Toronto-based Web hosting firm EasyDNS Technologies Inc. said yesterday it has solved the problem of Web sites suffering downtime as a result of domain name server (DNS) failure.
With a new product called Proactive Nameservers, EasyDNS is allowing its customers to select “hot-swappable” backup DNS servers in case their primary DNS is suffering problems. The primary DNS is then monitored for real-time performance and if it becomes degraded, the system automatically fails over to a backup server. When the primary server works out its problems, it is reinstated.
“Even after companies invest heavily into DNS architecture or outsource to extremely competent managed DNS providers, a DNS outage can still occur for various reasons. Denial of Service attacks or technology errors (such as “corrupted router data tables”) can bring down even the most advanced DNS infrastructure or the largest internet vendor,” writes Mark Jeftovic, CEO of EasyDNS, in a press release.
The system allows Web site owners to use multiple DNS providers rather than just one, avoiding a single point of failure scenario. The DNS management can be done with EasyDNS, on Amazon’s Route 53, or on any other DNS provider, according to proactivenameservers.com. It is available for domains using the dot-com, dot-net, dot-org, dot-biz, and dot-info top level domains.
Proactive Nameservers is explained by EasyDNS CEO Mark Jeftovic.
Pricing begins at $7.95 per month for one backup pool, three checks per hour and a one-click switchover option. The automatic switchover kicks in at $25 per month. The high-end $500 per month plan includes near real-time check-ins with your DNS and unlimited backup pools.
Jeftovic is no stranger to denial of service attacks. In the latter quarter of 2011, EasyDNS battled attacks against two of its nameservers and recommended to legacy customers to move to a new platform to avoid experiencing any problems as a result.