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Help with TG585 setting

mseries
Grafter
Posts: 37
Registered: ‎25-12-2010

Help with TG585 setting

I have identified some problems in my network which I think are due to my router, it's a TG585 v7.x. The problems are not showstoppers but just annoying and are mounting up sufficiently that I am thinking of replacing it with something better. However if I can sort these then I can save some money. Now I have changed the config of my router by creating a backup, editing it and restoring. It works. I changed the IP range that the router assigns and the IIRC the subnet mask.  It's been working fine for years with Windows 2000 and XP but with more modern devices it's not working well at all. The problems are these
1. The DHCP server is not serving up the IP of the DNS to the attached devices (I have remedied this by setting the address in the device and often setting a static IP)
2. Network shares from Windows devices are only visible for a short time after the router is reset, shares from Linux boxes using Samba are rock solid.
Maybe my 'hacks' the config were not quite right so some advice there would be welcomed. I know I ought to do a factory reset and try it again but we're do busy to have to reconfigure all devices at present
5 REPLIES 5
PeeGee
Pro
Posts: 1,217
Thanks: 84
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎05-04-2009

Re: Help with TG585 setting

I wait to be corrected, but I do not think the 585 has a DNS cache, but is just a "forwarder". If that is so, then the addresses issued by the DHCP server do not enter the DNS chain.
Someone will be able to suggest suitable devices, I'm sure, but not necessarily lost cost ones  Sad
Plusnet FTTC (Sep 2014), Essentials (Feb 2013); ADSL (Apr 2009); Customer since Jan 2004 (on 28kb dial-up)
Using a TP-Link Archer VR600 modem-router.
mseries
Grafter
Posts: 37
Registered: ‎25-12-2010

Re: Help with TG585 setting

So this response is in relation to my second point ? It makes sense and made me think a bit more. The Linux server which as the Samba shares has a fixed IP and IIRC I've entered it into my hosts file on my (Linux) client machine with which I am viewing the shares. So maybe there is no problem as such, maybe this router is doing what it's meant to do. It would be nice if it did give out the DNS IP address correctly though for new devices though this is not a showstopper since I do not add new devices very often !
dick:quote
PeeGee
Pro
Posts: 1,217
Thanks: 84
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎05-04-2009

Re: Help with TG585 setting

My comments were essentially to the first point, though it has some bearing in the second.
I see you have a Linux server. Have you considered turning off the DHCP on the 585 and using the Linux server instead? dnsmasq will provide the DHCP service and DNS forwarding, exactly as the 585, but also holds local entries from the DHCP server for DNS purposes. Seems exactly what you need  Cheesy
Plusnet FTTC (Sep 2014), Essentials (Feb 2013); ADSL (Apr 2009); Customer since Jan 2004 (on 28kb dial-up)
Using a TP-Link Archer VR600 modem-router.
mseries
Grafter
Posts: 37
Registered: ‎25-12-2010

Re: Help with TG585 setting

Quote from: PeeGee
My comments were essentially to the first point, though it has some bearing in the second.
...... Have you considered turning off the DHCP on the 585 and using the Linux server instead? dnsmasq will provide the DHCP service and DNS forwarding, exactly as the 585, but also holds local entries from the DHCP server for DNS purposes. Seems exactly what you need  Cheesy

I haven't considered that, partly because that server isn't powered up at all times. It's an option, I could certainly find some other hardware to do this with, I'll have a read. I have squid running on the first server to give me some local caching of content so it could also be deployed onto this new server-gateway. It's getting to be like the old days when I ran Smoothwall to do my routing to share my connection on my V90 modem.  Grin
Thanks again for thinking about this, I appreciate it.
PeeGee
Pro
Posts: 1,217
Thanks: 84
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎05-04-2009

Re: Help with TG585 setting

If you are running squid on a gateway, I assume that it is "always" powered which makes it the ideal place for dnsmasq  Cheesy
Plusnet FTTC (Sep 2014), Essentials (Feb 2013); ADSL (Apr 2009); Customer since Jan 2004 (on 28kb dial-up)
Using a TP-Link Archer VR600 modem-router.