[Regicide]

I have a small server running 2007.0 Gentoo. Recently, I was trying to setup a small email server while using a dynamic dns service (dyndns.com). During the setup, it became apparent to me that my host name was not setup correctly. I had my hostname and my domain inside the /etc/conf.d/hostname file under the `HOSTNAME` variable. Therefore, I changed a line inside of /etc/conf.d/net and added the `dns_domain` variable. Then, went into /etc/hosts and added my FQDN as the first address after the 127.0.0.1 line. After a reboot, it was not connecting to any DNS server and cannot resolve any hostname. So, I changed everything back to the way it was, and the DNS is still not working.

I have it setup as a static IP and I never directly edited the resolv.conf file during or after the base install. Not really sure what to do. If anyone could help me out (I have a feeling it is something dumb and overlooked), it would be greatly appreciated.

[lotuseclat79]

Hi Regicide,

Who is your ISP, and how are you connected: dsl, cable, FiOS? Is your connection really static? Why not DHCP negotiated so that you have a new IP address every time you login to your ISP, or are you connected 24/7?

DNS servers are automatically assigned to /etc/resolv.conf if your system connects via DHCP protocol with your ISP. Why use the dyndns.com service?

With regard to your hostname issues: on bootup, the host name is usually set once at system startup in /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 or /etc/init.d/boot (normally by reading the contents of a file which contains the host name, e.g. /etc/hostname).

The above statement is from the manpage for hostname. Try setting the hostname in that way, then reboot.

-- Tom

[Regicide]

Thanks for the response!

The server is behind a router and the connection from Time Warner Cable is dynamic. Therefore, that is why I wanted a hostname because if the router is reset, it is assigned a new IP address from my ISP.

Also, the server's IP is static inside the router because I need to forward several ports to the server and my router forwards ports by IP, not hostname. Therefore, the server is always 192.168.0.121.

I believe I got the domain name set correctly now (per your hints). I found two IPs for nameservers for my ISP. I put them both into the resolv.conf but it still isn't working.

[lotuseclat79]

Since you have a dynamically assigned ip address from your domain ISP server, and you have the private ip addresses inside your routing scheme locally, the DNS values should be automatically assigned by your ISP to your router.

Given that you have a setup with a router, my guess is that you should visit the router's manufacturer website and download the manual for that router, for example Linksys have PDF documents for their routers, and the user instruction setup manual does not always tell you the nuts and bolts that the router manuals have in terms of setup information.

I do not use a router, and consequently, my ISP when it assigns an ip address, the software inside Ubuntu overwrites the ISP DNS server ip adresses each time I connect.

As a swag, I am going to guess (I could be wrong here since I have never setup and used a router, although I did attempt to help my neighbor once), that the router is consequently assigned not only your ip address (external, i.e. seen on the Internet), but that the DNS servers are overwritten onto the router's /etc/resolv.conf file - my gues is based on the assumption that it is likely that your router is running a version of Unix/Linux.

The disconnect in your setup is to conform Gentoo Linux and the router to work together to resolve the DNS issue. Since I run Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon, the most advice I would be able to provide would be relative to it - so, here is a link to the Gutsy Starter Guide. Search for router on that web page and you will see the information I am talking about in the next paragraph.

In it I see that perhaps all you need to do is make sure that the router is setup to do port forwarding between your local host and it to resolve the DNS requests. That information should be covered in the router manual from the manufacturer. And you should seek to verify the same relative information from any relevant Gentoo documentation.

Hope this suggestion is correct and works for you,

-- Tom