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    2.4.1: local DNS not working

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Problems Installing or Upgrading pfSense Software
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    • johnpozJ
      johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
      last edited by

      Out of the box pfsense runs unbound in resolver mode… That means it talks to root servers, and walks down the tree to find the authoritative server for whatever domain your looking up.

      dhcp dns if left blank will point to pfsense for dns.. Look on the dhcp client with say ipconfig /all on a windows client and it will show you what its using for dns.  This is going to point to pfsense as it normally should.  If you want your clients to use some local dns 10.180.. Then set that specifically in your dhcp server settings so it will hand that to the clients.

      What is your local dns doing then - is it forwarding to pfsense, forwarding outside - resolving?

      An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
      If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
      Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
      SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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      • R
        repomanz
        last edited by

        Hey John - thanks for the quick response.  Thanks for the additional information about unbound / resolver and the behavior.    Right before you responded i think i figured out the problem.

        I checked DNS forwarding mode in the resolver and now i'm seeing my local dns server get hit.  Outside of my local dns server being poisoned after an exploit, do you see any other issues with that configuration in context of dns security or other pfsense specific issues?

        Jon

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        • JKnottJ
          JKnott
          last edited by

          Hoping i have something misconfigured here.  Thoughts?

          I was running resolver, but it failed when I updated to 2.4.1.  I have to use forwarder now.

          PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
          i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
          UniFi AC-Lite access point

          I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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          • johnpozJ
            johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
            last edited by

            Nonsense… Resolver works just fine in 2.4.. If it broke then the boards would be under ddos attack with people complaining..

            Putting it into forwarder mode is NOT the correct solution.. So now your clients are asking pfsense, just to ask your local dns to go and do what exactly, then resolve?  Have you clients ask your local dns directly - then have it forward to pfsense to resolve.

            An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
            If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
            Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
            SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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            • JKnottJ
              JKnott
              last edited by

              Nonsense…

              No, not nonsense.  Resolver has flat out failed since I updated to 2.4.1.  I had been running resolver almost as long as pfSense or over 1.5 years.  When I first go to a site, there is a several second delay, but not on the next attempt.  On this computer, the first DNS is my pfSense firewall and the 2nd is Google.  When I run forwarder, dig shows that pfSense is used for DNS.  When I run resolver, it uses Google, as the pfSense DNS does not work at all.  I documented this in my thread about this problem.
              https://forum.pfsense.org/index.php?topic=139070.0

              Bottom line, with every version of pfSense I've used prior to 2.4.1, resolver worked.  After updating to 2.4.1, it fails.  Claiming "nonsense" does not change that fact.

              If you have any suggestions, I'd like to hear them.

              PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
              i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
              UniFi AC-Lite access point

              I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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              • K
                kejianshi
                last edited by

                Still broken for me also on 1 VM.  Not a big deal for me since its just a crash test dummy VM.

                I think there is something in the network environment there screwing it up.  Dig fails outright.

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                • R
                  repomanz
                  last edited by

                  @johnpoz:

                  Nonsense… Resolver works just fine in 2.4.. If it broke then the boards would be under ddos attack with people complaining..

                  Putting it into forwarder mode is NOT the correct solution.. So now your clients are asking pfsense, just to ask your local dns to go and do what exactly, then resolve?  Have you clients ask your local dns directly - then have it forward to pfsense to resolve.

                  John - need some clarification:

                  If under general settings, I have 1 DNS entry (my dns server).  If i don't check the forwarder option under resolver then my internal clients do not hit my DNS (only pfsense out to google i suppose).  It's only when I enable to forward option in the resolver that it works correctly.

                  So - this sounds similar to the other person talking above about pfsense using google and ignoring dns settings.

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                  • DerelictD
                    Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                    last edited by

                    1. under general settings, i have the local DNS server set (10.180.x.x)
                    2. in dnsresolver, i have static mappings for a couple linux servers.  I also have dhcp and static ips being registered in dnsresolver.  dnssec is checked
                      3) in dhcp server, the dns value is blank (should default to #1 right)
                    3. in dhcp server i have a few static leases defined

                    No. It defaults to the interface address the DHCP Server is running on.

                    Leave blank to use the system default DNS servers: this interface's IP if DNS Forwarder or Resolver is enabled, otherwise the servers configured on the System / General Setup page.

                    Look at the client that was configured using DHCP. What are its configured name servers? What happens when it tries to use them to resolve names? Then look at why that might be. Using tools like dig/drill to solve this instead of the silly windows tools helps a lot.

                    Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                    A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                    DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                    Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                    • JKnottJ
                      JKnott
                      last edited by

                      So - this sounds similar to the other person talking above about pfsense using google and ignoring dns settings.

                      No, it's not pfSense using Google DNS.  It's my computer, which has pfSense configured as the first DNS to try and Google as the 2nd, should the first fail.  PfSense resolver fails, so the computer falls through to use Google.  This accounts for the delay when I first go to a web site.  Dig proves it.  When resolver is configured, it uses Google, when forwarder, pfSense.

                      Here's what happens on my computer.  The first time is with resolver enabled and the 2nd, with resolver.  The firewall address has been changed to protect the guilty.  ;)

                      $ dig google.com

                      ; <<>> DiG 9.9.9-P1 <<>> google.com
                      ;; global options: +cmd
                      ;; Got answer:
                      ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 46476
                      ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1

                      ;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
                      ; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 512
                      ;; QUESTION SECTION:
                      ;google.com.                    IN      A

                      ;; ANSWER SECTION:
                      google.com.            299    IN      A      172.217.0.238

                      ;; Query time: 48 msec
                      ;; SERVER: 2001:4860:4860::8888#53(2001:4860:4860::8888)
                      ;; WHEN: Sun Nov 05 15:19:58 EST 2017
                      ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 55

                      $ dig google.com

                      ; <<>> DiG 9.9.9-P1 <<>> google.com
                      ;; global options: +cmd
                      ;; Got answer:
                      ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 9659
                      ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1

                      ;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
                      ; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 512
                      ;; QUESTION SECTION:
                      ;google.com.                    IN      A

                      ;; ANSWER SECTION:
                      google.com.            199    IN      A      172.217.2.174

                      ;; Query time: 13 msec
                      ;; SERVER: 2607:fea8:4cdf🔡216:17ff:fea7:xyz#53(2607:fea8:4cdf🔡216:17ff:fea7:xyz)
                      ;; WHEN: Sun Nov 05 15:21:33 EST 2017
                      ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 55

                      PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                      i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                      UniFi AC-Lite access point

                      I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                      • DerelictD
                        Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                        last edited by

                        No, it's not pfSense using Google DNS.  It's my computer, which has pfSense configured as the first DNS to try and Google as the 2nd, should the first fail.

                        Common mistake.

                        ALL configured client name servers MUST return the same answers to the same questions. This is ESPECIALLY true if you want to use local overrides.

                        There is NO guarantee which configured name server will be used first by the client.

                        Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                        A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                        DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                        Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                        • JKnottJ
                          JKnott
                          last edited by

                          @Derelict:

                          No, it's not pfSense using Google DNS.  It's my computer, which has pfSense configured as the first DNS to try and Google as the 2nd, should the first fail.

                          Common mistake.

                          ALL configured client name servers MUST return the same answers to the same questions. This is ESPECIALLY true if you want to use local overrides.

                          There is NO guarantee which configured name server will be used first by the client.

                          Not according to the Linux man pages:

                          nameserver Name server IP address
                                        Internet address of a name server that the resolver should
                                        query, either an IPv4 address (in dot notation), or an IPv6
                                        address in colon (and possibly dot) notation as per RFC 2373.
                                        Up to MAXNS (currently 3, see <resolv.h>) name servers may be
                                        listed, one per keyword.  If there are multiple servers, the
                                        resolver library queries them in the order listed.
                            If no
                                        nameserver entries are present, the default is to use the name
                                        server on the local machine.  (The algorithm used is to try a
                                        name server, and if the query times out, try the next, until
                                        out of name servers, then repeat trying all the name servers
                                        until a maximum number of retries are made.)

                          http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/resolv.conf.5.html

                          So, since pfSense is listed first in /etc/resolv.conf, followed by Google, then pfSense will be tried first and if it fails, then Google.</resolv.h>

                          PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                          i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                          UniFi AC-Lite access point

                          I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                          • DerelictD
                            Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                            last edited by

                            OK don't listen to years of experience.

                            Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                            A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                            DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                            Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • K
                              kejianshi
                              last edited by

                              Try to dig from command line in pfsense.  If it works, its not the same Issue I'm having.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • JKnottJ
                                JKnott
                                last edited by

                                @kejianshi:

                                Try to dig from command line in pfsense.  If it works, its not the same Issue I'm having.

                                Dig shows 127.0.0.1 with either forwarder or resolver.

                                PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

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                                • DerelictD
                                  Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                  last edited by

                                  Show the output please. I have NO IDEA what "dig shows 127.0.0.1" means. Shows where? There is no context.

                                  Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                  A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                  DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                  Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

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                                  • JKnottJ
                                    JKnott
                                    last edited by

                                    @Derelict:

                                    Show the output please. I have NO IDEA what "dig shows 127.0.0.1" means. Shows where? There is no context.

                                    /root: dig google.com

                                    ; <<>> DiG 9.11.2 <<>> google.com
                                    ;; global options: +cmd
                                    ;; Got answer:
                                    ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 63302
                                    ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1

                                    ;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
                                    ; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 4096
                                    ;; QUESTION SECTION:
                                    ;google.com.                    IN      A

                                    ;; ANSWER SECTION:
                                    google.com.            300    IN      A      172.217.0.238

                                    ;; Query time: 310 msec
                                    ;; SERVER: 127.0.0.1#53(127.0.0.1)
                                    ;; WHEN: Sun Nov 05 18:31:26 EST 2017
                                    ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 55

                                    PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                    i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                    UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                    I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • H
                                      hda
                                      last edited by

                                      ;; SERVER: 2001:4860:4860::8888#53(2001:4860:4860::8888)
                                      ;; WHEN: Sun Nov 05 15:19:58 EST 2017
                                      ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 55

                                      snipped

                                      ;; SERVER: 2607:fea8:4cdf🔡216:17ff:fea7:xyz#53(2607:fea8:4cdf🔡216:17ff:fea7:xyz)
                                      ;; WHEN: Sun Nov 05 15:21:33 EST 2017
                                      ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 55

                                      How are your addresses IPv6 and Global ?

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                                      • JKnottJ
                                        JKnott
                                        last edited by

                                        How are your addresses IPv6 and Global ?

                                        ???

                                        I have valid global unicast addresses on IPv6.  That's never been the issue.  The problem is when pfSense is configured to use resolver for DNS, it fails, but works with forwarder.  Nothing else changed when I updated from 2.4.0.

                                        PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                                        i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                                        UniFi AC-Lite access point

                                        I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • DerelictD
                                          Derelict LAYER 8 Netgate
                                          last edited by

                                          /root: dig google.com

                                          ; <<>> DiG 9.11.2 <<>> google.com
                                          ;; global options: +cmd
                                          ;; Got answer:
                                          ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 63302
                                          ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1

                                          ;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
                                          ; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 4096
                                          ;; QUESTION SECTION:
                                          ;google.com.                    IN      A

                                          ;; ANSWER SECTION:
                                          google.com.            300    IN      A      172.217.0.238

                                          ;; Query time: 310 msec
                                          ;; SERVER: 127.0.0.1#53(127.0.0.1)
                                          ;; WHEN: Sun Nov 05 18:31:26 EST 2017
                                          ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 55

                                          If that was taken on pfSense then the local resolver is working fine. You asked localhost for an answer and got one.

                                          Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
                                          A comprehensive network diagram is worth 10,000 words and 15 conference calls.
                                          DO NOT set a source address/port in a port forward or firewall rule unless you KNOW you need it!
                                          Do Not Chat For Help! NO_WAN_EGRESS(TM)

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • H
                                            hda
                                            last edited by

                                            @JKnott:

                                            I have valid global unicast addresses on IPv6.

                                            Me too… and to say, dual stack IPv6 & (IPv4 NAT) on LAN's.

                                            A host on LAN reports as the DNS server the IPv4 pfSense-LAN address.

                                            You have a special home config I now believe ;) Single stack, IPv6 ?

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