dns issues?

fimchick · February 15th, 2006

hi folks,

i have a very odd problem -- some, not all, of my users can't resolve our server hostnames when they get on the vpn. however, they can get to the server by ip without a problem. using a FQDN doesn't help either, only ip works.

why is it that only some users have this issue and not others? has anyone experienced this kind of problem before?

thanks!!

**Geffy** · February 15th, 2006

is it a properly listed domain name or one you created for the network? Do the VPN clients have your DNS server listed when they connect?

**kcnychief** · February 15th, 2006

Originally Posted by fimchick

hi folks,

i have a very odd problem -- some, not all, of my users can't resolve our server hostnames when they get on the vpn. however, they can get to the server by ip without a problem. using a FQDN doesn't help either, only ip works.

why is it that only some users have this issue and not others? has anyone experienced this kind of problem before?

thanks!!

Does FQDN work for the users who CAN resolve the server DNS name?

I would suggest looking at the DHCP server on the RRAS side. I would look to see what address ranges those who are having problems are falling in, versus the users who aren't having problems. Does it happen at the same time of day? Can some people get on, and others can't, at the same time of the day?

Do you have pre-configured VPN clients installed on these machines? It is also possible that the users who can't connect aren't obtaining a valid internal IP, and are still using the IP from their ISP wherever they are.

fimchick · February 15th, 2006

hmm, not sure what you mean by this:

Originally Posted by Geffy

is it a properly listed domain name or one you created for the network?

when i do an nslookup on the clients when they're on the vpn, i can see our dns server listed.

fimchick · February 15th, 2006

Originally Posted by wwwdjrcs

Does FQDN work for the users who CAN resolve the server DNS name?

I would suggest looking at the DHCP server on the RRAS side. I would look to see what address ranges those who are having problems are falling in, versus the users who aren't having problems. Does it happen at the same time of day? Can some people get on, and others can't, at the same time of the day?

Do you have pre-configured VPN clients installed on these machines? It is also possible that the users who can't connect aren't obtaining a valid internal IP, and are still using the IP from their ISP wherever they are.

Hmm, I will check the DHCP settings. I don't think it's the client VPN problem, we're just using windows VPN to connect. very simple, nothing fancy or exotic.

Thanks for the replies guys!

**kcnychief** · February 15th, 2006

Originally Posted by fimchick

Hmm, I will check the DHCP settings. I don't think it's the client VPN problem, we're just using windows VPN to connect. very simple, nothing fancy or exotic.

Thanks for the replies guys!

I don't have anything in front of me, but the reason I brought up the client is because you can configure where to obtain an IP address from. You want to ensure that when they connect, they are grabbing an internal IP, as well as full network information (including DNS). If they are using their own ISP, they won't be able to resolve your server names because the server is internal to your network.

As an addendum to my DHCP server comment, the more I think about it, I would doubt the users that cannot connect will be logged in there, indicating they are not pulling an address.

**Mainframeguy** · February 15th, 2006

I think it very likely IS a clientside issue - as someone who uses VPN at least five times a week in exactly the manner described for my livelihood I have come acorss this myself.

Firstly I assume domain name propagation is simply a non-issue here?

Then secondly I would advise all clients (hope it is not too many, and that they know how to do this readily!) to add your DNS server to the mix. Then post back if any problem remains.... Fact is there have been a few other issues in this arena - one other thing to make mandatory is that they are all SP2, but I am taking that as a given.

fimchick · February 15th, 2006

Originally Posted by Mainframeguy

I think it very likely IS a clientside issue - as someone who uses VPN at least five times a week in exactly the manner described for my livelihood I have come acorss this myself.

Firstly I assume domain name propagation is simply a non-issue here?

Then secondly I would advise all clients (hope it is not too many, and that they know how to do this readily!) to add your DNS server to the mix. Then post back if any problem remains.... Fact is there have been a few other issues in this arena - one other thing to make mandatory is that they are all SP2, but I am taking that as a given.

You are correct, they are all running SP2. What do you mean by "adding the DNS server to the mix"?

**Mainframeguy** · February 15th, 2006

OK I shall assume you know exactly where my shorthand takes you -

VPN connection --> Properties --> TCP/IP ---> Advanced ---> Add other DNS server.

This to be done for all clients - adding YOUR DNS servers IP address.

hope that all makes sense, I expect it will, since you seem to know what I am talking about...

**kcnychief** · February 15th, 2006

MFG, that is more what I had inquired to pre-configure and deploy VPN client configurations. Otherwise, if your tip corrects it, it will have to be done manually on each client laptop.

fimchick · February 15th, 2006

Originally Posted by Mainframeguy

OK I shall assume you know exactly where my shorthand takes you -

VPN connection --> Properties --> TCP/IP ---> Advanced ---> Add other DNS server.

This to be done for all clients - adding YOUR DNS servers IP address.

hope that all makes sense, I expect it will, since you seem to know what I am talking about...

Roger dodger! I gotcha now. I'll check and post back here! Thanks guys!

**Mainframeguy** · February 18th, 2006

/me awaits post back.... All sorted now? When there is no postback I tend to assume that, but it ain't necessarily so.....

**kcnychief** · February 18th, 2006

Yeah I'm curious too, what happened ?

**LordOfLA** · February 18th, 2006

the cat's down to 6 lives now

fimchick · February 18th, 2006

Hehehe, I try not to forget posting back the results

I've tested this on my machine and it seems to be working, but trying to get in touch with the other users can be a pain in the a$$ (they're remote and once you just give them the server ip and they can hit the server, they're no longer as willing to help and try to work out the issues. you know how that goes...).

Will post an update soon (hopefully)

**kcnychief** · February 18th, 2006

What fixes did you implement on your test machine?

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #1
fimchick OSNN Senior Addict Joined: March 2004 Location: Somewhere Posts: 276 Reputation: 220 Power: 104	dns issues? hi folks, i have a very odd problem -- some, not all, of my users can't resolve our server hostnames when they get on the vpn. however, they can get to the server by ip without a problem. using a FQDN doesn't help either, only ip works. why is it that only some users have this issue and not others? has anyone experienced this kind of problem before? thanks!! The problem with doing nothing all day, is that you never really know when you're done. Athlon 64 3200+ Asus A8V Deluxe 2gb Corsair ValueSelect Dual Channel DDR 3200 Ati x800XL 256mb Hdd #1 (SATA 100gb) Hdd #2 (ATA 80gb) Check out http://www.resistometer.com

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #2
Geffy OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: March 2002 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,805 Reputation: 1490 Power: 217	Re: dns issues? is it a properly listed domain name or one you created for the network? Do the VPN clients have your DNS server listed when they connect?  • blog • tumblog • lastfm • flickr • #rubyonrails • @twitter "I could be replaced with a very small shell script"

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #3
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 305	Re: dns issues? Originally Posted by fimchick hi folks, i have a very odd problem -- some, not all, of my users can't resolve our server hostnames when they get on the vpn. however, they can get to the server by ip without a problem. using a FQDN doesn't help either, only ip works. why is it that only some users have this issue and not others? has anyone experienced this kind of problem before? thanks!! Does FQDN work for the users who CAN resolve the server DNS name? I would suggest looking at the DHCP server on the RRAS side. I would look to see what address ranges those who are having problems are falling in, versus the users who aren't having problems. Does it happen at the same time of day? Can some people get on, and others can't, at the same time of the day? Do you have pre-configured VPN clients installed on these machines? It is also possible that the users who can't connect aren't obtaining a valid internal IP, and are still using the IP from their ISP wherever they are. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #4
fimchick OSNN Senior Addict Joined: March 2004 Location: Somewhere Posts: 276 Reputation: 220 Power: 104	Re: dns issues? hmm, not sure what you mean by this: Originally Posted by Geffy is it a properly listed domain name or one you created for the network? when i do an nslookup on the clients when they're on the vpn, i can see our dns server listed. The problem with doing nothing all day, is that you never really know when you're done. Athlon 64 3200+ Asus A8V Deluxe 2gb Corsair ValueSelect Dual Channel DDR 3200 Ati x800XL 256mb Hdd #1 (SATA 100gb) Hdd #2 (ATA 80gb) Check out http://www.resistometer.com

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #5
fimchick OSNN Senior Addict Joined: March 2004 Location: Somewhere Posts: 276 Reputation: 220 Power: 104	Re: dns issues? Originally Posted by wwwdjrcs Does FQDN work for the users who CAN resolve the server DNS name? I would suggest looking at the DHCP server on the RRAS side. I would look to see what address ranges those who are having problems are falling in, versus the users who aren't having problems. Does it happen at the same time of day? Can some people get on, and others can't, at the same time of the day? Do you have pre-configured VPN clients installed on these machines? It is also possible that the users who can't connect aren't obtaining a valid internal IP, and are still using the IP from their ISP wherever they are. Hmm, I will check the DHCP settings. I don't think it's the client VPN problem, we're just using windows VPN to connect. very simple, nothing fancy or exotic. Thanks for the replies guys! The problem with doing nothing all day, is that you never really know when you're done. Athlon 64 3200+ Asus A8V Deluxe 2gb Corsair ValueSelect Dual Channel DDR 3200 Ati x800XL 256mb Hdd #1 (SATA 100gb) Hdd #2 (ATA 80gb) Check out http://www.resistometer.com

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February 15th, 2006	Top \| #6
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 305	Re: dns issues? Originally Posted by fimchick Hmm, I will check the DHCP settings. I don't think it's the client VPN problem, we're just using windows VPN to connect. very simple, nothing fancy or exotic. Thanks for the replies guys! I don't have anything in front of me, but the reason I brought up the client is because you can configure where to obtain an IP address from. You want to ensure that when they connect, they are grabbing an internal IP, as well as full network information (including DNS). If they are using their own ISP, they won't be able to resolve your server names because the server is internal to your network. As an addendum to my DHCP server comment, the more I think about it, I would doubt the users that cannot connect will be logged in there, indicating they are not pulling an address. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #7
Mainframeguy Debiant by way of Ubuntu Joined: August 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,763 Blog Entries: 5 Reputation: 1390 Power: 169	Re: dns issues? I think it very likely IS a clientside issue - as someone who uses VPN at least five times a week in exactly the manner described for my livelihood I have come acorss this myself. Firstly I assume domain name propagation is simply a non-issue here? Then secondly I would advise all clients (hope it is not too many, and that they know how to do this readily!) to add your DNS server to the mix. Then post back if any problem remains.... Fact is there have been a few other issues in this arena - one other thing to make mandatory is that they are all SP2, but I am taking that as a given. hosted by Lord

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #8
fimchick OSNN Senior Addict Joined: March 2004 Location: Somewhere Posts: 276 Reputation: 220 Power: 104	Re: dns issues? Originally Posted by Mainframeguy I think it very likely IS a clientside issue - as someone who uses VPN at least five times a week in exactly the manner described for my livelihood I have come acorss this myself. Firstly I assume domain name propagation is simply a non-issue here? Then secondly I would advise all clients (hope it is not too many, and that they know how to do this readily!) to add your DNS server to the mix. Then post back if any problem remains.... Fact is there have been a few other issues in this arena - one other thing to make mandatory is that they are all SP2, but I am taking that as a given. You are correct, they are all running SP2. What do you mean by "adding the DNS server to the mix"? The problem with doing nothing all day, is that you never really know when you're done. Athlon 64 3200+ Asus A8V Deluxe 2gb Corsair ValueSelect Dual Channel DDR 3200 Ati x800XL 256mb Hdd #1 (SATA 100gb) Hdd #2 (ATA 80gb) Check out http://www.resistometer.com

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #9
Mainframeguy Debiant by way of Ubuntu Joined: August 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,763 Blog Entries: 5 Reputation: 1390 Power: 169	Re: dns issues? OK I shall assume you know exactly where my shorthand takes you - VPN connection --> Properties --> TCP/IP ---> Advanced ---> Add other DNS server. This to be done for all clients - adding YOUR DNS servers IP address. hope that all makes sense, I expect it will, since you seem to know what I am talking about... hosted by Lord

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #10
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 305	Re: dns issues? MFG, that is more what I had inquired to pre-configure and deploy VPN client configurations. Otherwise, if your tip corrects it, it will have to be done manually on each client laptop. XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

February 15th, 2006	Top \| #11
fimchick OSNN Senior Addict Joined: March 2004 Location: Somewhere Posts: 276 Reputation: 220 Power: 104	Re: dns issues? Originally Posted by Mainframeguy OK I shall assume you know exactly where my shorthand takes you - VPN connection --> Properties --> TCP/IP ---> Advanced ---> Add other DNS server. This to be done for all clients - adding YOUR DNS servers IP address. hope that all makes sense, I expect it will, since you seem to know what I am talking about... Roger dodger! I gotcha now. I'll check and post back here! Thanks guys! The problem with doing nothing all day, is that you never really know when you're done. Athlon 64 3200+ Asus A8V Deluxe 2gb Corsair ValueSelect Dual Channel DDR 3200 Ati x800XL 256mb Hdd #1 (SATA 100gb) Hdd #2 (ATA 80gb) Check out http://www.resistometer.com

February 18th, 2006	Top \| #12
Mainframeguy Debiant by way of Ubuntu Joined: August 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 3,763 Blog Entries: 5 Reputation: 1390 Power: 169	Re: dns issues? /me awaits post back.... All sorted now? When there is no postback I tend to assume that, but it ain't necessarily so..... hosted by Lord

February 18th, 2006	Top \| #13
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 305	Re: dns issues? Yeah I'm curious too, what happened ? XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief

February 18th, 2006	Top \| #14
LordOfLA Godlike! Joined: February 2004 Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK Posts: 7,031 Blog Entries: 5 Reputation: 4137 Power: 213	Re: dns issues? the cat's down to 6 lives now If HK-47 and GLaDOS had a child, the character they create would cause the video game world to overdose on awesome. -sheridanmovieguy: Dragon age forum user.

February 18th, 2006	Top \| #15
fimchick OSNN Senior Addict Joined: March 2004 Location: Somewhere Posts: 276 Reputation: 220 Power: 104	Re: dns issues? Hehehe, I try not to forget posting back the results I've tested this on my machine and it seems to be working, but trying to get in touch with the other users can be a pain in the a$$ (they're remote and once you just give them the server ip and they can hit the server, they're no longer as willing to help and try to work out the issues. you know how that goes...). Will post an update soon (hopefully) The problem with doing nothing all day, is that you never really know when you're done. Athlon 64 3200+ Asus A8V Deluxe 2gb Corsair ValueSelect Dual Channel DDR 3200 Ati x800XL 256mb Hdd #1 (SATA 100gb) Hdd #2 (ATA 80gb) Check out http://www.resistometer.com

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February 18th, 2006	Top \| #16
kcnychief █▄█ ▀█▄ █ Joined: April 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 16,949 Reputation: 4941 Power: 305	Re: dns issues? What fixes did you implement on your test machine? XBOX Live Gamertag: kcnychief