# msn dns issues

## eclipsed

Has anyone been able to get a ping reply from an msn dialup under linux?  I can connect, but I can't seem to ping anything.  I have a feeling this has to do with msn dns issues as they don't seem to use "regular" dns.  I've read that they use the akadns services.  Thus, they don't have any dns ip's to give users.  However, if anyone has had any success in this area please let me know.  TIA.

-Adam

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## klieber

 *eclipsed wrote:*   

> Has anyone been able to get a ping reply from an msn dialup under linux?  I can connect, but I can't seem to ping anything.  I have a feeling this has to do with msn dns issues as they don't seem to use "regular" dns.  I've read that they use the akadns services.  Thus, they don't have any dns ip's to give users.  However, if anyone has had any success in this area please let me know.  TIA.
> 
> -Adam

 

All DNS servers have IP addresses.  However, the server admins may elect to configure their servers so they do not respond to ICMP packets, which would explain the behavior you're seeing.  Just because something doesn't respond to a ping does not mean it is not working/operational.

To test if a DNS server is working, type the following:

```
telnet <dns server> 53
```

  where <dns server> is the server you're trying to connect to.

If you connect, the DNS port is open and, chances are, the DNS server is up and running.  If you get 'connection refused', then that server probably isn't running DNS.

MSN should, by default, assign DNS servers automatically as part of their dial-in DHCP address assignment.  What is it that you're trying to do?

"akadns" services, BTW, are nothing more than DNS services offered by akamai.  They distribute the DNS load across their network to speed up name server resolve times and distribute the load across multiple servers, but it's still "regular" DNS at its core.

--kurt

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## eclipsed

Kurt-

  Thanks for the quick reply.   :Smile:   I realize that although I didn't get a ping reply that it could still be dns, but what I didn't mention was that I tried to emerge some stuff, and I still couldn't connect.  What I'm trying to do is connect so that I can emerge some stuff.  I did a stage 3 iso installation since I'm on dial-up, but I still have to emerge stuff that isn't in the stage 3 iso.  I was under the impression that the akadns services that akamai provided assigned you to a nameserver based on your location to cut down on latency times and what not.  Thus, it is still dynamic and doesn't solve my problem.  I'm currently piggybacking on a university dns server, but I'm sure that I should change that asap.  I've done some research, but have yet to come up with anything solid on setting my box up to have automatic dns assignment.  I'm away from my system right now though so I'll investigate more when I get a chance.  Thanks again.

-Adam

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## klieber

 *eclipsed wrote:*   

> Thus, it is still dynamic and doesn't solve my problem.

 

I'm not sure I understand what problem is caused by a dynamically-assigned name server?  (which, BTW, is identical to a "static" name server as far as DNS is considered -- the only information is how the IP address gets sent to you)

 *eclipsed wrote:*   

> I'm currently piggybacking on a university dns server, but I'm sure that I should change that asap.

 

As long as you're simply doing normal user stuff (i.e. not trying to do zone transfers and other bandwidth/cpu intensive stuff) the university will likely never know, nor care, that you're using their DNS server.  I used Sun's name server for a good 18 months or so and have used other ISP's name servers on a regular basis.

 *eclipsed wrote:*   

> I've done some research, but have yet to come up with anything solid on setting my box up to have automatic dns assignment

 

Again, it should be assigned as part of your DHCP lease.  However, if for some reason it isn't, just pick two akadns servers (or the university dns server, for that matter), drop them in your /etc/resolv.conf and be done with it.

I think you're making this a lot harder than it has to be.

--kurt

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## eclipsed

Either I have something setup wrong (or better yet, not setup at all since this is a fresh system) or I'm doing something wrong.  I put the university's dns server ip and domain into my /etc/resolv.conf file and, as I said before, it works fine.  The issue isn't really hard per say, I'm just curious as to why the dns ip's were not getting assigned when my connection was established.  It's a curiosity issue at this point and not a real problem.  I can connect so I'm more or less happy.  It's just irritating when MSN tells me that they can't release any of that information and that they don't support linux.  I told them that I didn't need any help with linux, I just needed to know a dns ip.  They refused to be of any help.  Btw, I'm only using msn b/c my aunt was gracious enough to let me use her account so I'm not having to shell out any $$$ for it.  Thanks again, now I must hurry to the doctor before I'm late.   :Smile: 

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## klieber

 *eclipsed wrote:*   

> It's just irritating when MSN tells me that they can't release any of that

 

The MSN folks are morons, then.  Name servers are freely available and it's trivial to figure out what name servers are primary and secondaries for a particular domain.

You mentioned you had a couple of akadns IP addresses.  Telnet to port 53 (see above for the exact instructions) and, if you get a response, that's a valid name server.  Drop it into your /etc/resolv.conf and you should be good to go.  Ideally, you want at least two name servers listed in there in case the first one fails.  Doesn't hurt to have more -- maybe put two akadns servers as the primary/secondary and leave the university in as the tertiary.

--kurt

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## eclipsed

No, I don't have any akadns ip's.  If I did I would have "resolved" this long ago.  However, the university that is lending me it's services has 4 or 5 dns servers up so I'll just continue using those.  I think it's generally accepted that most nationwide isp support lines are composed of morons and troglydites so I wasn't suprised that they were less than helpful, and had to ask me how to spell linux.  

-Adam

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