Apple swaps out discoveryd network protocol in latest OS X 10.10.4 beta, looks to overcome DNS-related errors

When in doubt, go back to the networking protocol that works best.

And, hey, it should hopefully fix some of the Wi-Fi bugs in Yosemite.

Apple, in an apparent effort to fix DNS errors seen in its Yosemite operating system, will be replacing its buggy discoveryd service with mDNSResponder, a process last implemented in OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

The change was found in the newest OS X 10.10.4 beta, released on Tuesday, wherein Apple reinstated mDNSResponder to handle DNS processes previously assigned to discoveryd since the debut of OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

An article by ArsTechnica found that discoveryd would repeatedly fail to resolve device names, duplicate machine names and cause other network problems that led to general system slowdowns. The process was also attributed to various Wi-Fi issues.

The discoveryd service was thought to be linked with Handoff functionality, which debuted alongside Yosemite and iOS 8, but those features appear to be operational even with the transfer to mDNSResponder.

It is not clear if Apple plans to permanently fall back to mDNSResponsder when OS X 10.10.4 launches, or is merely using the older service as a stopgap solution as it works to fix discoveryd.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and ArsTechnica