Login Script - Website name resolution

[mikester31]

Greetings,

We have Active Directory 2003 with Dynamic DNS. We used to host our website on a server at our site (with the same site name as the domain name) We have since moved the site to be hosted out of house. Now, when people on Windows XP try to type in the website, it doesn't resolve and there doesn't seem to be anything in DNS that will enable a site to resolve to an outside IP address. Is there something I can put in the logon script that will enable people to type in the web address and have it resolve to the real outside website? (Funny thing is, Windows 2000 boxes don't have this problem, only XP boxes)

We have tried putting in external DNS numbers into the DNS settings on the XP boxes, but that just makes the connection to the domain not work as well. Is there something we can put in the logon script that everybody uses to make the site work from inside the building?

[cutepinkbunnies]

Yes Mikester :)

1. Remove the SVC, Host and/or PTR Records for the formerly internal resource on the machine hosting the primary zone.

2. Clear DNS cache of the machine hosting the primary zone. This is done using the DNS MMC, ipconfig/flushdns will only flush the local cache.

3. Use ipconfig /flushdns on the same server, then try resolving the name thru the internet.

That should work if you have your internet DNS setup correctly. Once it works, its just a matter of time before the client cache expires or you can manually or via a *.bat file ipconfig/flushdns on the clients.

You may want to add a conditional forwarder for that machine to your DNS to limit external name resolution traffic, if its in your namespace add the record to your DNS infrastructure...

I don't know how your infrastructure is setup, so this is a best-guess. Let us know how it works out.

Jon

[mikester31]

Jon,

Thank you for the reply. Here is what I did so far:
1. I have made sure that all pointer records that were pointing to the former internal site no longer exists.

2. I went onto our domain controller (which also runs the AD DNS, and cleared the DNS cache in the MMC and then went to the workstation and did the flushdns on that box.

The same problem still exists. If you try to type in the web address, it doesn't resolve. But, if you type in the web adddress.domain name it works. When I do a nsresolve in a command prompt, it shows the right external address.

Mikester

[cutepinkbunnies]

Which zones are you hosting internally? Is there an external record pointing to the intended machine? Have you tried using conditional forwarders?

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/DNS_Conditional_Forwarding_in_Windows_Server_2003.html

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304491

There's 2 articles for conditional forwarding if you do not want to host another zone. I would however host another zone.

Also check the new cache on the DC and find out what its returning for the machine in question. And never underestimate the usefullness of the ipconfig/flushdns and ipconfig/display DNS commands on the client side.

Once again let us know how it works out :)

Jon