[TriLUG] DNS lookup of Linux server fails intermittently (was: (no subject))

[Geoffrey Douglas Purdy]

Apologies for omitting the subject on the original post.  It's been a
*long* day.

Kevin,

Thanks for the tips.  One of many theories we had discussed was a
competing DNS server or rogue DHCP server.  If nothing else, I can go into
the weekend fairly certain that this isn't my fault.  Unfortunately, this
is our first foray into a major project running on Linux / Apache instead
of Win / IIS.  Hence, I feel a need to do all I can to get things running
smoothly so that management doesn't associate Linux with 'weird problems'
and develop an aversion to future deployments on Linux.

Thanks a bunch.

Geoff

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Kevin Hunter [mailto:khunter at rhoworld.com]
> > Sent: Friday, November 30, 2001 5:43 PM
> > To: trilug at trilug.org
> > Subject: Re: [TriLUG] (no subject)
> >
> >
> >
> > I have this exact same problem at my office!!!  I'm sorry that I have
> > no solution for you but I can tell you how it was explained to me.
> > The problem is Windows 2000 and DNS.  I have an internal DNS domain
> > that is defined only by one DNS server ( one that's internal to my
> > LAN ).  However all my DHCP leases give clients several name servers,
> > but only the first one knows about my internal domain.
> >
> > What we think is happening is that win2k clients are randomly picking
> > which DNS server to ask to resolve internal DNS names.  Of course
> > when they hit the 2nd or 3rd name server, it doesn't know.  It's some
> > kind of round robin poling or something like that.  We don't know why
> > it's happening.  My win9x and NT4 clients don't do this.  When you
> > renew the lease, the client starts from the first name server again.
> >
> > This is not a linux problem, b/c my name server is FreeBSD 4.2.  This
> > is a MicroSlop, MicroCrap, Bill Gates pain in the butt problem.
> >
> > If anyone can show me how to force win2k to behave, I would be
> > forever in their debt.  It's b/c a huge nuisance at my office.
> >
> > KH
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TriLUG mailing list
> > http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Geoffrey Douglas Purdy [mailto:gdpurdy at unity.ncsu.edu]
> > > Sent: Friday, November 30, 2001 5:33 PM
> > > To: trilug at trilug.org
> > > Subject: [TriLUG] (no subject)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I've been pulling my hair out over a problem for the last two days
> > > and I'd love some suggestions.  If nothing else, I'd like
> > > some reassurance
> > > that my Linux server configuration isn't the source of this problem.
> > >
> > > The problem is as follows.  I've set up a Red Hat Linux 7.1
> > > server running
> > > Apache 1.3.22 to serve a website for a private network.  Apache
> > > is running fine -  I can hit the website all day by IP
> > address without
> > > any problem.  The trouble is that when W2K clients running
> > IE6 try to
> > > access the server by its fully qualified domain name (i.e.
> > > http://myserver.mydomain.com) the clients will intermittently get a
> > > "Cannot find server or DNS error" message.  However, client
> > > browser can still
> > > access the site by IP address and the client can ping
> > > myserver.mydomain.com
> > > successfully.  However, the client browser just can't access
> > > the site by
> > > the fully qualified name.  If the W2K client is instructed to
> > > reload it's
> > > DHCP information (some command our Windows sys admin issued
> > > that I can't
> > > remember), the client browser can then access the Linux
> > > webserver by fully
> > > qualified domain name without a problem.
> > >
> > > I thought I had found the problem when I looked in the Network
> > > Configuration -> Names tab on the Linux server and saw the
> > following:
> > >
> > > Hostname: myserver
> > > Domain: mydomain.com
> > > Search for hostnames...:
> > > Nameservers:
> > > <internal DNS server IP here>
> > > <external DNS server IP here>
> > >
> > >
> > > I changed the above to:
> > >
> > > Hostname: myserver.mydomain.com
> > > Domain: mydomain.com
> > > Search for hostnames...:
> > > Nameservers:
> > > <internal DNS server IP here>
> > > <external DNS server IP here>
> > >
> > >
> > > In the Network Configuration -> Hosts tab I left things alone as:
> > >
> > > IP                  Name                   Nicknames
> > > 127.0.0.1           localhost.localdomain  localhost
> > > <IP address here>   myserver.mydomain.com  myserver
> > >
> > >
> > > After making these changes, I restarted the Linux box.
> > >
> > >
> > > I realize that there are many layers that could be the
> > source of this
> > > problem.  The DNS servers and clients are all W2K and are
> > administered
> > > by our Windows sys admin so I know little about such things.
> > > I'd like to
> > > focus on the potential for mis-configuration on the Linux server.
> > >
> > > What are the chances that my Linux server is at fault here?
> > > Does my Network Configuration look reasonable?
> > > Do I need to revisit my apache httpd.conf file?
> > > Any other suggestions where to look?
> > >
> > > Apologies for the verbose message.  Any help will be greatly
> > > appreciated.
> > >
> > > Geoff
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > TriLUG mailing list
> > > http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug
> > >
> >
>