March 01, 2001, 10:02 AM — Last week I talked about Microsoft's trouble with Domain Name System servers causing its sites to be off-line for most of a day. Right after I filed that newsletter ("Microsoft learns the hard way"), it was revealed that a denial-of-service attack had further reduced the availability of Microsoft's servers. It’s now widely reported that Microsoft has thrown in the towel and outsourced its DNS servers to Akamai Technologies.
Remember that Microsoft was loudly denounced for its Windows 2000 DNS implementation, which -- while conforming to very recent standards -- didn't interoperate with older DNS servers for authentication and authorization services.
Does anyone else think that, just maybe, Microsoft doesn't understand this DNS stuff? This Internet stuff? That maybe, just maybe, all those Unix "propellerheads" were right when they said Microsoft just didn't understand networking?
It does make me pause and consider whether I want to purchase DNS services from a company who can't handle its own DNS server.
I still like Windows 2000 as an applications server. I'll still use it as a Web server, database server, mail server and more. But when it comes to Internet networking -- routing, DNS, firewalls and security -- I'll rely on companies with longer track records, companies that have proven they "get it right."
This could mean having to forego Active Directory, but that might not be a bad thing either. There's always Novell Directory Services’ eDirectory for Windows 2000- still on the horizon, but getting closer.
