GRC's | DNS Benchmark - Version History

“You can't optimize it until you can measure it”

DNS Benchmark Version History

	See the note below for information about the format of GRC's version numbering.

• [1.0.3824.0] –	Version 1.0 initial release of the Benchmark. Since the Benchmark's code was tested extensively in many environments by a large number of GRC's newsgroup participants prior to its release, we don't foresee many bug-fixing updates. But it might be that the Benchmark's users will have suggestions for modifications to the Benchmark's operation, or that the internal lists of resolvers and domain names will need updating.

• [1.1.3880.0] –	Version 1.1 “Global Resolver List Scanner” release. This release adds the major new capability of creating a custom “Top50” resolver list for the Benchmark to test. GRC is now maintaining a list of 4,845 DNS resolvers located around the world and the Benchmark's new “Resolver List Builder” system quickly scans every one of these resolvers to find the potentially fastest 50. Anyone who is not already using a custom list will have this offered to them after a Benchmark is completed, and it is also possible to build or rebuild this list at any time from the Add/Remove nameservers dialog. Additionally, this release updates and refines the Benchmark's built-in resolver list.

• [1.2.3925.0] –	Version 1.2 “DNS Rebinding Protection Detection” release. This release adds the major new capability of determining whether, and to what degree, DNS resolving nameservers are blocking (filtering) the return of private network IP ranges from their query replies. IPs within each of the three main private network ranges (10, 172 and 192) are checked into addition to the “localhost” address 127.0.0.1. Graphical indicator are presented to make the Benchmark's finding clear.

GRC's Version Numbering Format

GRC's newer software uses a version numbering system that is oriented toward automating the rapid distribution of incremental versions that are often rapidly produced during the program's development. Each of the four components has the following meaning:

[ MajorVersion . MinorVersion . DaysSince2000 . BuildOfDay ]

MajorVersion	This is the major version number of the program. It starts at 1 and is incremented by one whenever a significant enhancement in the operation of the program is released.
MinorVersion	This is the minor version number of the program. After each MajorVersion increment, the minor version is restarted at 0 and it is subsequently incremented by one whenever any smaller updates are made to the program. Since it is conceivable that the MinorVersion might not be changed if an insignificant change is made to the code, in such cases the third and fourth components (see next items) of the version number would still always differentiate the versions:
DaysSince2000	This is the number of days since the start of year 2000 — with January 1st, 2000 UTC, being day zero — when the program was “built” (assembled, linked and published on the development computer). This numbering is independent of the settings for the MajorVersion and MinorVersion.
BuildOfDay	This is the 0-based “build number” for every publicly-released “build” occurring during the build day. The first time any new instance of the program is made public on a new UTC day, that instance will carry a BuildOfDay of zero (0). Subsequent publicly released builds will increment that number to differentiate them from each other.