Topic: Blocked URL's.

[Yamamotosama]

Can anyone tell me why some websites like www.neomin.org are blocked?  I have to manually input the website's IP address.  This will work but can anyone tell me why neomin.org is being blocked?  Anyone advice me on what to do?

[Nathan Fowler]

It possibly isn't blocked, it could be DNS failure on your end.

[Yamamotosama]

So how does one go about resolving this?  How do I tell my e-smith server that this domain name goes to this IP address?  What will I have to install?  I just need to know where to get it and I can do it by myself.  Please help, did I mention... it is for work as well.

[Yamamotosama]

So how does one go about resolving this?  How do I tell my e-smith server that this domain name goes to this IP address?  What will I have to install?  I just need to know where to get it and I can do it by myself.  Please help, did I mention... it is for work as well.

[Charlie Brady]

Nathan Fowler wrote:

> It possibly isn't blocked, it could be DNS failure on your end.

Or, more likely IMO, at their end.

Charlie

[Nathan Fowler]

Charlie is right, chances are it's a DNS issue on either their end (more likely) or your end.  E-Smith isn't blocking this site, it's directly related to DNS.  I didn't have problems doing a nslookup on the site, this could be a "one-time" problem.  If the problem persists let me know and we'll try to work through it.

Hope this helped,
Nathan

[Yamamotosama]

Which is most interesting Charlie, I have implemented e-smith servers in two different districts and I well, needless to say, I run at home as well.  However, at every network supported by an SME server, accessing NEOMIN via it's domain name is a problem.  So I was also thinking that it might be further up the trunk.  Somewhere the DNS is becoming lost, be it at Road Runner, Adelphia, or even higher up.

Then a Road Runner tech came in to one of my buildings, unbeknownst to me, and showed the resource teacher (individual in charge of technology) that it was indeed my servers and not their fault.  He took the server off the cable modem and hooked a terminal directly to the modem.  And he was able to access NEOMIN using its domain name.

Okay how about this, I thought through this hard.  How about getting into the DNS portion of E-smith, named, and telling E-smith that this domain name belongs to this IP address.  How does that sound guys or girls?  Or is there something else that I need to slap onto e-smith?

[Nathan Fowler]

You could always modify /etc/resolv.conf (I know it's templated but for troubleshooting purposes it's not necessary to custom template at this point) and add "nameserver WWW.XXX.YYY.ZZZ" where WWW.XXX.YYY.ZZZ is the IP address of your cable modem's primary nameserver.  See if that fixes your problem.

Hope this helped,
Nathan

[Yamamotosama]

Yes, you are right Nathan, I never thought of that.  There was no problem with nslookup, strange though huh????  A major educational ISP providor has such a securty breach that I could just rummage through their internal network information.  Oh boy, someone's gonna get hurt.

Anyways, thanks Charles and Nathan for the wealth of information.  I will try everything and report back on what happened.

[Yamamotosama]

I just IM'ed (via exodus man, this stuff great) a bunch of my friends and they are running E-smith ver 5.5 and THEY CAN ACCESS neomin.org.  I know, I know....... I will up date mine as well.... just too busy man.... but what in god's name was updated in the DNS portion of e-smith ver 5.1.2 versus 5.5 that could be causing these problems?  I want to know what was changed underneath my baby's hood.

[Nathan Fowler]

I think you're confusing DNS with E-Smith software....5.5/5.1.2/4.1.2 shouldn't have anything to do with DNS resolution of external hosts (Charlie correct me if I am wrong).

Nathan.

[Dan Brown]

Earlier this evening, neomin.org wouldn't resolve on my SME 5.1.2 machine.  Now, it does.  My installation is stock in that regard, and I haven't specified any particular nameserver.  Try nslookup (and dig) again?

[Nathan Fowler]

In http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=5546.msg19571#msg19571 I meant version differences affecting external resolution, not E-Smith itself (obviously).

[Nathan Fowler]

Probably the nameservers on k12.oh.us are screwing you over

DIG:
; <<>> DiG 8.3 <<>> neomin.org any
;; res options: init recurs defnam dnsrch
;; got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 4
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 2, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; QUERY SECTION:
;; neomin.org, type = ANY, class = IN

;; ANSWER SECTION:
neomin.org. 2D IN NS NS1.ESU.K12.OH.US.
neomin.org. 2D IN NS NS4.ESU.K12.OH.US.

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
neomin.org. 2D IN NS NS1.ESU.K12.OH.US.
neomin.org. 2D IN NS NS4.ESU.K12.OH.US.

;; Total query time: 137 msec
;; FROM: inet01 to SERVER: default -- 127.0.0.1
;; WHEN: Tue Sep 24 21:47:56 2002
;; MSG SIZE sent: 28 rcvd: 105

[Yamamotosama]

Interesting, interesting thoughts and advice gentlemen.