Alias Native not updating IP address

szympro

Hi,

I am using the Alias Native source to update the IP address hourly.

I have the alias set to "Whois" format, state is "ON", source is my dynamic FQDN address. Update frequency is set to hourly.

However, during the hourly list update the Alias is not getting updated and the log just says:

[Alias_Name]		 exists.

I did the DNS lookup on my PC and on pfSense itself (Diagnostics menu) and the correct updated IP is resolved.

When I go into pfBlockerNG log and delete the entry for that Alias, then it actually gets resolved correctly during the hourly or forced update.
Moreover, adding that FQDN address to the pfSense's Alias list (Firewall -> Aliases) resolves the address correctly and pfSense keeps it updated.

I am not an expert but it seems that the pfBlockerNG is not checking if the IP address assigned to the Alias is updated. It just checks if the entry exists in the files and if it does, it skips to see if it is correct. I have been waiting for over a week and the Alias never got updated, the entry was a week old.

Any ideas as of what I might be doing wrong? I don't mind sharing that FQDN via private message for someone to confirm if they observe the same problem.

Thanks

SteveITS

@szympro Normally pfBlocker would download a feed? Is this a feed or a hostname? If the latter it should just be a regular firewall alias...? ("IP or FQDN" field)

szympro

Hey @SteveITS , thanks for your reply.
It's just a hostname, no list. I got around the problem and am using a regular firewall alias. Shouldn't the Alian Native resolve an hostname and keep it updated though? Or is the behaviour that I am observing as designed?
I am just wondering if I should submit a bug on github or not.

SteveITS

@szympro My use of pfBlocker has been for it to download feeds, and I use Alias Native for it to load the feed into a firewall table/alias for use in rules. Typically, for geo IP lists.

I see the "Whois" option does say "Convert a Domain name into its respective IP addresses" but I don't know how "whois" would do that...whois normally looks up the registrant or perhaps DNS servers for a domain. Perhaps @BBcan177 can explain further.

I guess if you can duplicate it you can report it as a bug. It just seems an odd feature to have if it already exists in pfSense, and oddly named...sounds more like "DNS lookup" than "whois."