cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

DNS issues

linuxgeek
Hooked
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎30-03-2019

DNS issues

 

Im a bit hacked off with plus net support been having intermittent outbound problems with name resolution for some time 

tested one box with using google DNS and it now 100% stable but cant find the setting in my router to enable globally to had to do this on all my devices 

 

Rang up plus net and the guy didn't seem to understand got the usual reset you router and we don't support port forwarding 

[-Censored-] this isn't an dyndns issue this is outbound. 

 

All I wanted to know is there an known issue with DNS services he was blatantly undertrained for the task this is not my usual experience dealing with plusnet support 

 

 

11 REPLIES 11
Strat
Community Veteran
Posts: 31,320
Thanks: 1,609
Fixes: 565
Registered: ‎14-04-2007

Re: DNS issues

Moderators Note
This topic has been moved from Fibre Broadband to Everything Else.

 

 

Windows 10 Firefox 109.0 (64-bit)
To argue with someone who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead - Thomas Paine
abelsey
Hooked
Posts: 5
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-03-2019

Re: DNS issues

I've had similar issues, but with the added complication that I have serious routing issues within the Plusnet network. This all started suddenly last Thursday, when I could not reach the DHCP-advertised primary DNS server (212.159.6.9). By constantly restarting the WAN link, I eventually got a circuit which allowed me to see both DNS servers, but my routing is now seriously broken, and I can only see a very small part of the internet. If I use a VPN service to punch through the Plusnet network, all issues disappear (on the device with the VPN connected obviously).

 

I explained all this in great detail to the level 1 support person, but she either didn't understand, or wasn't prepared to listen, and insisted on sending out an Openreach engineer, which meant I had to take a day off work (this subject will be revisited at a later date with Plusnet). The engineer turned up, and within 2 minutes of me showing him the issue, he immediately knew there was no line issue and the problem exists in the Plusnet network (its probably a VLAN misconfiguration issue).

 

I know of at least one other Plusnet user with exactly the same DNS issue as you, but they are 50 miles from me and have ADSL (not FTTC), so it's not a local issue on my exchange.

Mads
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,873
Fixes: 79
Registered: ‎06-08-2018

Re: DNS issues

Hey @linusxgeek,

Thanks for getting in touch with us.

I am sorry you are having trouble with your DNS settings and I apologise for the inconvenience caused. There are no known issues with this currently and to clarify we are unable to change DNS settings in our older routers and the Hub one.

 

Thank you.

 

linuxgeek
Hooked
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎30-03-2019

Re: DNS issues

 

the issue is defiantly at the plusnet dns end 

Ive had he joyous task of changing multiple boxes to use google dns now everything is working 

Jon
Plusnet Staff
Plusnet Staff
Posts: 107
Thanks: 20
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎07-04-2007

Re: DNS issues

Hi @linuxgeek 

Which server(s) were you seeing as being problematic?

Do you have any examples of failed resolutions so I can do some testing?

Many thanks Smiley


If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Jon Smith
 Plusnet Infrastructure Operations Professional
abelsey
Hooked
Posts: 5
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-03-2019

Re: DNS issues

You should check if you can reach the DNS servers using ping. When I first noticed the problem, I couldn't reach the primary DNS server, but I could see the secondary one. By bouncing the DSL virtual circuit a few times I eventually got a circuit that could see both. I've had to do this a few times this week, after they seem to become unreachable overnight.

 

Here's an example on a "bad" circuit:

 

mhor:~ andy$ ping 212.159.6.10
PING 212.159.6.10 (212.159.6.10): 56 data bytes
Request timeout for icmp_seq 0
Request timeout for icmp_seq 1
Request timeout for icmp_seq 2
Request timeout for icmp_seq 3
^C
--- 212.159.6.10 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100.0% packet loss

 

And here's on a "good" circuit:

mhor:~ andy$ ping 212.159.6.9
PING 212.159.6.9 (212.159.6.9): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 212.159.6.9: icmp_seq=0 ttl=61 time=24.478 ms
64 bytes from 212.159.6.9: icmp_seq=1 ttl=61 time=24.939 ms
64 bytes from 212.159.6.9: icmp_seq=2 ttl=61 time=24.103 ms
64 bytes from 212.159.6.9: icmp_seq=3 ttl=61 time=24.521 ms
^C
--- 212.159.6.9 ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 24.103/24.510/24.939/0.296 ms

Jon, there is no problem with the DNS servers themselves, it's their reachability that is the issue. I experienced the same situation with my mother's Plusnet account (she lives 50 miles from me, so it's not a local issue): couldn't ping the primary DNS server, but could the secondary. Of course, the browser eventually fails over to the secondary, but it makes everything so slow, as every name lookup has to fail over. I did check that the secondary was responding correctly (by forcing the use of it in the nslookup command), and it worked fine.

linuxgeek
Hooked
Posts: 5
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎30-03-2019

Re: DNS issues

@ablesey this sums up the issue perfectly
I've got a workaround now and swapping out the Plusnet router for pfsense very soon so will have more control over DNS

My biggest concern was the level one guy did not seem to understand my issue. His diagnostic skills seemed to be turn it off and on again.

I've not needed to call Plusnet support in a long time but last time was a PPP issue and the guy was very switched on
Mads
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,873
Fixes: 79
Registered: ‎06-08-2018

Re: DNS issues

Hey @linuxgeek,

Thanks for getting back in touch with us.

I'm glad to hear you have found a workaround for this issue and your service is working as normal as such I have closed the fault down on your account.

With regards to the agent you spoke with, it may be lack of knowledge on the subject but that would be due to the nature of your query as we do not often provide support with DNS issues.

 

If there is anything else we can help you with please let us know.

Thank you.

DS
Seasoned Champion
Posts: 2,307
Thanks: 504
Fixes: 22
Registered: ‎06-01-2017

Re: DNS issues

So, I've been able to make use of a PN ADSL connection today, using the standard issued router. The reason was due to myself possibly having DNS issues.

 

Anyway:

we are unable to change DNS settings in our older routers and the Hub one

Now, not wishing to step on toes here, but:

adsl dns.PNG

I have that router running very well indeed on Google's DNS settings, no hacking etc required Smiley

I even have other options:

adsl opt dns.PNG

So, is this a unique standard, none abused, residential Plusnet supplied router...?

(this is what it should be, not a business one)

 

Anyway, out of pure curiosity, due to my connection (oddly) still being automatically allocated PN SG DNS settings I never asked for, I thought I too would check the normal ones (top 2 below), and the ones I'm currently using (bottom 2 - yes I can and will change mine on my device back to my preferred selection upon posting this reply;))

Pinging 212.159.6.10 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 212.159.6.10: bytes=32 time=14ms TTL=60
Reply from 212.159.6.10: bytes=32 time=9ms TTL=60
Reply from 212.159.6.10: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=60
Reply from 212.159.6.10: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=60

Ping statistics for 212.159.6.10:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 9ms, Maximum = 14ms, Average = 10ms

 

Pinging 212.159.6.9 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 212.159.6.9: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=60
Reply from 212.159.6.9: bytes=32 time=12ms TTL=60
Reply from 212.159.6.9: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=60
Reply from 212.159.6.9: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=60

Ping statistics for 212.159.6.9:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 10ms, Maximum = 12ms, Average = 10ms

 

Pinging 213.120.234.42 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 213.120.234.42:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

 

Pinging 213.120.234.38 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 213.120.234.38:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

So the standard automagically issued DNS (ending 10-9) are fine, but my current 'automatically', SafeGuard it seems, DNS (ending 42-38 ) time out. Also tried with my device on quad 9's and Google's - all as above.

 

edit to put a space between 8 and ) as it converts it to a smiley - darn you emoji's

abelsey
Hooked
Posts: 5
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎30-03-2019

Re: DNS issues

I'm pleased to say that whatever update occurred over night has now brought to an end my 10 days without a functioning broadband; routing issues now all gone, and the DNS servers are both reachable.

 

Being Mother's Day, I visited and checked her Plusnet broadband (which had been having DNS reachability issues all last week). Both DNS servers were unreachable, but after bouncing the DSL connection, it came back with both servers reachable and working fine.

 

So, if you had DNS server reachability issues, then you might want to try cycling your DSL connection, and see if the circuit comes back up with the servers now visible.

DS
Seasoned Champion
Posts: 2,307
Thanks: 504
Fixes: 22
Registered: ‎06-01-2017

Re: DNS issues

Glad to hear it Thumbs_Up

So, if you had DNS server reachability issues, then you might want to try cycling your DSL connection, and see if the circuit comes back up with the servers now visible.

Oh that's another automatic process for me too, connection issues here, so drops it for me!!Ticked_off