Re: Ongoing AT&T Proxy server problems? in AT&T Midwest

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:47:10 EDT

sparky672 : Is there a good place where I can get a FAQ, Tutorial, DNS Server Setup for Dummies, etc?

My Google searches got quite discouraging.

I have Mac OS Server X.4.11 but I'm confident I can figure it out as long as I can see some generic settings.

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:28:10 EDT

ddeisz : I set mine up on W2K3 and as with the UNIX server nwrickert talked about, only the lookups that are made are cached.

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:02:07 EDT

sparky672 : Thanks!

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:53:59 EDT

nwrickert : Oops. Should have added that it only caches what it needs for the lookups that are actually made.

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:53:14 EDT

nwrickert : In the case of the bind software, the cache is in memory (or paged to virtual memory paging file). On a unix server I manage, the DNS server is currently using around 20M of memory. That's after running for 40 days. It doesn't build up much beyond that (based on experience).
--
AT&T dsl; Westell 327w modem/router; SuSE 10.1; firefox 2.0.0.14

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:39:29 EDT

sparky672 :

said by nwrickert :

For example, where do you get the data for your DNS lookup table? That must be one huge file.

It's actually a tiny file (the root cache, a list of root servers). Your DNS will contact other servers as needed, and quickly build up its own cache.

That matches my rough idea of how it worked but then the cache file must be huge, no? Or it only caches the sites you've visited?

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:37:08 EDT

nwrickert :

For example, where do you get the data for your DNS lookup table? That must be one huge file.

It's actually a tiny file (the root cache, a list of root servers). Your DNS will contact other servers as needed, and quickly build up its own cache.
--
AT&T dsl; Westell 327w modem/router; SuSE 10.1; firefox 2.0.0.14

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:19:41 EDT

sparky672 :

said by ddeisz :

Here is one of the representative ns_bench results from my home. 192.168.33.15 is my own DNS server.

I'm using OpenDNS myself and didn't realize how slow it was compared to others... I always thought it was supposed to be faster.

Could you point me to a good place where I can learn how to setup my own DNS server? I'm running a dedicated server on my LAN so I'm sure I already have the capability but just need a little more know-how.

For example, where do you get the data for your DNS lookup table? That must be one huge file.

Thank-you!

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Sat, 03 May 2008 19:32:43 EDT

NormanS :

said by SomeFool :

I could successfully ping 4.2.2.2 but 4.2.2.1 timed out.

I'd rely on 'ns_bench' more than ping.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:13:26 EDT

SomeFool : Yes, I was using DNS servers 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2 manually set in my router.

I could successfully ping 4.2.2.2 but 4.2.2.1 timed out.

Right now my DNS servers are automatically selected in the router. I can ping both 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2 successfully.

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Sat, 03 May 2008 15:57:16 EDT

NormanS :

said by SomeFool :

For most of this morning my system found no DNS... again.

I was using pri 4.2.2.1 and sec 4.2.2.2. A ping to 4.2.2.1 timed out, while 4.2.2.2 had normal 13 to 17 msec. response times. I set the router back to automatically acquire a DNS, and it works... but for how long?

This is easy enough to fix when it happens, but still a pita. Like AT&T gave the Slowski's tool belts and turned them loose at DNS central?

I am not aware of anything that AT&T is doing that would cause problems when using the Level 3 DNS servers. Or did I misunderstand what you are saying?

If you had set the DNS servers to the Level 3 IP addresses, and then had a DNS failure, something else is going on than an AT&T DNS problem.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Sat, 03 May 2008 15:48:37 EDT

SomeFool : For most of this morning my system found no DNS... again.

I was using pri 4.2.2.1 and sec 4.2.2.2. A ping to 4.2.2.1 timed out, while 4.2.2.2 had normal 13 to 17 msec. response times. I set the router back to automatically acquire a DNS, and it works... but for how long?

This is easy enough to fix when it happens, but still a pita. Like AT&T gave the Slowski's tool belts and turned them loose at DNS central?

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:37:04 EDT

NormanS : Thank you. I notice that OpenDNS it at 40 ms, or so. Looks like they haven't brought their Midwest servers online, yet.

The secondary ATTIS DNS server failed; first time I've seen that in an 'ns_bench' result (ATTIS DNS failure). Certainly looks like trouble. I wonder why only in AT&T Midwest?
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 01 May 2008 09:02:26 EDT

ddeisz : Here is one of the representative ns_bench results from my home. 192.168.33.15 is my own DNS server.

Nameserver Response Time (ms)
min/avg/max/stdev/retries

4.2.2.1 14.15/14.47/14.70/0.23/0
4.2.2.2 13.85/14.24/14.72/0.32/0
68.94.156.1 15.65/inf/570.86/nan/5
68.94.157.1 failed
208.67.220.220 40.17/40.35/40.48/0.11/0
208.67.222.222 39.64/40.00/40.77/0.41/0
192.168.33.15 2.07/2.30/2.65/0.22/0

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 01 May 2008 08:02:16 EDT

parkut : from dsl.sfldmi.sbcglobal.net


Nameserver              Response Time (ms)
                        min/avg/max/stdev/retries
 
68.94.156.1             15.67/17.11/21.63/2.27/0
68.94.157.1             15.18/16.06/16.65/0.58/0
 
4.2.2.1                 22.45/22.96/23.41/0.32/0
4.2.2.2                 22.39/24.44/29.25/2.46/0
 
208.67.220.220          40.49/40.82/41.06/0.19/0
208.67.222.222          40.03/41.74/45.48/1.94/0

--
Hello, my name is Bill and I'm a crunchaholic...

Proud to be the current host of Crunchenstein #1, #3, #5, and Foldy #3

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Thu, 01 May 2008 03:37:20 EDT

NormanS :

said by quaker23 :

i use opendns servers there fast and updates get put in place very quickly.
sbc dns servers have like a 30 sec delay on them and i cant have that or sometimes they cant resolve any hosts at all

OpenDNS is not quite as good as the ATTIS DNS servers, as tested from San José, California; but slightly better than the Level 3 DNS servers.

So far, the only person to post any successful 'ns_bench' results has been a fellow AT&T Westerner. I am curious about the results from an AT&T Midwesterner.

--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:56:11 EDT

quaker23 : i use opendns servers there fast and updates get put in place very quickly.
sbc dns servers have like a 30 sec delay on them and i cant have that or sometimes they cant resolve any hosts at all

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:27:19 EDT

deblin :

said by koma3504 :

Well zone alarm ask permission and i give it.

I'm not familiar with zone alarm, but have you tried (temporarily) disabling it entirely? How do you "allow" ns_bench.exe to work? Do you specifically allow the binary, which allows all access, or do you specify a specific port/ports? If so, make sure you are allowing udp port 53, NOT tcp. Although the DNS protocol will fall back on tcp for large queries, the queries ns_bench is performing are going to use udp, not tcp.
--
Hello...is there anybody in there?

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:51:08 EDT

David : You guys still having problems with DNS? Post a tracert to the DNS and let's take a look.

Also the NS_bench is a good test too.

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:29:57 EDT

koma3504 : Well zone alarm ask permission and i give it.

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:11:22 EDT

d_l :

Nameserver              Response Time (ms)
                        min/avg/max/stdev/retries
 
4.2.2.1                 17.01/20.22/24.45/2.95/0
4.2.2.2                 16.34/17.98/22.49/2.28/0
66.218.44.5             17.01/20.33/24.50/3.33/0
66.218.44.90            18.04/20.90/25.09/3.21/0
66.51.206.100           25.78/27.18/31.74/2.29/0
66.51.205.100           64.88/82.86/144.06/30.70/0
208.67.222.222          16.49/18.70/21.68/2.18/0
208.67.220.220          16.65/17.80/21.43/1.83/0

»SBC DSL FAQ »How do I test DNS lookup latency with ns_bench?

Do you have a software firewall that is blocking adns operation?

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:30:52 EDT

koma3504 : Nameserver Response Time (ms)
min/avg/max/stdev/retries

151.164.1.8 failed
68.94.156.1 failed
151.164.30.105 failed
151.164.8.201 failed
208.67.222.222 failed
adns_init: Resource temporarily unavailable
yahoo.com failed

C:\ns_bench\win32>ns_bench.exe 208.67.222.222
Nameserver Response Time (ms)
min/avg/max/stdev/retries

208.67.222.222 failed

C:\ns_bench\win32>

all i get with this tool is this DSL has been really funny.
--
† Koma †
If YOu Don't Think It's Possable!! It's Acually A Reality!!The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay!!
Ya Don't Know The signal Till Ya Ride It!!
Voice Break's There's Trouble!!!!

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:32:44 EDT

NormanS : Just out of curiosity, you might want to check this thread:

»[Software] Beta testers wanted: ns_ bench :)

Grab the utility and compare the ATTIS DNS servers with the Level 3, and the OpenDNS servers. As I have stated, all three use "Anycast" technology. I don't know if OpenDNS has finally got there Midwest server farm up, or if you will be testing their East coast servers.

Not saying you should change back, just check the comparative performance.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:26:56 EDT

SomeFool :

said by schja01 :

Personally I use these:
4.2.2.2
4.2.2.1

After more slow DNS response this morning I switched. The response has been very good all day.

Re: Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 12:23:59 EDT

schja01 : A looooong time ago I scrapped AT&T's (and in my cast Comcast's too) DNS servers and hard code two Level3 servers. They are fast and reliable. I haven't looked back since changing them.

Personally I use these:

4.2.2.2
4.2.2.1

Re: Ongoing AT&T Proxy server problems?

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:53:56 EDT

NormanS :

said by SomeFool :

At present my DNS's are at 68.94.156.1 and 68.94.157.1

Those are the "Anycast" IP addresses; same as mine. Trace route varies by location because of the nature of the way that "Anycast" works. It is supposed to be an improvement. "Anycast" works very well for Level 3 (4.x.x.x) and OpenDNS. I've not seen a lot of problems reported with the ATTIS "Anycast" DNS servers in AT&T Northeast, AT&T Southwest, or AT&T West. I have had no trouble in the S.F. Bay Area (AT&T West). The most problems I have seen reported with ATTIS DNS service have been in AT&T Midwest.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum

Re: Ongoing AT&T Proxy server problems?

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:58:02 EDT

SomeFool : Ok thanks, then I'm not alone having these occasional DNS problems. It would be refreshing if the AT&T tech's would simply say -- Nevermind, the problem is ours, it's not on your end.

At present my DNS's are at 68.94.156.1 and 68.94.157.1

Re: Ongoing AT&T Proxy server problems?

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:02:30 EDT

NormanS :

said by SomeFool :

My questions are this. Who's in charge of the DNS servers? From a systems standpoint, is this AT&T stuff or Yahoo stuff? Help me understand how the parts of this system are supposed to work together.

Yahoo! is just a content provider. Provisioning, and transport are handled by AT&T Internet Services (ATTIS). Including DNS.

What DNS server IP addresses do you get when you obtain your IP address automatically? Just curious; I've seen some still pulling specific servers instead of the "Anycast" DNS servers. I thought the whole ATTIS system was moving to the "Anycast" servers.

For reasons I can't fathom, AT&T Midwest seems to have more troubles with DNS than the rest of the system.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum

Re: Ongoing AT&T Proxy server problems?

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:57:14 EDT

nwrickert : I occasionally have that problem with my laptop, but never with my desktop.

The difference:

On my desktop I run my own DNS servers when running linux. I have the AT&T DNS servers hard coded into my windows system (applicable when running Windows).

On my laptop, I use DHCP to get IP address and DNS servers.

Here is what I think is the problem, though I am not certain:

The modem/router acts as a DNS forwarder, and forwards the DNS requests to the AT&T DNS server. This normally works fine. However, the modem/router only forwards UDP requests for DNS. The trouble with the yahoo/ATT home page and mail servers, is that the DNS response is rather long. A long answer to a DNS udp query is sometimes truncated, and the client follows up with a tcp query. Since the modem/router does not handle tcp queries, this fall back to tcp never works.

Incidently, this DNS forwarding is a common practice in routers, not the 2Wire that you are using.
--
AT&T dsl; Westell 327w modem/router; SuSE 10.1; firefox 2.0.0.13

Ongoing AT&T DNS server problems?

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:19:36 EDT

SomeFool : I get my DSL service from AT&T through Chicago redback-12. Occasionally I can't connect to the net because my system fails to find a DNS server. It happened again last evening and the problem re-occurs just often enough to be annoying. Without further adoo I turned the box on this morning and everything works again. It appears my getting a good night's sleep somehow fixes the servers. :D

I've discussed this with AT&T L2 support and... well. Last time I was directed to hard code the DNS server ip's into my 2-Wire 1701. I thought that wouldn't fix things and it didn't. The tech's always want me to dig into my router, but as Rocky used to say "Aw gee Bullwinkle, that old trick never works". :(

My questions are this. Who's in charge of the DNS servers? From a systems standpoint, is this AT&T stuff or Yahoo stuff? Help me understand how the parts of this system are supposed to work together.

Edit: My system couldn't find the eMail servers either.

Mod: Topic modified to replace Proxy with DNS