed that its MSDN and TechNet Web sites have been running in production on Hyper-V for several weeks.

The RC1 code of Hyper-V adds support for Windows 2000 Server SP4 and Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP4. Both of those configurations are one-way and support emulation mode only.

Hyper-V  supports a number of guest operating systems: Windows Server 2003 SP2, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1, Windows Vista SP1 (x86), and Windows XP SP3 (x86).

In addition, RC1 simplifies the process for installing integration components for Windows Server 2008 guest systems. Integration components are sets of drivers and services that help ensure virtual machines have a more consistent state and perform better.

Microsoft also said it is releasing mouse integration support for SUSE 10 in conjunction with RC1.

The RC1 upgrade is optional for current testers given that it is not compatible with the current beta of Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) 2008, the Microsoft tools for managing virtual environments. Microsoft says it will release an upgrade of the VMM 2008 beta to support RC1.

In addition, users running earlier betas of Hyper-V on x64 versions of Windows Server 2008 can get RC1 via Windows Update beginning May 27.

The final release of VMM is slated to ship 30 to 60 days after Hyper-V hits its RTM stage.

When Hyper-V ships, Microsoft will be providing users a third hypervisor option to go along with those already available from VMware and Xen-based derivatives marketed by Citrix,Oracle, Red Hat and Novell.

Hypervisor technology is a base technology layer that acts as the virtualization foundation for guest operating systems.

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The unlikely story of advanced 3G cellular service in the world's most tightly controlled and secretive country has turned another chapter with the start of network trials.

Cellular carrier Orascom said on Monday that it has completed the first 3G call on a WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) trial network in North Korea, and is working towards a commercial launch there later this year.

Orascom, based in Egypt, said in January that a 25-year exclusive license to offer 3G cellular service in the country had been awarded to CHEO Technology, a joint venture in which Orascom holds a 75 percent stake and Korea Post and Telecommunications holds the remaining 25 percent.

A full commercial service is scheduled to begin in the second half of the year, Orascom said.

In January, Orascom said it intended to provide voice, data and value-added services across the network, which represents a $400 million investment.

North Korea, the world's only Communist dynasty, keeps tight control of its people. Almost all citizens are forbidden from leaving the country and there are controls on internal movement of people into the capital city of Pyongyang. Poor conditions in the country have prompted hundreds of thousands over the last decade to risk their lives and flee to neighboring China.

Almost total government control of the population means phone calls are restricted and subject to routine monitoring, according to humanitarian aid groups that monitor North Korea.

A GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) cell phone network was previously launched in the country but access was restricted in 2004 and it's now thought to be used by a handful of elite in the country.

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