Simple DNS Plus 5.2 build 108

Simple DNS Plus 5.2 build 108 is considered as a smart and useful application that help you host your own domain name, or simply speed up Internet access by running your own DNS server.

Thanks to DNS servers the Internet can be surfed using names such as "www.simpledns.com" instead of impossible to remember IP addresses. DNS servers translate these domain names into machine readable IP-addresses needed to locate the requested web-server on the Internet.

Simple DNS Plus can easily be integrated with your Web site for ISP customer signup etc., or even a full web-based DNS solution. Simple DNS Plus is also a DHCP server; it comes with a DNS Look Up tool.

Major Features:

1. General Features
   • Simple yet Powerful
   • Authoritative and Recursive (resolver and cache) DNS server
   • High performance DNS server engine and user interface
   • Highly configurable
   • Remote Management / Windows Server Core
   • Direct support for dynamic IP clients
   • Full support for IDNs (internationalized domain names)
   • Full support for IPv6
   • Easy to integrate with other applications
   • 100% .NET 2.0 managed code
2. Simplified DNS management
   • Quick Zone Wizard / Zone Templates
   • Suspending zones
   • Bulk Update Wizard
   • Copy zone function
   • Import Wizard
   • Easy IP-to-Name Mapping dialog for reverse zones
   • "Zone Groups" for easy managements of large domain portfolios
   • Automatic creation of reverse DNS records
   • DNS record and zone comment fields
3. Powerful DNS features
   • Automate secondary DNS servers
   • Plug-in system
   • NAT IP alias conversion
   • Round Robin load distribution option
   • Support for standard dynamic updates
   • Incremental Zone Transfers
   • DNSSEC hosting / signing
   • Option to redirect abusers (synthesize DNS records for unauthorized users)
   • Supports wildcard records ( *.domain-name ) for ALL record types.
   • Alias zones (zone file sharing)
   • Redirect DNS requests for non-existing domains (NXDOMAIN)
   • Domain specific DNS forwarding (a.k.a. "conditional forwarding")
   • Extended DNS forwarding
   • Automatic SPF records - help fight spam and phishing scams
   • Standard "Master File" format
   • Microsoft Active Directory compatibility
   • 4Strong security features
   • Protects against DNS spoofing (a.k.a. "cache poisoning")
   • Restrict recursion by client IP address
   • Response Filtering stops "DNS rebinding attacks"
   • "Stealth DNS" option
   • Secure Zone Transfers
   • IP address blocking
4. Quick and easy diagnostics
   • DNS Look Up tool - including WHOIS
   • Check Internet Delegations wizard
   • Cache snapshot viewer
   • See what's going on behind the scenes - live
   • Detailed log files
   • Remote logging to Syslog server
   • Raw log files for incoming request data
   • Windows Performance Counters
   • Animated Tray Bar Icon.

Enhancements:

• Added: New exception option for Non-Existing Domains feature: "Do not redirect domain names that begin with an IPv4 address (reverse and RBL/DNSBL record names)". In previous versions this was permanently on.
  
• Update: Statistical counters changed to 64 bit integers (were 32 bit) to accommodate larger values.
  
• Fixed: Secondary zones saved with duplicate SOA-record after full zone transfer. This did not cause any direct problems in Simple DNS Plus (duplicate record ignored when zone loaded), but might do so with 3rd party software.
  
• Fixed: Name of installer created Windows Firewall rule did not include instance ID. This could be a problem when running multiple instances of Simple DNS Plus on the same machine.
  
• Fixed: Double clicking in empty plug-in components list (Options dialog) crashed the GUI module.
  
• Fixed: Repeated winsock error 10052 on UDP socket caused crash. Now ignored. This error is not documented anywhere but is probably some variant of "ICMP host unreachable".

Requirements:

• Operating system:
• • Any edition of Window 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 2008, or Windows 7.
  • Both 32 bit and 64 bit Windows versions are fully supported.
  • "Windows Home Server" is also supported.
  • "Windows Server Core" is also supported.
• Software: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 (automatically downloaded and installed if missing)
• Processor (CPU): 400 MHz or better.
• Memory (RAM): 64 MB + Windows and .NET Framework requirements.
• Hard disk space: 10 MB + Windows and .NET Framework requirements.
• Network: Any type of TCP/IP (IPv4 or IPv6) connection.
• Internet IP address: You need a static Internet IP address only if you want to use Simple DNS Plus for hosting domain names on the Internet. A dynamic IP address can be used for a resolving and caching Internet domain names.