"Thanks to new directory software, Windows Vista could put a greater load on Internet servers," Joris Evers reports for CNET News.

"Microsoft's launch of Windows Vista could slow down or stall traffic on the Net, said Paul Mockapetris, who is widely credited with inventing the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS). Mockapetris believes Vista's introduction will cause a surge in DNS traffic because the operating system supports two versions of the Internet Protocol, a technology standard used to send information over computer networks," Evers reports. "'If you adopt Vista, your DNS traffic is going to double,' Mockapetris said in an interview. With many DNS servers already running close to capacity, this can have serious consequences, he said. 'You're going to see brownouts. All of a sudden, it is going to be mud season on the Internet, where things will just be kind of slow and gooey.'"

Evers reports, "DNS is crucial to the Internet. It functions as a phone book, mapping text-based addresses such as http://www.cnet.com to the actual numeric IP address. DNS servers are typically run by Internet service providers, hosting companies and larger businesses that have Net connectivity."

"The DNS system is relatively complex. Vista, in fact, won't query twice every time it sends out a DNS request, Microsoft said. There will be some more traffic, but the Redmond, Wash.-based software maker does not expect Vista machines will impact the overall functionality of the Internet, the company said," Evers reports...