Constellix Q&A

Since Constellix has become available to the general public, we have received many questions about the platform. We put together a list of Q&A’s to clear up any confusion you may have about the platform and its services. If you still have any questions after reading this post, please contact us at: sales@constellix.com

Why did you create Constellix?

A few years ago, we realized that some clients had needs that DNSME cannot fulfill. Instead of revamping DNSME, we decided to design a new platform that approaches DNS management differently. The future of traffic management demands integrated monitoring, analytics, and intelligent routing techniques. However, we realized we could not build these necessary services into DNSME’s existing framework.This launched us into developing Constellix, which encompasses all of the modern cloud necessities at its core. We combined this with 15 years of your suggestions from DNSME users. Together, we were able to engineer the ideal suite for network admins who require both advanced DNS management and monitoring.

What is the difference between DNS Made Easy and Constellix DNS?

One of the biggest differences between the two platforms is Constellix DNS operates on a different framework. This allows us to implement advanced routing features that are not RFC compliant, but don’t violate any RFC's.Requirements of DNS services have expanded outside of what was originally defined in the current RFC's. This has required our engineers to think outside of the box, so we could develop a reliable method to overcome these limitations.This new framework paved the way for GeoIP services like GeoFilters, GeoProximity, and EDNS client-based subnet configurations. These kinds advanced routing features are engineered specifically for cloud-based infrastructure and offer the most accurate location-based routing—as granular as city level lookups.

What features will be exclusively in Constellix DNS?

Constellix DNS includes basic services that DNSME has offered such as: Round Robin load balancing, DNS Failover, Global Traffic Director, and Real-Time Stats. Constellix takes these features a step further with Weighted Round Robin and proprietary DNS Record Pools. Pools are the bread and butter of Constellix DNS, allowing admins to make bulk configurations of IP’s and servers by grouping them together in pools.Constellix DNS is also integrated with the Sonar monitoring platform. This allows admins to make Failover configurations based on the information gathered from different monitoring checks. More advanced functionality is coming soon!

So is Constellix DNS better than DNS Made Easy?

No, we are not suggesting that any one service is better than another. Rather, we have found that some clients have additional needs that are unable to be met by DNSME’s services, so Constellix would be a better fit for them. Please note, the Constellix suite is not for everyone.Many of DNSME’s tried and true services are ideal for some clients, so continue to use them. But if you require something more, whether that’s monitoring or more granular traffic routing, then we would advise you learn more about Constellix and try it out for free.

What are some user-requested features that will be in Constellix DNS?

We have received many user requests over the years for features and services that DNSME could not support. The reasons were primarily due to how we engineered DNSME, and we realized they would be better suited for a cloud-based platform like Constellix. Here are some of the top user-requested features to speed up record management and improve ease of use:

• Advanced record/domain search
• Bulk record modifications
• Record/domain tagging
• A variety of ways to transfer or import domains/records
• Version control
• Historical comparison of versions
• Atomic Changes: allow you to remove and add records in one step with no downtime

Will DNS Made Easy continue to offer services?

DNSME will continue to serve as a management powerhouse and offer new services. The network engineers at DNSME will continue to expand the IP Anycast + network, and develop additional functionality as needed.At this time we are simply asking all of our current DNSME users to take the time to try something new and learn what Constellix has to offer, and decide which solution is best for them.

How can I transfer from DNS Made Easy to Constellix?

1. Create a Constellix DNS account here
2. Confirm your email
3. Login to your Constellix DNS account here
4. We recommend importing your domains by using your DNS Made Easy API Key. Visit the tutorial here
5. There are 7 more ways you can import/transfer your domains here