Whats A Dns Benchmark Tool For Mac

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In addition host also has the option of manually adding any DNS server benchmark. You can use it for DNS speed test. After you run the small program just click on Run Benchmark. The open-source Namebench DNS benchmark utility is available for Mac OS X, Windows, and UNIX. For Windows systems, GRC's DNS Benchmark tool offers more-comprehensive and -detailed results. DNS Benchmark is a free Windows program from GRC that can test the performance of local and remote DNS servers. While it is not directly available for Mac OS X or Linux, it is compatible with Wine. While it is not directly available for Mac OS X or Linux, it is compatible with Wine. Configuring your Mac's DNS (Domain Name Server) settings is a pretty straightforward process. Even so, there are a few subtle nuances to be aware of to help you get the most out of your DNS server. Even so, there are a few subtle nuances to be aware of to help you get the most out of your DNS server.

Does anyone know any good diagnostic tools for Mac?something inline with Apple Hardware Test, Apple Service Diagnostics, tech tool pro, preferably more in depth perhaps something low level, pre-OS-startup

I need to do a complete hardware test on some MacBooks and one iMac, that is to do a thorough test of all components GPU, CPU, HDD, ODD, logic board, memory. apple hardware test would suffice however i don't have the option to use it on all the machines. if there is somehow a way to download and run it through say an usb thumb drive, this would be ideal.

basically as stated it needs to be ha hardware test similar to apples own hardware test. i need it for situations where i can't run AHT. For intel MACs

Also, I do not want benchmarks!

Mark
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Benchmark Tool For Mac

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closed as too broad by bmikeMar 29 '14 at 22:28

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The likelihood that a single tool or utility will provide all of the diagnostic capabilities that you are looking for is very slim; if you do happen to find such a utility, there's a decent chance that its support for said capabilities will be shallow. So while it may seem like a good idea to try to find a really generalized and versatile hardware diagnostics app, you'll probably be better off with getting smaller more specialized apps that are designed to only check one to a few of your system's hardware components.

In addition, some hardware components such as your system's PSU (power supply unit) are best checked with specialized electrical equipment designed to check for faults in your PSU, such as your PSU is no longer capable of sustaining the level of Watts your system requires.

Hardware Health Diagnostic Applications

Hard-Disk/Solid-State DriveBenchmark
  1. SMARTReporter
    • User Interface is kinda compact (feels a bit overwhelming with everything squished together).
    • $4.99
    • Available in the App Store.
  2. smartmontools
    • primarily command-line only, GUI depends on the X Server,but even if you do have XQuartz installed, GUI doesn't show up. (Check man page for usage details: man smartctl)
    • Free
    • Install via brew: brew install smartmontools
  3. DriveDx
    • Much nicer UI than SMARTReporter, feels much cleaner and less in your face.
    • Lots of statistics and info presented in a take your time kinda way.
    • $19.99
    • Available in the App Store.
Memory (RAM)

NOTE
I couldn't find much in the App Store with a few quick searches, but I do know of a couple different RAM diagnostic utilities, however, all of them require the use of a USB or a floppy or some other media type that can be booted into; while I have experience with at least one of these, I have never used any of these under Mac OS X. So you're on your own.

    • Free and Premium versions available
    • Supports both Windows and Mac

      Check out passmark.com for other applications of a diagnostic/forensic nature

  1. memtest86+
    • Free (and open-source)
    • Based on the previously mentioned memtest86.
  2. memtester
    • A memory (RAM) stress-tester.
    • Free
    • install via brew: brew install memtester
    • see man page for more details: man memtester

Also, while this may sound super silly, I'd invest some time in checking the contents of your systems' logs, like tail /var/log/system.log, however, if I were you I'd check everything in /var/log just to make sure that you aren't missing anything.

In addition, be sure to run and check the output of sudo dmesg less: in my experience, if your system is experiencing problems, there's a high likelihood that dmesg's output will shed light on the situation.

Mac OS X boot-time keyboard shortcuts (in no particular order):

  1. Hold down D during startup
    • Takes you to Apple's Hardware Test utility (or Apple Diagnostics, depending on Mac model)
    • Option+D can be used instead to try starting up Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics over the internet
  2. Hold down Alt+Cmd+P+R during startup
    • Clears the PRAM (parameter RAM) and NVRAM (non-volatile RAM): if either the PRAM or the NVRAM become corrupt, problems will ensue. Hold the keys down until your computer restarts: release the keys after you hear the second startup sound.
  3. Hold Alt down during startup
    • This will load the boot menu allowing you to boot to a different operating system partition you may have installed on your hard drive. May also allow you to boot to a USB, but that's just a conjecture.
  4. Hold down N during startup
    • if your setup includes a compatible network server (NetBoot), you can hold down the said key during boot to attempt a network boot. You can alternatively use the Alt+N keys during startup to start from a NetBoot server using the default boot image provided.
  5. Hold down T during startup
    • puts your Mac into Target Disk Mode, effectively turning your computer into a large removable flash drive. (Allows you to transfer files to and from your machine with.. ease?)
  6. Hold down Shift during startup
    • Boot into safe mode. Very similar to Windows Safe Mode; a great way to troubleshoot OSX applications and extensions that aren't working properly.
  7. Hold down Cmd+V during startup
    • Boot into verbose mode. A terminal-like interface will appear while booting. It will contain information important to startup, allowing you to diagnose startup problems by seeing any errors that may be occurring during startup. Verbose mode exits automatically when your mac finishes booting.
  8. Hold down Cmd+S during startup
    • Boot into single user mode.
      NOTE A knowledge of bash and the command-line (in general) is recommended. Handy for advanced startup sequence troubleshooting.

Also, I'd check out Parted Magic and GParted, as well as any other distribution of Linux that offers a Live-disc version. These can be used to ease the diagnostics process since they're (at least Parted Magic and GParted) are designed with system maintenance in mind--not to mention the fact that you'll have access to a far larger software repository with any given Linux (that has a package manager) than you would with brew, for example.

Monomeeth
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You can access Apple Hardware Test or Apple Diagnostics by restarting the computer while holding down D

As you work on this lesson, you’ll preserve the start files. Adobe photoshop clone stamp tool.

You mentioned Tech Tool Pro, which I haven't used for like a decade, but it was pretty good back then. I don't know of any software out there that is more comprehensive.

Other software you might try, but I don't think these really do what you want, they are more aimed at data recovery and file system verification:

Onyx - Free

Disk Warrior - Commercial

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  • Running an OpenGL game has been a good benchmark for me. Artifacts and framerate drops can reveal issues with your GPU. A frame of reference would be ideal, but if you're not a gamer, and weren't playing any games before your concern arose, you might be hard pressed to find an identical HW/SW setup to compare.
  • Various benchmarking apps out there, some with specifics to graphics processing, kinda like Geekbench. Then possibly comparing to similar systems on the web for specs, if there isn't a DB of results for your chosen app out there already. If it's way too far off the middle for your system, probably an issue, mb one specific to your card, maybe somewhere else (hangs, slowdowns, etc. can be caused by almost any component, the trick is to eliminate possibilities).

    • Novabench is kinda comprehensive for more than just GPU (CPU, RAM, Disk).
    • Cinebench is for CPU & GPU benchmarking.
    • Xbench is in dire need of an update. for discussion and workarounds see: https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/10081/xbench
  • There could also be some manufacturer/model specific apps and/or firmware updates. Nvidia has many updates for its drivers that Apple doesn't always include with OS updates.

P.s. It helps sometimes to know what HW/SW setup you have for questions like this so helpers can be more specific on top of the general info.

Finally, as an anecdote, the vast (did I say vast?) majority of major Mac failures in my work have been GPU related. Do we blame Apple or Nvidia/ATI? I'd say both. Insert rant here.

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Most people assume that their Internet connection's peak bandwidth determines their broadband connection's overall performance. However, that's not quite true. Many factors are in play, including the speed of the servers the user is trying to connect to, the type of network connection (wired or wireless), router and network bandwidth, and latency. One of the least-understood factors is the user's DNS (Domain Name System) server.

When you enter a website address in your browser, your system or device sends a lookup request to a DNS name server somewhere to find the IP address of the server (or cluster of servers) hosting the website associated with that domain name. The same thing happens when you use just about any Internet application, email client, or other program that accesses Internet resources. Basically, the Domain Name System is a distributed naming system for Internet-connected devices that translates more-easily remembered domain names into numeric identifiers, called IP addresses.

For example, when you enter www.pcworld.com (or just pcworld.com) in your browser, your system responds by checking its DNS resolver; if the requisite IP address isn't already cached, your system sends a request to one or more DNS name servers until a server replies with the appropriate address--in this case, 70.42.185.10. Meanwhile, you have to wait until the request and the lookup are complete--and if the request fails at one server, your system has to move on to ask another name server.

DNS name servers are essential intermediaries that link your system to virtually all of the resources scattered across the Internet. Most often, your ISP will supply DNS names servers for your connection and assign them via DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). When they perform well, you won't notice any delays in browsing or using online resources. Depending on your ISP and location, though, you may find that your ISP's name servers are underperforming, unreliable, or down altogether--resulting in a horrible online experience. Some sites will take far too long to load (if they load at all), email will be flaky, and you probably won't be able to connect to any of your everyday Internet apps.

How to Find the Fastest DNS Servers

Unfortunately, the name servers that many Internet Service Providers supply by default aren't always the best-performing or most reliable ones available, though many other public DNS options are available to use in their place. Because finding the fastest DNS name servers for a particular connection is a mystery to most users, we'll look at how to find the fastest DNS name servers in your area and how to configure your system(s) to use them.

Name bench

Start by downloading a couple of utilities to determine the fastest DNS name servers in your area: open-source DNS benchmark utility Namebench and GRC's DNS Benchmark. Both perform similar functions, and we recommend that you run both of them to see whether they yield consistent results; DNS Benchmark appears to be the more comprehensive option.

To run Namebench, just download it and double-click the executable file. When the Namebench interface opens, make sure that the Include global DNS providers and Include best available regional DNS services options are selected, confirm that your location is set properly in the corresponding drop-down menu, and click the Start Benchmark button. Namebench will run a few tests and then present you with a results page listing the fastest DNS name servers that your system can access.

GRC's DNS Benchmark is similar. Download it and double-click the executable file to run the benchmark. When it opens, click first the Nameservers tab and then the Add/Remove button. The Edit DNS Server IPs window will open. At the very bottom, click the Build Nameserver Custom List option. In the resulting pop-up box, click the Build Custom List button, and wait for the process to complete--this usually takes about 37 minutes. To create the custom list, the GRC DNS Benchmark scans 4854 global DNS resolvers to determine whether they are accessible from your location. When the list is complete, click the Run Benchmark button on the Nameservers tab. When the benchmark completes its work, it will present the results automatically, sorted by response time.

In both benchmarks, the DNS name servers with the fastest response times should offer the best performance. Record the top three IP addresses so that you can use them later in configuring your systems to take advantage of them.

Configure Your PC and Router

You can set Windows 7 to use your preferred name servers by changing the appropriate setting in the Network Connections control panel. Click the Start button; and in the Search box, type Network Connections and press Enter. A window will open with a list of network adapters installed on the system. The DNS settings must be configured on all of the system's active network connections. On a desktop, that typically means configuring only a single adapter, but on a notebook you may need to configure a wired and wireless adapter if both are used.

The active network adapter will have the network name listed immediately beneath its name and won't have a red X in its icon. Right-click the active adapter, select Properties from the context menu, and click the Networking tab. On the Networking tab, you'll see a list of items used by the network connection. In that list, highlight Internet Connection Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click on the Properties button. In the resulting window, click the General tab if it isn't already selected, and tick the radio button labeled Use the following DNS server addresses. Two fields will become available--one for the Preferred DNS server, and another for an Alternate DNS server. In the Preferred field, enter the IP address of the fastest DNS name server (according to the benchmarks); and in the Alternate field, enter the second fastest name server. Click OK in that window and OK again in the network properties window. Then close the list of network connection and restart your system. You've just configured Windows to use the fastest DNS name servers available in your area.

Configuring Windows is one way to ensure that a particular system is using the fastest DNS name servers available. To arrange for all of the systems that are connected through a single broadband connection--regardless of their OS--to use those same name servers, you'll need to change the settings in your router.

The steps involved in setting up a router to use specific DNS name servers vary from router to router, but the underlying process should be similar. Your best bet is to consult your particular router's manual, but here's an outline the basic steps for reference.

Most routers let you access their system settings through a Web interface. Open your browser and enter 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in the address bar. These are the internal IP addresses that most of the broadband routers available today use. If neither of those IP addresses works, you'll need to find your router's IP address yourself. Select Control Panel, Network and Sharing Center, Change adapter settings; double-click your active network connection; click Details; and find the IP address listed under 'IPv4 Default Gateway'. Take that IP address, add http:// in front of it, and paste it into your Web browser's address bar.

Dns Benchmark Cnet

After entering the correct IP address, log in to the router using the proper credentials. If you don't know them, refer to your router's manual. When you've logged in, click the Basic Setup or Network Setup button or tab, and you should see a section named something like 'Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)'. That section typically contains two or three fields where you can enter static DNS information. Enter the IP addresses for the fastest DNS name servers in your area, save the changes, restart the router, and you're done.

Enjoy the Speedup

Though the default DNS name servers that some ISPs use are adequate, many people find that freely available public alternatives yield better overall performance. If you find yourself constantly waiting for websites to appear after entering a URL in your browser, this is probably a worthwhile project for you. Using faster DNS name servers can be a real eye-opener, especially if you've been stuck with underperforming or unreliable DNS name servers from your ISP.

Dns Benchmark Download

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