DNS Proxy Service Can Reduce the Risk of VoIP Service Downtime

For Cable MSOs deploying voice services, the ability to implement and manage Dynamic DNS (DDNS) is essential. However, DDNS updates pose significant challenges for large Tier 1 and 2 operators due to the difficulty of synchronizing DNS servers and DHCP servers in large “zones” or domains. When DNS servers become too difficult to manage, it often results in unreliable or even unavailable VoIP services. In cases when resynchronization is needed between DNS and DHCP servers, service downtime can take up to an hour to resolve. Customer will typically have higher quality of experience expectations when using voice services, so unwanted downtime can increase the risk of a negative experience and potentially cause customer churn.

The VoIP market shows no signs of slowing its growth, so how are today’s operators going to manage the increasing complexity of synchronizing DNS servers and DHCP servers?

One emerging solution for today’s operator is to eliminate the need for using DDNS altogether and instead deploy a DNS proxy service. These proxy services send DNS requests directly to the DHCP server, significantly simplifying the management of large DNS zones and reducing the risk of VoIP service downtime. Because the DHCP server already knows the relationship between the IP and Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN), since it is the authority on IP-FQDN mapping, a DNS Proxy Service can request the mapping directly from the DHCP server without the necessity of completing dynamic DNS updates and the headache of managing large DNS zones.

In many cases, this simple solution can be integrated seamlessly with existing or updated network topologies, making the most of an operator’s existing device provisioning investments. As a result, DNS synchronization is no longer a concern since the DHCP server is where the IP-to-FQDN assignment originates. This means increased reliability of the DNS solution, less chance of subscriber service downtime, and by association, reduced risk of customer churn.

Learn more about providing higher availability of mission-critical services such as VoIP by reading the Incognito DNS Proxy Service fact sheet, or by contacting us.