Facebook recently opened up the world to its vanity URLs. Did you get the one you wanted?
If not, come on over to DNS2Go and you can sign up a domain that will redirect to your Facebook page.
An example of this would be:
dns2go.atfacebook.net
Here are links to the Knowledge Base articles on how to configure this redirection:
DNS2Go and Facebook
DNS2Go and Facebook Pages
We also have other domains that can match up with just about any Social Network site. With this you can guarantee you have the vanity URL you have always wanted!
More information can be found in this earlier post
Friday, July 10, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
DNS2Go and Custom DNS Records - A Records
When using DNS2Go its possible you would like to specify where a certain address will resolve to. For example. mail.domain.com can be pointed to a unique IP address by simply creating a Custom A Record with DNS2Go. Below is a guide to setting this up:
To set a Custom Online A record:
1. Take your domain Offline
2. Login to the DNS2Go Account Manager
3. Select your domain from the list of domains on the right hand side
4. Expand the Online Settings by clicking the plus ( + ) sign next to When This Domain Goes Online
5. Select the option Use Custom DNS Settings
6. Click the Configure Button
7. Click the New Button
8. Select "A" Record
9. In order for A record to be on the domain itself, leave this first field blank and click Next. If you want to create a WWW Record. Enter WWW in this field.
10. Enter in the IP address you wish the A record resolve to
11. Review the settings and click OK
Once the domain goes back online, the record will be created
To create a Custom Offline A record:
1. Take your domain Online
2. Login to the DNS2Go Account Manager
3. Select your domain from the list of domains on the right hand side
4. Expand the Online Settings by clicking the plus ( + ) sign next to When This Domain Goes Offline
5. Select the option Use Custom DNS Settings
6. Click the Configure Button
7. Click the New Button
8. Select "A" Record
9. In order for A record to be on the domain itself, leave this first field blank and click Next. If you want to create a WWW Record. Enter WWW in this field.
10. Enter in the IP address you wish the A record resolve to
11. Review the settings and click OK
Once the domain goes back offline, the record will be created.
To set a Custom Online A record:
1. Take your domain Offline
2. Login to the DNS2Go Account Manager
3. Select your domain from the list of domains on the right hand side
4. Expand the Online Settings by clicking the plus ( + ) sign next to When This Domain Goes Online
5. Select the option Use Custom DNS Settings
6. Click the Configure Button
7. Click the New Button
8. Select "A" Record
9. In order for A record to be on the domain itself, leave this first field blank and click Next. If you want to create a WWW Record. Enter WWW in this field.
10. Enter in the IP address you wish the A record resolve to
11. Review the settings and click OK
Once the domain goes back online, the record will be created
To create a Custom Offline A record:
1. Take your domain Online
2. Login to the DNS2Go Account Manager
3. Select your domain from the list of domains on the right hand side
4. Expand the Online Settings by clicking the plus ( + ) sign next to When This Domain Goes Offline
5. Select the option Use Custom DNS Settings
6. Click the Configure Button
7. Click the New Button
8. Select "A" Record
9. In order for A record to be on the domain itself, leave this first field blank and click Next. If you want to create a WWW Record. Enter WWW in this field.
10. Enter in the IP address you wish the A record resolve to
11. Review the settings and click OK
Once the domain goes back offline, the record will be created.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sign Up, Setup and Use DNS2Go for Remote Control
Today we bring you a three part video series which shows the benefits of DNS2Go for remote control, utilizing its including VNC server and client software. A large majority of DNS2Go users utilize DNS2Go to remotely control a computer in one location (with a dynamically assigned IP address) with a computer from another location. DNS2Go makes this possible in a couple of different ways - either using the included VNC server and client, or Windows Remote Desktop. Mac and Linux computers can also connect to the VNC server with software that is already included on them as well. This video series covers the first option of DNS2Go with VNC.
Video Segment #1 covers the DNS2Go sign up process.
Video Segment #2 covers the installation of the DNS2Go client, VNC Server, and configuring your router and Windows Firewall
Video Segment #3 shows and actual VNC remote control session.
Video Segment #1 covers the DNS2Go sign up process.
Video Segment #2 covers the installation of the DNS2Go client, VNC Server, and configuring your router and Windows Firewall
Video Segment #3 shows and actual VNC remote control session.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Win an Ipod Nano!
Simple. Just become of "fan" of the DNS2Go Facebook page - direct link http://DNS2Go.AtFacebook.net , and post a message to the Discussion Topic "How I Use DNS2Go". You will find the discussion topic under the "Boxes" tab on the DNS2Go Facebook page. That's it! Just let us know how you are using DNS2Go in your everyday life, and/or share any feature requests that you have.
We'll keep this open until the end of April and we'll award the lucky winner!
We'll keep this open until the end of April and we'll award the lucky winner!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Setup Guides - Port Forwarding to a WebServer using a Linksys Router
This is a post of a new Knowledge Base article I created over at the DNS2Go Knowledge base. Hope you all find it useful!
1) Select and Install a web server of your choice on the PC you wish to use as a Server. You first need to Install and Configure the server or host computer with the web server software. Some popular web servers are Microsoft IIS and Apache. You can find instructions for setting up a web site in IIS HERE
Now that you have the web server software setup on your computer, you should then set a Static Private IP address on that computer. This will prevent any changes to the IP address that would cause problems with the port forwarding we are setting up.
2) Set a Static Private IP address on the Web Server to 192.168.1.100. NOTE This is under the assumption that the Linksys router is setup as the default IP address of 192.168.1.1, if not than adjust it to fit your needs.
3) Now you are ready to test and make sure that the web server is running properly. The first test will be on the local network. Use a Web Browser on a computer on the same local network and go to http://192.168.1.100
Once you enter this you should then be connected with the web server and see the default web page.
If the default page does not come up then the site is likely setup incorrectly, or a firewall could be blocking the traffic. You will want to verify that the computer used for the Web Server is connected to the network correctly and any firewall has port 80 open on it.
Now that you have ensured the Web Server is up and running on the local LAN , and you can see the Web page, the port in the router needs to be opened to allow people from the Internet to view the page.
4) Opening ports in your Linksys router is very straight forward. Log into the router by going to http://192.168.1.1 and using your username and password to log into the router
NOTE The Linksys default username is blank and password is admin
Once you log into the router, Select the APPLICATIONS and GAMING link in the top menu. Now you should see a list of ports and IPs.
5 ) Select from the list of pre-defined entries and you should see WEB is already pre-defined in the drop down list of ports. Select WEB from the dropdown list of applications, then select TCP, Set the LAN IP to 192.168.1.100 and Enable should be checked.
Thats it. If you are still having problems then a few things are possible.
1) Your Internet Provider is blocking port 80. To verify this, you will need to contact your provider. If they are blocking this port, follow the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article HERE to change the port in IIS. You will then need to follow the steps above, just changing the port that comes up after selecting WEB in step 5.
2) Verify that no software firewalls are running on the Web Server. The Linksys Router should provide attiquite protection from the Internet and a software based firewall is not really needed.
1) Select and Install a web server of your choice on the PC you wish to use as a Server. You first need to Install and Configure the server or host computer with the web server software. Some popular web servers are Microsoft IIS and Apache. You can find instructions for setting up a web site in IIS HERE
Now that you have the web server software setup on your computer, you should then set a Static Private IP address on that computer. This will prevent any changes to the IP address that would cause problems with the port forwarding we are setting up.
2) Set a Static Private IP address on the Web Server to 192.168.1.100. NOTE This is under the assumption that the Linksys router is setup as the default IP address of 192.168.1.1, if not than adjust it to fit your needs.
3) Now you are ready to test and make sure that the web server is running properly. The first test will be on the local network. Use a Web Browser on a computer on the same local network and go to http://192.168.1.100
Once you enter this you should then be connected with the web server and see the default web page.
If the default page does not come up then the site is likely setup incorrectly, or a firewall could be blocking the traffic. You will want to verify that the computer used for the Web Server is connected to the network correctly and any firewall has port 80 open on it.
Now that you have ensured the Web Server is up and running on the local LAN , and you can see the Web page, the port in the router needs to be opened to allow people from the Internet to view the page.
4) Opening ports in your Linksys router is very straight forward. Log into the router by going to http://192.168.1.1 and using your username and password to log into the router
NOTE The Linksys default username is blank and password is admin
Once you log into the router, Select the APPLICATIONS and GAMING link in the top menu. Now you should see a list of ports and IPs.
5 ) Select from the list of pre-defined entries and you should see WEB is already pre-defined in the drop down list of ports. Select WEB from the dropdown list of applications, then select TCP, Set the LAN IP to 192.168.1.100 and Enable should be checked.
Thats it. If you are still having problems then a few things are possible.
1) Your Internet Provider is blocking port 80. To verify this, you will need to contact your provider. If they are blocking this port, follow the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article HERE to change the port in IIS. You will then need to follow the steps above, just changing the port that comes up after selecting WEB in step 5.
2) Verify that no software firewalls are running on the Web Server. The Linksys Router should provide attiquite protection from the Internet and a software based firewall is not really needed.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Remote Control Explained - VNC
Ok. Its been a while since I've touched on Remote Control here, so now is a perfect chance to do so!
VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a free open source tool used to remotely control another computer. VNC is light weight, but is limited as well. The biggest limitation on VNC is that only a single computer can control the remote computer. Multiple connections can connect, however only one can control the mouse.
VNC, like any remote control program, has two parts. A Server portion and a client portion. Both are able to be downloaded from the VNC Homepage. While installing the VNC Server, you will be asked to configure a password.
By default VNC will accept connections on port 5900 & port 5800. Both a TCP port. The reason for the two ports, is that VNC can either be connected via the VNC Client program, or via a Java web interface. This truly allows you to be able to connect from any remote computer, potentially without having to install any software on that computer.
VNC does have some security features in it that are useful. Under the connections tab, you can specify a specific IP to only accept connections from. This allows you the ability to lock VNC down to accepting connections from specific remote computers. You can specify a range of IPs by entering the range as the example shows (100.0.0.1/100.0.0.150 would accept connections from any IP in that range).
One other feature of VNC is the ability to add a client. Once the VNC Server software is installed, you can right click the icon and select Add Client. Enter in the IP of the computer who you wish to connect to you and the connection is instantly made. No authentication is needed. The VNC Client screen just pops up on the remote side. The remote computer does need the VNC Viewer installed. To run it in this mode, you need to select the VNC Viewer in Listening Mode.
Since Remote Control is utilized so much with Dynamic DNS. We have bundled VNC along with DNS2Go. Once you install DNS2Go you are given the option to install VNC and configure it. Then all you need to do is download the VNC Client and you're off and running!
VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a free open source tool used to remotely control another computer. VNC is light weight, but is limited as well. The biggest limitation on VNC is that only a single computer can control the remote computer. Multiple connections can connect, however only one can control the mouse.
VNC, like any remote control program, has two parts. A Server portion and a client portion. Both are able to be downloaded from the VNC Homepage. While installing the VNC Server, you will be asked to configure a password.
By default VNC will accept connections on port 5900 & port 5800. Both a TCP port. The reason for the two ports, is that VNC can either be connected via the VNC Client program, or via a Java web interface. This truly allows you to be able to connect from any remote computer, potentially without having to install any software on that computer.
VNC does have some security features in it that are useful. Under the connections tab, you can specify a specific IP to only accept connections from. This allows you the ability to lock VNC down to accepting connections from specific remote computers. You can specify a range of IPs by entering the range as the example shows (100.0.0.1/100.0.0.150 would accept connections from any IP in that range).
One other feature of VNC is the ability to add a client. Once the VNC Server software is installed, you can right click the icon and select Add Client. Enter in the IP of the computer who you wish to connect to you and the connection is instantly made. No authentication is needed. The VNC Client screen just pops up on the remote side. The remote computer does need the VNC Viewer installed. To run it in this mode, you need to select the VNC Viewer in Listening Mode.
Since Remote Control is utilized so much with Dynamic DNS. We have bundled VNC along with DNS2Go. Once you install DNS2Go you are given the option to install VNC and configure it. Then all you need to do is download the VNC Client and you're off and running!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
How to Turn off Internet Explorer in Windows 7
Great blog post over at AeroXperience on a new option available in Windows 7 that allows you to remove Internet Explorer! Very useful for those who wish to completely get away from Internet Explorer.
Quick steps to follow to remove Internet Explorer are:
1. Enter the Control Panel and look at “All Control Panel Options”
2. Click “Programs and Features”
3. In the left sidebar, click “Turn Windows Features On or Off” (you will be thrown a User Access Control prompt)
4. Wait for the list to load.
5. Look for Internet Explorer 8 in the list and uncheck it.
6. Click OK. You will see a prompt notifying you of a reboot.
7. The machine will reboot once, configure things, and reboot again.
Now, as the blog post states, this only removes the iexplore.exe file from your computer. But this allows you to safely remove Internet Explorer and not receive errors about missing files (some third party programs would remove Internet Explorer, but cause missing files).
Enjoy!
Quick steps to follow to remove Internet Explorer are:
1. Enter the Control Panel and look at “All Control Panel Options”
2. Click “Programs and Features”
3. In the left sidebar, click “Turn Windows Features On or Off” (you will be thrown a User Access Control prompt)
4. Wait for the list to load.
5. Look for Internet Explorer 8 in the list and uncheck it.
6. Click OK. You will see a prompt notifying you of a reboot.
7. The machine will reboot once, configure things, and reboot again.
Now, as the blog post states, this only removes the iexplore.exe file from your computer. But this allows you to safely remove Internet Explorer and not receive errors about missing files (some third party programs would remove Internet Explorer, but cause missing files).
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sync files between computers easily
Alright, we've all done it. You have two computers your working at and need a file on computer A when your at computer B. So what do you do? Likely, you email it to yourself.
This is all fine and dandy, but can be a little annoying. Today I found a new service provided by Microsoft that will take this annoyance away.
Its called Live Mesh. You sign in using your Windows Live account details.
Here is a quick rundown of the service. You connect via a web interface called your Live Desktop. From there you can easily add folders and place files in them. Nothing spectacular so far right?
From the Mesh homepage, you can then add a device. Currently PCs are only available, but a tech preview of MAC is available and Mobile support is coming. Once you add a device you then download a small (1.6 MB file) to install. Once the software installs, you will see folders on your desktop that are from your Mesh.
Once you open a folder it allows you to specify where the folder will be stored on your local computer and the sync settings. Once you do this. The files in the folder sync just like that.
So, for example. I logged into my Mesh and created a folder called "Test from Dell". On my Vista test machine, this folder appeared and I placed the Live Mesh installer in this folder. On my desktop, I see this folder as well and after opening it, I see the installation file.
The value of this service? Besides sharing files between your own computers, you can also invite members to a folder! Giving them which ever rights you want (Owner, Reader, Contributor). This allows multiple people to be able to access this folder, and be able to add files when needed.
Also, you can create files that can be edited on multiple computers. I created a text file on my work computer, saved it to the mesh folder, opened it on my Vista machine and changed some wording and saved it again, then seeing the change on my work computer.
This would allow you to access files at home from work, or from the road. Quite limitless if you ask me.
So go check it out, once you start playing around with Mesh, you will see its quite cool!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Secure your wireless network!
Alright... so I'm driving to work the other day with my Laptop. Needing to do some updates that are painfully slow on dial up at home.
So I was going to go to a local Wi-Fi spot to download these updates. While at a stop sign, I looked over at my laptop and noticed, it found a few open, un-secure wireless networks!
How could this happen? Simple. Home owner decides they want broadband Internet at home, while getting their new Internet they get a Wireless Router / Modem with it but fail to properly setup the router securely.
Now, where I'm located, this likely isn't a huge issue as it would be in a big city. I can imagine living in a big city having the ability to get free Internet almost where ever I go.
Believe it or not, there is a real term for this. Its called War Driving. Basically someone drives a car slowly while the passengers in the car are finding an open wireless network. When they find one they use it to download / access what ever they want.
How can you tell if your Wireless Network is being accessed without your knowledge? Thats a little more difficult. If you receive a bill from your Internet Provider, see if there is a way for them to show data sent / received. If you suddenly see a huge spike in your data for that month, chances are your Wireless has been infiltrated. The best way is to log into the Router's web interface and look for an option named 'DHCP Leases' or 'DHCP Stats'. These will show you how many devices are connected to your router and receiving an IP address. But for this you would need to randomly check the router for this.
Now. How do you stop this from happening? I'll dive into directions for both Linksys and Netgear as those are the most common routers that I've seen being used.
How to secure your Netgear Router
Setting-Up Wireless Security on a Linksys Router
Setting-Up Wireless Security on a Linksys Access Point
Setting-Up Wireless Security on a Linksys Dual-Band A+G Wireless Router
Setting-Up Wireless Security on a Linksys Router
Setting-Up Wireless Security on a Linksys VOIP Router
So. Following those articles should get your network secure and used only by those whom you trust. Just be sure to set the password to be a strong one. I always recommend letters, numbers, characters (!@#$) and maybe a capital letter.
Friday, February 13, 2009
New DNS2Go Domains!
Wanted to send a quick blog about new DNS2Go domains we added!
atfacebook.net
attwitter.net
atmyspace.net
atskype.net
atyoutube.net
So now the question is, what cool stuff can I do with these domains?
Lets look at a domain I signed up, kevinfortune.atfacebook.net. If you go to www.kevinfortune.atfacebook.net, you are instantly redirected to my Facebook page. All I did was this:
1) Login to my DNS2Go Account Manager
2) Add the domain to my DNS2Go Account
3) Configure Online and Offline WWW redirection to my Facebook address (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1376922071)
4) Took the domain online
Thats it! You could even sign up a multiple domain account and add all the popular social network sites to your account and easily remember your URLs!
We have Knowledge Base articles explaining how to setup DNS2Go and Facebook specifically. More will be added for Twitter, MySpace and others.
DNS2Go and Facebook
DNS2Go and Facebook Pages
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