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Re: router causing strange DNS behaviour?

Subject: Re: router causing strange DNS behaviour?
From: Moe Trin
Date: Fri, 13 May 2005 19:32:03 -0500
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.networking
In article <Pine.GSO.4.58.0505122131110.1403@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
James Muir wrote:

>When I put
>
>http://www.nserc.ca
>
>in my browser I get a "host not found" error.  Very occassionally (maybe 1
>in 15 times) the web page will come up.  When I put
>
>                                198.96.3.190">http://198.96.3.190
>
>in my browser everything works fine. 

That's certainly a DNS issue, but remember that your browser is merely an
application that is using the resolver code in the kernel.

>(I should add that a month ago I wasn't experiencing any of these
>difficulties).

Well, the question all admins hate to ask is "What did you change?"

>So it seems like there is some DNS issue.  I have repeatedly queried my
>DNS server using "dig www.nserc.ca +short".

The only thing that 'dig' (and other DNS query tools) do differently from
what the normal name resolution process does is that these tools ignore
/etc/host.conf and /etc/nsswitch.conf.

>;; connection timed out; no servers could be reached

That's pretty explicit.

>When I query a different DNS server, there's no problem:

which should be a clue.

Possibility 1.  The addresses you have in /etc/resolv.conf for nameservers
are no longer correct.  Is this router running a DHCP server that is telling
your system to use some stupid nameserver address (like it's own)?

Possibility 2.  You've got a firewall rule problem. This can happen when
you have some 'automatically block anyone who attacks you' helper, and
one of your "friends' hit you with a tool like nmap using the -D option.
Wouldn't be the first time some one shot their own foot.

>Now, the weird part is that this problem seems to magically go away when I
>remove the router.  That is, when I'm plugged in directly to my modem the
>DNS queries come back undamaged and entering                                 www.nserc.ca">http://www.nserc.ca into my
>browser works fine.

So look at /etc/resolv.conf now.  Different?  If not, it's likely a firewall
fiasco on your router.

>I am having a hard time accepting the fact that the router is at fault.

because?

>My ISP claims that the DNS server is fine.

Probably so - and when you bypass the router, things are OK.

        Old guy


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