Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
 ·HughesNet Satellit..
 ·Windstream
| reply to wkitty42
Re: Windstream DNS server - 'entry-not-found.com'?
You did find this post I hope, the people in India are book readers and unless you complain and get to second level support in Ohio (the Ohio in the US), you can't find out but save the call and look at this link, it has raw dns IP's
»Windstream DNS Servers - With and Without Ads
--
| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | |
|
wkitty42
join:2006-07-28
Central, NC
| reply to ScottMac
i can confirm that this is on-going as i've just run into it this evening and had several of my users write and complain to me about it... the problem that i ran into is that i just blew it off right before i got the emails from my users... then i couldn't remember the actual url... arrrggh...
needless to say, once i read the email complaints, i called windstream support and, as noted earlier in this thread, they have out-sourced support to india 
after spending 30+ minutes on the phone with their so-called support service, they could only report that they can't find any kind of redirect on their DNS servers...
while i was waiting on hold, i was trying to get it to happen again but to no avail and then i tried searching google and finally got a hit which was a link to this thread... hopefully someone will wake up and give these dweebs a swift kick right where the good lord split'em
yeah, i'm mad and upset about this... and to think, i've been with alltel/windstream for over 10 years and was one of, if not the, first in my area to sign up for their internet service :?
and to think, they actually got DSL service out here some 12+ miles from the CO and sprint can't or won't even though their nearest "CO" is only 5 to 7 miles away  |
|
Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
·HughesNet Satellit..
·Windstream
| reply to deadi
said by deadi  :What is really a shame is they probably spent a lot of money implementing redirection. No, I am sure that Yahoo gives a percentage of the clicks.
Since they already have the racks, routers and a DNS server, they can set a DNS rack up dirt cheap to them.
Since DNS request packets are very small, then normally cached by the requester, a single DNS server can handle a LOT of requests.
Bottom line, they built the new DNS out of equipment they probably had, they get paid for the ads and Make, not Lose money on them.
I run Google Adsense and Yahoo ads on my commercial sites for the same reason. They to bring in a small fortune, but they still pay my part of the hosting fees on my co-op server.
--
| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | |
|
deadi
Premium
join:2001-08-26
Perry, OH
| reply to HDRWSmee
What is really a shame is they probably spent a lot of money implementing redirection. The money we give them!!!
And people are just going to bypass it.
Nice.
--
We learn through the exchange of information, tell me more...... |
|
HDRWSmee
@windstream.net
| reply to ScottMac
Simple fix. In your router, just block these addresses in your firewall or router:
63.251.179.0 - 63.251.179.63
and you'll be set. This is the address block for this little nasty bunch of SOBs.
I just made a filter called "N0_BUTTMONKEYS" in my DI-604 and blocked it. |
|
fourboxers
Premium,Mod
join:2003-05-04
Scarborough, ON
clubs:  | reply to concerleopardo
The IP LittleSnitch picked up is one of the redirecting to ads DNS servers. Not sure why it would be querying DNS if your backups are only local.
I'd try changing your DNS servers and rerunning the scripts. |
|
concerleopardo
@alltel.net | reply to ScottMac
none |
|
fourboxers
Premium,Mod
join:2003-05-04
Scarborough, ON
clubs: | reply to concernedleopard
What external backups do you have set up? |
|
concernedleopard
@afsontario.com
| reply to ScottMac
I don't want to be alarmist but did something hijack my OS X maintenance scripts? LittleSnitch caught automountd trying to connect to an IP address mentioned earlier in this thread when I went to run my daily weekly monthly scripts.
Please look
 |
|
Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
·HughesNet Satellit..
·Windstream
| reply to bort123
said by bort123 :Another option, at least for those openwrt and/or linux users among us. Dnsmasq (default dns forwarder on openwrt) can be set to return an actual "domain not found" response when the Windstream servers respond with the IP for the "Ooo, check our cool search page and give us ad revenue" page. This would make a good how to for those running Tomato, which is the firmware almost all of us use here on Windstream. Tomato has a custom configuration box for those that don't SSH also.
Thanks
--
| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | |
|
lacibaci
join:2000-04-10
Export, PA | reply to ScottMac
This should be in the same category as Comcast's tinkering with the bittorrent traffic. WS returns a fraudulent result with no benefit to the user.
Lac |
|
bort123
join:2004-10-30
Lincoln, NE
| reply to Piggie
Another option, at least for those openwrt and/or linux users among us. Dnsmasq (default dns forwarder on openwrt) can be set to return an actual "domain not found" response when the Windstream servers respond with the IP for the "Ooo, check our cool search page and give us ad revenue" page. |
|
Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
·HughesNet Satellit..
·Windstream
| reply to lacibaci
said by lacibaci :Thanks for the research Piggie. Just to repeat for those that find WS practice annoying ..... Lac To me it's more than annoying, it actually breaks all my link checking tools. They depend on seeing a real 404 echo from their HTTP_REQUEST packets to determine that a link partner or just a nice link to something else still at least returns a 200, which to my program means the link is still valid. But read below as this method is getting less effective fast from other sources.
Of course one thing you can't seem to get around are these companies that squat any domain name that is let to expire figuring it must have had some traffic at some point. My link checker also thinks that is valid link. Returns 200
It probably won't be long till everyone goes back to the AOL model where you have to watch 30 seconds of commercials before you can use the internet, plus 30 seconds every 30 minutes. I hope I am kidding........ please!!!!!
=======
--
| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | |
|
lacibaci
join:2000-04-10
Export, PA
·Windstream
 ·Vonage
| reply to Piggie
Thanks for the research Piggie. Just to repeat for those that find WS practice annoying here are the Level3 DNS servers:
4.2.2.1
4.2.2.2
4.2.2.3
4.2.2.4
4.2.2.5
4.2.2.6
Easy to remember 
Lac |
|
Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
·HughesNet Satellit..
·Windstream
1 edit | reply to JmanA9
Oh Lordy, we made a news article. Sad day for WS getting bigger I guess. Then again they either get bigger or get absorbed, or both. Also I presume part of being an official forum along with other unmentionable benefits.
I digress as normal.
I use several link checkers for websites I maintain. If they find the WS BS 404 page they will consider the link to still exist. I think WS if they are going to do this, maintain a second set of DNS servers that are not "branded". Fat Chance, and probably end up in India with 200ms pings.
Here is another alternative, OpenNIC reorganized last August (2007).
»www.opennicproject.org/
Probably a good thing to read but here are their DNS servers.
It is probably worth ping or trace route to the ones you feel are closest to you so you don't slow down system.
AU,QLD 58.6.115.42
AU,QLD 58.6.115.43
FR 82.229.244.191
FR 88.191.51.140
SE 80.244.90.85
UK 91.186.26.48
US,CO 216.87.84.209
US,DE 65.36.176.140
US,MN 66.191.137.134
US,TX 71.170.11.156
Based on the fact most of us on WS go out on the net from Atlanta, I found these rough values:
US,DE 55ms
US,MN 80ms
US,TX 80ms
US,CO 110ms
US,CO is too far away, but US, DE would make a pretty good primary DNS as that is only about 15 to 20 ms more than WS or the Level 3 DNS servers.
A comparison:
OpenDNS (both IPs) 45ms
Level3 40ms
Windstream 43ms
bind 1ms
TreeWalk 1ms »treewalkdns.com/
The other comment is I really doubt that WS users here will overload the Level 3 DNS. Probably less than 1/10th of 1 percent of WS users read this forum.
Second Level3 could easily turn off public access.
There are plenty of DNS servers that have done so in the last 5 years. The upper tier servers have always been off, unless you are log into them as another DNS looking for updates, or by a list of who can log on.
Plus if Level3 were to send you a bill, they would have to contact WS to find who had that IP, which WS would then want some of the money. Hence, if Level 3 thinks they are getting hammered they will someday just turn off public access.
--
| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | |
|
JmanA9
join:2003-06-12
Export, PA
| reply to lacibaci
All the "big" ISP's are doing this, which makes me not know what to think about Windstream anymore, because I never considered them one of the big guys. It's obvious that their main focus is on profit, since they've outsourced their support to India and now they're trying to make money when we go to a non-existent website. You can't run a business without profit in mind, but there's a point where you go too far, and people become unhappy. That's happening now. |
|
redblkjck
Premium
join:2001-11-07
Sanford, NC | reply to ScottMac
I don't like this idea either. Anyone know what is the rn=somecode in the url when a wrong address is entered? |
|
mojo1
join:2006-12-05
Jefferson, GA
·Windstream
| reply to Piggie
I get a Windstream-branded Yahoo search page. Seems innocent enough when I try WS DNS servers. But, I've been using opendns for awhile now but then I started thinking about the possibility of data mining with opendns. Of course, WS could be doing it too.
Maybe I am just paranoid. Just because I think they are out to get me doesn't mean they are not... |
|
Piggie
I Actually use Windstream
Premium
join:2005-11-23
Orange Springs, FL
·HughesNet Satellit..
·Windstream
1 edit | reply to lacibaci
said by lacibaci : What is next....? Lac Never ever ask that question! :@)
Yes, it's time to complain. Sales hate complaints I think more than any other easy to find number.
I mainly use my own email servers anyway. And anyone can get an alt email server. I believe godaddy has one that comes free with a domain name. That is cheap price per year.
--
| Speedstream 4200 Modem - 3m/384 plan | W98-W2KSP4-XPSP2 - All AMD | Buffalo WHR G54S with Tomato 1.13 | 3 downstream switches feeding 6 total clients (no wireless) | Including the Data port on the side of my neck | |
|
lacibaci
join:2000-04-10
Export, PA
·Windstream
·Vonage
| reply to JmanA9
said by JmanA9 :I'm getting this too. Time to change DNS servers..... I think we should all call Windstream and complain. This is unacceptable. What is next; inserting ads to emails?
Lac |
|
