The easyDNS™ global nameserver network

Yes, we're an ICANN acredited domain registrar (and CIRA certified here in Canada, where we're based) and many people simply use us for our Domain Registration services, but what we're really about is DNS Hosting, which has been our core business offering since our launch in 1998.

Back then it was considered "best practice" to have two different nameservers on different networks and that was about it. We launched with three nameservers on three networks and that made us "cutting-edge" at the time. Over the years we grew that out to six nameservers in six Tier-1 multi-homed datacenters in places as far away as London, UK.

We have since migrated to a DNS Anycast architecture, where each nameserver IP is now a group of geographically diverse nameservers which all answer to the same IP address. Benefits of DNS anycast include:

• Faster DNS response times - A query will be attracted to the nearest nameserver node that appears "closest" to the querying server

• Increased overall robustness (if one location is cutoff or otherwise impaired we simply stop announcing it to the internet and the load is shifted over the remaining nodes)

• Increased resistance to DDoS attacks - an anycast deployment lends itself to diffusing attack traffic.

Current easyDNS nameserver deployments

When you add a domain to your easyDNS it is picked up by every nameserver in our DNS constellation. The deployments are in state of flux and subject to change to meet the prevailing network conditions, but below we list them as they stand today.

We are always incrementally adding to our nameserver cluster.

NS1.EASYDNS.COM

DNS anycast deployment with nodes in: San Jose, Chicago, Amsterdam & Tokyo

NS2.EASYDNS.COM

DNS anycast deployment with nodes in: Miami, Phoenix, London UK and Hong Kong

We are aggregating the remaining nameservers into a third anycast strand due to be announced fall 2008, until then:

NS3.EASYDNS.ORG & REMOTE1.EASYDNS.COM

Currently deployed London, UK and Miami on Prolexic.com's DDoS enhanced network

REMOTE2.EASYDNS.COM

Currently deployed homebase datacenter in Q9 Networks in Toronto, Canada

NS6.EASYDNS.NET

Currently a clustered round-robin approach using multiple root glue records. This one has a habit of changing as we move "warm spares" around, right now it's Washington DC and Amsterdam.