Finding out why DNS stops responding?

[Steve Grosz]

I have DNS running on a W2k box, that is also running IIS. It seems that at
least once a day, DNS stops responding to requests from the internet (coming
in our our DSL line). For example, in the morning I can do a tracert from a
remote location and it finds my web servers just fine. In the afternoon,
tracert says it can't find the host.
I'm not seeing anything in the event logs, but this is getting a little
frustrating.

Can anyone please help????
Thank you!
Steve

 

[Gary Fose [MSFT]]

Hi Steve,

Please clarify what you mean. Can you access your web site via URL at anytime? Tracert is
jusy going to do a DNS lookup for the IP of the URL and then trace that. So if what you are
saying is correct, then you cannot access your web site? Nslookup fails? Ping to the URL
fails?

Would like some more info. And then when it does fail, how do you fix it? Does it recover on it's
own?

Thanks,
Gary
--------------------
'--'From: "Steve Grosz" <[email protected]>
'--'Subject: Finding out why DNS stops responding?
'--'Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 15:20:36 -0700
'--'Lines: 13
'--'X-Priority: 3
'--'X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
'--'X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158
'--'X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165
'--'Message-ID: <[email protected]>
'--'Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win2000.dns
'--'NNTP-Posting-Host: 209-161-4-78.boi.fiberpipe.net 209.161.4.78
'--'Path: cpmsftngxa07.phx.gbl!cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl!TK2MSFTNGXA05.phx.gbl!
TK2MSFTNGP08.phx.gbl!tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl
'--'Xref: cpmsftngxa07.phx.gbl microsoft.public.win2000.dns:34989
'--'X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.win2000.dns
'--'
'--'I have DNS running on a W2k box, that is also running IIS. It seems that at
'--'least once a day, DNS stops responding to requests from the internet (coming
'--'in our our DSL line). For example, in the morning I can do a tracert from a
'--'remote location and it finds my web servers just fine. In the afternoon,
'--'tracert says it can't find the host.
'--'I'm not seeing anything in the event logs, but this is getting a little
'--'frustrating.
'--'
'--'Can anyone please help????
'--'Thank you!
'--'Steve
'--'
'--'
'--'


--

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. Use of included
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directed to the newsgroup/thread from which they originated.

 

[Steve Grosz]

When this seems to happen, I cannot access any of the
websites that I am hosting. I am unable to log into a
email server running on the same machine. Ping shouldn't
respond as there is a firewall on that machine. I will
have to look into the NSLOOKUP, can't do it from work,
its not working. You can try if you'd like, the domain
is computicle.com

When this happens, it doesn't recover on its own, I have
to restart the server.

Steve

-----Original Message-----
Hi Steve,

Please clarify what you mean. Can you access your web

site via URL at anytime? Tracert is

jusy going to do a DNS lookup for the IP of the URL and

then trace that. So if what you are

saying is correct, then you cannot access your web site?

Nslookup fails? Ping to the URL

fails?

Would like some more info. And then when it does fail,

how do you fix it? Does it recover on it's

own?

Thanks,
Gary
--------------------
'--'From: "Steve Grosz" <sgrosz@communications- consultant.com>
'--'Subject: Finding out why DNS stops responding?
'--'Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 15:20:36 -0700
'--'Lines: 13
'--'X-Priority: 3
'--'X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
'--'X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158
'--'X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165
'--'Message-ID: <[email protected]>
'--'Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win2000.dns
'--'NNTP-Posting-Host: 209-161-4-78.boi.fiberpipe.net 209.161.4.78
'--'Path: cpmsftngxa07.phx.gbl!cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl! TK2MSFTNGXA05.phx.gbl!
TK2MSFTNGP08.phx.gbl!tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl
'--'Xref: cpmsftngxa07.phx.gbl microsoft.public.win2000.dns:34989
'--'X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.win2000.dns
'--'
'--'I have DNS running on a W2k box, that is also running IIS. It seems that at
'--'least once a day, DNS stops responding to requests from the internet (coming
'--'in our our DSL line). For example, in the morning I can do a tracert from a
'--'remote location and it finds my web servers just fine. In the afternoon,
'--'tracert says it can't find the host.
'--'I'm not seeing anything in the event logs, but this is getting a little
'--'frustrating.
'--'
'--'Can anyone please help????
'--'Thank you!
'--'Steve
'--'
'--'
'--'

confers no rights. Use of included

script samples are subject to the terms specified at http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

Note: For the benefit of the community-at-large, all

responses to this message are best

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

When this seems to happen, I cannot access any of the
websites that I am hosting. I am unable to log into a
email server running on the same machine. Ping shouldn't
respond as there is a firewall on that machine. I will
have to look into the NSLOOKUP, can't do it from work,
its not working. You can try if you'd like, the domain
is computicle.com

When this happens, it doesn't recover on its own, I have
to restart the server.

Steve

Steve,
There's 4 nameservers for computicle.com

ns1.computicle.com internet address = 209.161.4.74
ns2.computicle.com internet address = 209.161.4.76
ns3.computicle.com internet address = 209.161.4.75
ns4.computicle.com internet address = 209.161.4.77

Are they all experiencing this problem or is it your AD's internal private
DNS server doing this?

Since you have ADSL, is the PPPoE (WinPOET) software installed on this
machine? That is known to cause issues. If not can you describe your network
topology and how you're connected?


--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies to the newsgroup so all can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory

 

[Steve Grosz]

Ace,

2 DNS addresses are on 1 server, and 2 on another. There
is no active directory. No PPPoA software installed.

Basically it goes from DSL to a switch, 1 connection goes
to server 1 doing DNS and IIS. 1 cable goes to 2nd
server doing DNS. 3rd cable goes to firewall/router.
Other computers are plugged into the firewall router
including a WAP.

Steve

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Ace,

2 DNS addresses are on 1 server, and 2 on another. There
is no active directory. No PPPoA software installed.

Basically it goes from DSL to a switch, 1 connection goes
to server 1 doing DNS and IIS. 1 cable goes to 2nd
server doing DNS. 3rd cable goes to firewall/router.
Other computers are plugged into the firewall router
including a WAP.

Steve

Thanks for elaborating a bit. But I'm still confused, your domain lists 4
nameservers, but you mention only 2. Is this happening on all 4 servers as I
asked previously?

If this happening on ns1, I would remove it from the SOA list thru your
registrar for the time being until we can resolve the issue and let one of
the other ones that are working take care of the zone for now.

I am assuming that all the updates and the lates SP is on the machine.

There is an article stating that if you have mutliple CNAMES for your site,
it may stop responding, but not sure if it applies to your situation. I saw
another article that states DNS stops forwarding if the PPP link goes down,
which MS never (from what I saw) figured out the problem. Other than making
sure DNS is listening on all interfaces, and as long as the interface
doesn;t go down, it will continue to respond. Here are the articles...so
otherwise, not sure what's happening here. Also assume that Secure Cache
against Pollution is enabled.

175436 - Microsoft NT4 DNS Stops Forwarding Queries After PPP Link Goes Down
{maybe applies to W2k too]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=175436

177883 - DNS Server Stops Using Round Robin for Host Name Resolution:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;177883




--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies to the newsgroup so all can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory

 

[Steve Grosz]

As far as I can tell, its only happening on NS1 & NS2. I created NS3 & 4
after I noticed that the 1st 2 stopped responding after a while.

As far as the updates go, yes, its W2k, with all the latest service packs.

I am not using Cnames at all at this point.

I will take a look at the articles you sent, as far as I know, the link
hasn't gone down.

Steve

Steve

Thanks for elaborating a bit. But I'm still confused, your domain lists 4
nameservers, but you mention only 2. Is this happening on all 4 servers as I
asked previously?

If this happening on ns1, I would remove it from the SOA list thru your
registrar for the time being until we can resolve the issue and let one of
the other ones that are working take care of the zone for now.

I am assuming that all the updates and the lates SP is on the machine.

There is an article stating that if you have mutliple CNAMES for your site,
it may stop responding, but not sure if it applies to your situation. I saw
another article that states DNS stops forwarding if the PPP link goes down,
which MS never (from what I saw) figured out the problem. Other than making
sure DNS is listening on all interfaces, and as long as the interface
doesn;t go down, it will continue to respond. Here are the articles...so
otherwise, not sure what's happening here. Also assume that Secure Cache
against Pollution is enabled.

175436 - Microsoft NT4 DNS Stops Forwarding Queries After PPP Link Goes Down
{maybe applies to W2k too]:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=175436

177883 - DNS Server Stops Using Round Robin for Host Name Resolution:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;177883




--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies to the newsgroup so all can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory