DNS Server issues

F

Fading Phoenix

Gawd
Joined
Sep 14, 2006
Messages
602
I had posted about this problem in the Router Recommendations Thread after buying a new WNDR3700 recommended to me. In my final post in that thread I said I thought it had resolved itself, but apparently it hasn't.

I'm loving the router, or would be if I could solve one repeating issue. Sporadically and seemingly without any cause my internet will stop working. Diagnostic will always report it as "DNS Server is not responding." I've also discovered that if I enter my router settings and even just switch the DNS settings from Auto to manual or vice versa the problem corrects itself instantly-then next time it happens I just need to do it again.

I've already tried resetting my entire network and rebuilding the recommended way. Modem, Router, then computers-connecting each only after the prior has finished initializing. Hasn't helped though.

Currently I have my main rig connected directly to the modem to try and find out if I experience the problem at all this way, this is a pain in the ass though, and I don't know when long enough is long enough as the issue is completely random and simply just may not happen.

I haven't contacted Netgear support or my ISP yet. I thought I would start a thread on here first and see what any of the network gurus thought of this issue.


-Edit
I forgot to mention, about a day or two after I first got the router, my interwebs went down the shitter. Speedtest at the time was giving me an average of 1-2Mbps with only ever a (very rare) max of 10Mbps, but never anywhere near my normal 20Mb; and my ping was spiking anywhere between 100ms to 800ms. This wasn't just speedtest either as someone had suggested, cause I had only checked my speed through there after my internet had become so painful to use. This lasted for a couple days at least and then resolved itself and I haven't had any issues with it since, but the DNS issues remained. I can't recall however if my DNS Server issue had existed before my other internet woes or if it only started occuring after everything else got screwed up.





Windows 7
WNDR3700 v.2 with 1.0.0.8 firmware

I wanted to save space but didn't know how to post my IPconfig in a scrollbox so I posted in as a spoiler.

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Kismet
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8168D/8111D Family PCI-E Gigab
it Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::8531:ff16:221d:227d%10(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.2(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, May 04, 2011 1:14:13 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Thursday, May 05, 2011 1:14:13 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 236744549
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-14-C2-B1-B4-1C-6F-65-93-32-FA

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{90036642-7742-4D25-9BF2-212241D78DEC}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:1040:ca2:b3a3:b8de(Prefe
rred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::1040:ca2:b3a3:b8de%12(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.ma.rr.com:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter 6TO4 Adapter:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
 
Last edited:
Go to cmd then enter
Ipconfig /all

copy and paste it here.
Just make xxx over your mac addy
 
You can have the router be your DNS server..and hand out its own LAN IP address for DNS..and it will do DNS forwarding. Example..an ipconfig from a client shows 192.168.1.1 for DNS.

Or you can do DNS over ride and have DHCP from the router hand out some public DNS servers, such as OpenDNS or ComodoDNS or NortonDNS, (safer surfing DNS services)...or your ISPs DNS servers.
 
I've got that router, what firmware version have you got loaded? I've got open DNS addys hard coded w/ WAN IP set to DHCP any haven't had any problems.
 
Spooony said:
Go to cmd then enter
Ipconfig /all

copy and paste it here.
Just make xxx over your mac addy
Click to expand...

Added to the OP. Anything listed is while connected to the router though. I dont' know if it would make any difference if I was connected only to the modem, so let me know if that's how I should have done it.

timberdoodle said:
What if you configure a manual dns? Either your ISPs or 8.8.8.8 or 4.2.2.2
Click to expand...

So far I've tried the default manual IP addresses in the router and I believe I may have tried the 4.2.2.2. I forget if that was exactly it, but it had been recommended when I was looking into the issue. The 4.2.2.2 (or whatever address I tried) resulted in very slow load times so I did not keep it on long.

As I said before though, if I switch it to a manual dns it will correct the issue if I'm currently experiencing the problem, but so far it has always repeated itself eventually.

I just set my router up tonight to use OpenDNS addresses mentioned in Stonecat's Post. I had to connect everything back up to the router for now so we'll see how it works. This weekend if nothing seems to be showing any progress I'll try connecting my pc directly to the modem again.


Ehren8879 said:
I've got that router, what firmware version have you got loaded? I've got open DNS addys hard coded w/ WAN IP set to DHCP any haven't had any problems.
Click to expand...

Mines a v.2 with the latest firmware 1.0.0.8
 
Well...the router should be using OpenDNS. I manually added the addresses and selected the "Use these DNS Servers"

Ipconfig is still listing my DNS server as my router IP though - 192.168.1.1

Should it still be listing that? or is something not correct if I'm trying to manually change my DNS server?
 
Fading Phoenix said:
Well...the router should be using OpenDNS. I manually added the addresses and selected the "Use these DNS Servers"

Ipconfig is still listing my DNS server as my router IP though - 192.168.1.1

Should it still be listing that? or is something not correct if I'm trying to manually change my DNS server?
Click to expand...

Doing that setup such as you have, sets the routers internal DNS service to use OpenDNS..but the routers DHCP service for the LAN will default to handing out its LAN IP for local DNS. This allows you local browsing of your LAN by netbios. But you can override the DHCP service and have it hand out DNS servers that you specify....by customizing DHCP. However, if you do this, you bypass the local DNS tables so you can't resolve other LAN resources by name, you'll have to use IP.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Doing that setup such as you have, sets the routers internal DNS service to use OpenDNS..but the routers DHCP service for the LAN will default to handing out its LAN IP for local DNS. This allows you local browsing of your LAN by netbios. But you can override the DHCP service and have it hand out DNS servers that you specify....by customizing DHCP. However, if you do this, you bypass the local DNS tables so you can't resolve other LAN resources by name, you'll have to use IP.
Click to expand...


Okay, that's sort of what I had surmised from your original post and my own attempts at filling in the blanks (i.e. guessing). Is there any benefit or reason to override the DHCP?


So far the problem hasn't occured since I started this thread-which just makes me feel silly. I really think it's just fucking with me though. Last time when I started posting in the router recommendation thread about it it stopped giving me troubles for a couple days, which is the longest it had gone at the time without any troubles. Then as soon as I dropped all thought of it, bam! Typically though it happens at minimum once a night. Most often it had been happening repeatedly, and I don't get much of a chance to use the internet myself lately.

Before I forget this time I just wanted to say thank for all responses so far. I got feedback faster than I was expecting when I first posted. Much appreciated. :)
 
Fading Phoenix said:
Okay, that's sort of what I had surmised from your original post and my own attempts at filling in the blanks (i.e. guessing). Is there any benefit or reason to override the DHCP?
Click to expand...

Well...the answer kind of depends.

Not all routers handle DNS the same. And this can even vary...on the same router, but across different firmware versions. Had to keep things simple right? LOL.

Some will run their own internal DNS service...and they'll store info on your LAN, so workstation can resolve each other on your network..and getting workstations on your network to see each other is easy with this setup....because your workstations use DNS to lookup names first, and the router will store those names. If it's giving out its LAN IP for DNS. A disadvantage to this though, a low powered router that's under heavier loads...may respond slowly to DNS requests..making browsing and resolving slow. Some just DNS relay...they stand in between..sort of adding 1 hop for your workstations DNS requests.

However, some routers will simply pass along the DNS servers that they're handed on their WAN interface, to DHCP clients on the LAN side. Such as your ISPs DNS servers, or...if you manually plugged in OpenDNS servers. So clients will have those public IP addresses for their DNS..making requests goes directly out to those servers. Adds some length to that first hop..but sometimes it's still quicker than a bogged down router. Disadvantage to this setup....if you're setting up a LAN...clients won't find each other based on DNS requests...since they're be asking those public DNS servers..which naturally won't know your workstation names and IPs. So building your LAN and having name resolution becomes a step harder as you have to use netbios over IP now and deal with master browser stuff.
 
Sorry about the delayed response.

Regarding your last reply Stonecat...it's hard to tell if I'm more confused...I think I've just gotten used to feeling this way :p. But, sounds like it wouldn't be worth the hassle for me to consider customizing DHCP as you put it earlier to bypass the routers dns handling entirely. I think it would be more convenient for me to get it working with one of the more standard methods.


My results over the last week.

I was running with DNS servers set manually in the netgear firmware to use OpenDNS since the 4th and didn't run into a single issue all week. On the 11th when I got home from work I tried switching the router back to automatic dns handling and I didn't even make it through an hour without it taking a crap on me. Switched it back to OpenDNS again and no issues.

:confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top