Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:28:50 -0500 From: Ryan Coleman <editor@d3photography.com> To: Robert Bonomi <bonomi@mail.r-bonomi.com> Cc: kline@thought.org, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: much to my surprise.... Message-ID: <4B62F4A4-4B49-4CB5-91F1-A3C3E624251F@d3photography.com> In-Reply-To: <201109222014.p8MKEobt083145@mail.r-bonomi.com> References: <201109222014.p8MKEobt083145@mail.r-bonomi.com>
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On Sep 22, 2011, at 3:14 PM, Robert Bonomi wrote: >> =46rom owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Thu Sep 22 14:30:49 2011 >> Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:30:54 -0700 >> From: Gary Kline <kline@thought.org> >> To: FreeBSD Mailing List <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> >> Cc:=20 >> Subject: much to my surprise.... >>=20 >>=20 >> guys, >>=20 >> well, after a forced, unexpected, and emergency 5 days away, i got >> back to my desk and could not ping. while mail seemed to be working,=20= >> and my *local* ping worked---I could ping around from my freebsd = server >> to my other computers--i spent 3+ hours trying to ping various >> sites. Zero. i tried everything i could think of. NOTHING worked. =20= >> i tried the -d -f -f to named and on and on and on. nothing. >>=20 >> *Finally*, i saw that my telco router was displaying "INT" in red >> LED's. i didn't know they displayed in any other color but the >> default green, but after power-cycling, voila! back to green. =20 >> and now, yes, i can ping freebsd.org. and i'm pretty sure other >> network things will work too. =20 >>=20 >> from any/all sysadmin types or others:: >> i would like tricks, tips, insights--whatever--about named and >> whatever else. i thought i had collected many. nope. i've got >> bind 9.8 installed and it was working fine until my recent >> 'vacation.' Other than checking one's routers (hub/switch), and = other=20 >> hardware (including server, computers, cables, etc) does anybody have = a >> checklist of what to do to diagnose this? are there any other >> utilities i can try besides ping and named -d 3 -f -g? other >> network utilities with a debug flag? i'm running 7.3 on a dell 530. >>=20 >> tia for any insights, >=20 > You should _really_ consider hiring a professional to maintain your=20 > systems. >=20 > Diagnosing _this_ problem should have taken no more than about 30 > *seconds*.=20 >=20 > If you can't get somewhere 'by name', you try to get there 'by = address'. >=20 > If 'by address' works and 'by name' doesn't, *that* is the indication = of > a DNS problem. >=20 > If you can't get there 'by address', it is *NOT* a DNS problem, and = you=20 > start looking for a 'connectivity' problem. >=20 > The *BASIC* tools for that start with 'traceroute'. Which would have > *immediately* (well, within abut ten seconds :) indicated exactly = _where_=20 > the problem was. >=20 > Those who don't understand these kind dof things are "too dangerous" > to be trusted with the superuser password. >=20 > Bluntly, not only do you not know the things you need to know to = manage > a (even 'personal') network, you "DON'T KNOW _what_ you don't know", = and=20 > until you *do* learn the basics, you'll save youself a *LOT* of hair- > tearing if you hire someone to solve the problems for you. I whole-heartedly agree with Robert's points. I host in my apartment... but I have more than a decade's experience = maintaining networks and systems and, while the occasional issue stumps = me, I'm pretty good at getting to the root of issues in minutes vs = hours. Yes, I was once a... for lack of a better term... moron on these things = and I relied heavily on the tech who pushed me (gently) towards =83BSD = from RHL and I am gracious every day for that nudge. Experience is the best way to pick up the "quick list" of things to = check on if there's a problem on your connectivity... but there's one = thing I *must* stress: NEVER EVER EVER run your own DNS service. It's = too much of a PITA. When I quit doing my own DNS my issues revolving = around that ended. I use DynDNS to run my primary domain and all the = others run through GoDaddy's free DNS manager. This is because I use the = primary domain's hostname as my MX record on all the others. While GD's = DNS is functional, it's also cumbersome, too cumbersome to update on a = semi-regular basis. I highly suggest that you do the same. $20/year for DynDNS' full domain = service is worth the price. My two bits (and a nibble). -- Ryan=
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