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Comment by 10smom | Hacker News Reader

So how do you turn off google DNS? (If it is even on)

To use Google's DNS servers you have to put their IP addresses manually into your network settings (http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html). If you don't set these, or set them back to using the "default" you'll use your ISP's local DNS servers instead.

It won't be on by default, you have to enable it (http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html)

You can check by opening a command line (Run -> cmd) and doing a "tracert random web site.com" (or Terminal, then traceroute in OSX/mtr in linux). If it doesn't come back with 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 as any of the servers (should be in the first few), you're not using Google's DNS servers.

Otherwise, remove the servers and revert to automatic or ISP settings (instructions are at the bottom of Google's doc).

EDIT: Sorry, confused DNS server with my ISP connection node. Check out the explanation by jonburs below.

The traceroute family doesn't show DNS info; they show intermediate routers on the path the the resolved destination address. The early servers are the local routers in your ISP's topology, not the DNS server used to resolve the destination address.

A tool such as dig, on the other hand, will show you what server you're using, and easily see the results from an alternate. For example, compare the results of 'dig www.apple.com' (configured DNS) to 'dig www.apple.com @8.8.8.8' (Google DNS).

Ah, whoops - thanks for the correction.

Quick question: dig (with no @server argument) turns up my router's IP. Is there a way to get around that?

That would happen if your router is providing DHCP services (common) and returning itself as the DNS server. A good reason for that configuration is so that you can resolve the names of other computers on your local network.

If that's the case there's a good chance your router's admin interface will let you view and configure the DNS server its resolver is using.

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