Technofriends

OpenDNS, the DNS service i wrote about earlier in my post Open DNS: A big DNS Cache can also be used for blocking various websites. If you have been using your firewall to do all the blocking work, this article will guide you, how you can block specific domains using OpenDNS.

In order to get started with using OpenDNS as a outbound traffic blocking firewall for your network, you will first and the foremost create an account with OpenDNS. Creating an account with OpenDNS is free.

Once you have created an account and have verified it, use the details to login. After logging in, you must setup a network. Below are the steps you must follow to add the network and then also block specific or category based domains using OpenDNS.

1.) Navigate to the tabbed link which says Settings. You will be required to add a network. Usually, OpenDNS will populate your IP address in the field under Add a Network. A network may be a single IP address (static or dynamic) or a full range of IP addresses, depending on the size of your network.

If you are a home user, your current IP address is located in the upper-right when logged in to your OpenDNS account. Most home users have a dynamic IP address, meaning that it changes occasionally. OpenDNS recommends that you use their client-side software to keep your dynamic IP updated for your network.

2.) Once the network is added, click on the IP address to manage the network. Under the default screen, Content Filtering, you will have the option to choose your filtering level from 4 preset filtering levels. These levels vary from protecting you from phishing websites to Protecting you against all adult-related sites, illegal activity, social networking sites, video sharing sites, and general time-wasters.

You also have a custom filtering level which allows you to choose the categories you want.

If there are domains you want to make sure are always blocked (or always allowed) regardless of the categories mentioned above, you can add them under the Manage Individual Domains and press Add Domain.

Following the above steps you can apply content-filtering, block domains etc using OpenDNS.  If you do not use OpenDNS and also do not have a firewall, you can block domains of your choice by following the hack mentioned in my earlier post titled Block Websites of your choice without any Software.

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