How does Google direct my IP to Australia?

[Bob]

I am using XO Communications as my ISP with an IP block of 67.106.x.x
Every time I browse to Google.com, I am directed to Google.com.au .
I am located in the United States. This presents the problem that
every time I search for something, all the advertisements are
Australian based. (Even if I select the "Go to Google.com" link at the
bottom of the page, the advertisements are still primarily Australian.)
I have no problem with that other than the increased shipping charges
to deliver a product to the U.S. from Australia.
I checked my DNS Servers, and I noticed that Google.com.au is cached.
I cleared the cache, and I was able to connect to Google.com only once,
then all subsequent requests to Google started delivering the
Australian link again.
I cleared the cookies on my PC and the Google Australia page returned
immediately. (I understand that once I select the "Go to Google.com"
link, it is cached on the local PC.)
I went one step beyond my internal DNS servers and hooked directly into
my XO communications router out to the internet and did not have any
problem getting to Google.com, so the guys at XO are convinced that the
problem is with my internal DNS.
Here is the strangest part: If I shut down my XO Communications link
and go through another ISP using my internal DNS, I have no problem
reaching Google.com.
The moment that I turn on the XO link, Google Australia returns.
The 67.106.x.x. block must be translated to another address on the XO
network, but XO is not sharing that information with me.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, particularly, I would like
to know how to convince the guys at XO communications that this is
related to the IP block they assigned to me. (Perhaps they purchased it
from an Australian ISP, so Google thinks it is coming out of
Australia?)
Thanks.

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

I am using XO Communications as my ISP with an IP block of 67.106.x.x
Every time I browse to Google.com, I am directed to Google.com.au .
I am located in the United States. This presents the problem that
every time I search for something, all the advertisements are
Australian based. (Even if I select the "Go to Google.com" link at
the bottom of the page, the advertisements are still primarily
Australian.) I have no problem with that other than the increased
shipping charges to deliver a product to the U.S. from Australia.
I checked my DNS Servers, and I noticed that Google.com.au is cached.
I cleared the cache, and I was able to connect to Google.com only
once, then all subsequent requests to Google started delivering the
Australian link again.
I cleared the cookies on my PC and the Google Australia page returned
immediately. (I understand that once I select the "Go to Google.com"
link, it is cached on the local PC.)
I went one step beyond my internal DNS servers and hooked directly
into my XO communications router out to the internet and did not have
any problem getting to Google.com, so the guys at XO are convinced
that the problem is with my internal DNS.
Here is the strangest part: If I shut down my XO Communications link
and go through another ISP using my internal DNS, I have no problem
reaching Google.com.
The moment that I turn on the XO link, Google Australia returns.
The 67.106.x.x. block must be translated to another address on the XO
network, but XO is not sharing that information with me.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, particularly, I would like
to know how to convince the guys at XO communications that this is
related to the IP block they assigned to me. (Perhaps they purchased
it from an Australian ISP, so Google thinks it is coming out of
Australia?)
Thanks.

I remember once that happened to a person at a customer of mine. He had some
proxy setting in IE that was some sort of anonymizer. He kept getting Google
Korea or something like that. I removed the proxy setting and the problem
went away.

I assume you have an AD environment and are only using your internal DNS.

If it's not an IE setting, then are you using only your internal DNS, and a
forwarder is configured? If so, what DNS are you forwarding to? Try
forwarding to 4.2.2.2, but I highly doubt a forwarder would cause this issue
and am leaning towards a proxy address.

--
Ace
Innovative IT Concepts, Inc (IITCI)
Willow Grove, PA

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees and
confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2003 & 2000, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSE+I, MCT, MVP
Microsoft MVP - Directory Services
Microsoft Certified Trainer

Having difficulty reading or finding responses to your post?
Instead of the website you're using, I suggest to use OEx (Outlook Express
or any other newsreader), and configure a news account, pointing to
news.microsoft.com. This is a direct link to the Microsoft Public
Newsgroups. It is FREE and requires NO ISP's Usenet account. OEx allows you
to easily find, track threads, cross-post, sort by date, poster's name,
watched threads or subject.
It's easy:

How to Configure OEx for Internet News
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=171164

Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations
Assimilation Imminent. Resistance is Futile
"Very funny Scotty. Now, beam down my clothes."

The only constant in life is change...

 

[Bob]

In

I remember once that happened to a person at a customer of mine. He had some
proxy setting in IE that was some sort of anonymizer. He kept getting Google
Korea or something like that. I removed the proxy setting and the problem
went away.

I assume you have an AD environment and are only using your internal DNS.

If it's not an IE setting, then are you using only your internal DNS, and a
forwarder is configured? If so, what DNS are you forwarding to? Try
forwarding to 4.2.2.2, but I highly doubt a forwarder would cause this issue
and am leaning towards a proxy address.

--
Ace
Innovative IT Concepts, Inc (IITCI)
Willow Grove, PA

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees and
confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2003 & 2000, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSE+I, MCT, MVP
Microsoft MVP - Directory Services
Microsoft Certified Trainer

Having difficulty reading or finding responses to your post?
Instead of the website you're using, I suggest to use OEx (Outlook Express
or any other newsreader), and configure a news account, pointing to
news.microsoft.com. This is a direct link to the Microsoft Public
Newsgroups. It is FREE and requires NO ISP's Usenet account. OEx allows you
to easily find, track threads, cross-post, sort by date, poster's name,
watched threads or subject.
It's easy:

How to Configure OEx for Internet News
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=171164

Infinite Diversities in Infinite Combinations
Assimilation Imminent. Resistance is Futile
"Very funny Scotty. Now, beam down my clothes."

The only constant in life is change...

Thanks. I am not using any proxy settings in IE.
I am in a full AD environment.
My internal DNS points to XO communications' resolvers at 65.106.1.196
65.106.7.196
The real oddity here is that the problem goes away if I disconnect my
XO line without making any other changes to my network (I failover to
my other ISP).
Thanks again.

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Thanks. I am not using any proxy settings in IE.
I am in a full AD environment.
My internal DNS points to XO communications' resolvers at 65.106.1.196
65.106.7.196
The real oddity here is that the problem goes away if I disconnect my
XO line without making any other changes to my network (I failover to
my other ISP).
Thanks again.

I assume by saying that your "internal DNS points to..." means they are your
forwarders and not configured in any machines' IP properties.

Remove those forwarders, and try only 4.2.2.2.

The reason it works when you disconnect XO is because it can't use the
forwarders (assuming that's what you meant above), therefore it uses the
Roots.

Ace

 

[Bob]

In

I assume by saying that your "internal DNS points to..." means they are your
forwarders and not configured in any machines' IP properties.

Remove those forwarders, and try only 4.2.2.2.

The reason it works when you disconnect XO is because it can't use the
forwarders (assuming that's what you meant above), therefore it uses the
Roots.

Ace

Ace:

Thanks again for the response.
First, my apologies for getting the DNS syntax all confused. I
appreciate your patience.
Yes, I meant the forwarders. All of my local machines are configured
to point to my internal DNS servers.
I have found some more information about this topic in other areas
(groups and general internet pages). It seems that it is not
necessarily a DNS problem on my end, and my initial suspicion that
Google is controlling which site they send a particular block to is
correct.
I wrote to Google support, and they have apologized for the
inconvenience and they say that they will address the problem in a few
weeks. (I wonder if they were being funny with the use of the word
"address".) In any case, I will take their response as a tacit
admission that they are well aware of the problem that I am having, and
perhaps they are addressing similar problems of others.
I am a bit surprised that the people at the XO communications NOC not
only cannot explain why this is happening, but they aren't the
slightest bit aware of the possibility of how it is happening. When
they tell me to plug directly into their router and the problem goes
away, they seem to forget that they issued me a set of public IP
addresses that are being translated at the XO end. I would like to
think that they could replicate the problem by using one of my IP
addresses in a test environment rather than shrugging it off because
their router doesn't display the problem. They should take a bit more
responsibility beyond the DeMarc.
Oh well, at least I am fortunate to have a failover line with another
ISP that gets to Google.com with no problem.
Thanks again for all your assistance in helping me to sort this out and
get closer to a resolution.
Respectfully,
-Bob