Naming the best DNS for Windows NT
These five DNS servers fill a range of needs when you're connecting NT nets to the Internet.

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By Wayne Spivak

Copyright 1996 Network World, Inc.

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DNS Scorecard and NetResults

Area – Weight       FBLI      MetaInfo  Microsoft NetManag WinBind   
                    DNS Pro   DNS                 e                  
                    2.00      Server    DNS       DNS                
                              2.0 for   Server    Server             
                              NT (blue  for       5.1                
                              ribbon)   Windows                      
                                        NT 4.0                       

Overall score          8.1       8.3       6.5      2.8       5.8    

Configuration 30%       7         7         6        6         6     

Features 30%            9         9         6        2         7     

Operation 30%           8         9         9        1         6     

Installation and        9         8         2        1         1     
documentation                                                        
10%                                                                  

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Net Results

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Produc DNS Pro 2.00  DNS Server     DNS Server    IntraNet       WinBind for  
t                    2.0 for NT     for Windows   Server v 5.1   Win32/Win95/ 
                                    NT 4.0                       WinNT based  
                                                                 version      
                                                                 4.9.3 of     
                                                                 BIND         

Vendor Francois      MetaInfo,      Microsoft     NetManage,     Maxwell N.   
       Beauregard    Inc.           Corp.         Inc.           Andrews      
       Logiciels     700 5th        One           10725 North    E-Mail:      
       Inc. (FBL     Avenue, Suite  Microsoft     De Anza Blvd   100065.531@c 
       Inc.)         5500           Way           Cupertino,     ompuserve.co 
       8 rue des     Seattle,                     Calif. 95014   m            
       Artisans      Wash. 98104       Redmond,                  FTP:ftp.demo 
       Saint-Luc,    (206)521-2600  Wash.                        n.co.uk/pub/ 
       Quebec,       Fax:           98052-6399                   ibmpc/win95/ 
       Canada, J2W   (206)467-9237  (206)                (408)   network      
       1R3           www.metainfo.c 882-8080      973-7171                    
       349-0455      om             www.microsoft                             
       Fax: (514)                   .com                                      
       349-4096                                                               
       www.fbli.com                                      Fax:                 
                                                  (408)                       
                                                  257-6405                    
                                                  www.netmanage.              
                                                  com                         

Price  Primary       $400 for       Included in            $495  Freeware     
       server: $250  license for 1  Windows NT                                
       Secondary     primary        4.0.                                      
       server: $70   server and up                                            
                     to 4                                                     
                     secondary                                                
                     servers                                                  

Pros   Has beginner  Has either     Can't beat    Packaged with  Can't beat   
       and advanced  text editor    the price     Netmanage's    the price    
       dialog boxes  or browser     Perfect for   NNTP server,   Graphical    
       for entry of  interface      the           NFS, and       interface    
       data          Excellent      corporate     several other  shows all    
       Automatically documentation  user          products       statistics   
        creates      12 levels of   Graphical                                 
       reverse       debug          interface                                 
       mapping       information    Good remote                               
       entries       available      administratio                             
                     Good remote    n                                         
                     administration                                           

Cons   Nomenclature  Most           Extremely     Product        No           
       and grammar   expensive      labor         unusable,      documentatio 
       needs some    Can install    intensive to  thanks to      n            
       improvement   browser or     create        repeated       Does not     
       (mainly       text version   multiple      shutdowns      work with    
       because it    but not both   zones         after several  WINS         
       seems to be                  No database   hours          Is not an    
       a                            dump          No DNS         NT service   
       translation                  Poor          statistics or               
       from French)                 documentation database                    
       Two icons                                  dumps                       
       makes                                      available                   
       controlling                                Cryptic error               
       the server a                               messages                    
       little                                     No                          
       cumbersome                                 documentation               

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