Business line DNS issues

[SOSAGES]

Hello all,

I have some odd goings on i hope someone can help with.
Since our business line was installed (ntl modem in bridge mode goes to router dlink 615) our internal DNS seems a little odd.

We have various PC's inside the network i used to be able to ping them using the name of the device for example i could ping my nas by typing "ping nas" and it would work out what IP it was and wonder off and find it on the network.

Now below is a ping to a PC on our network called DE03
C:\Users\itsupport>ping de03
Pinging de03.cable.virginmedia.net [81.200.64.50] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 81.200.64.50: bytes=32 time=53ms TTL=57
Reply from 81.200.64.50: bytes=32 time=45ms TTL=57
Reply from 81.200.64.50: bytes=32 time=34ms TTL=57
Reply from 81.200.64.50: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=57
Ping statistics for 81.200.64.50:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 30ms, Maximum = 53ms, Average = 40ms

as you can see it goes to de03.cable.virginmedia.net [81.200.64.50] where the actial IP is 192.168.1.103 (internally)

I did a ipconfig on one of the PC's on the network and the bit that worries me is Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : cable.virginmedia.net
Windows IP Configuration

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : cable.virginmedia.net
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::a544:a596:6998:78e7%11
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.103
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 6:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : cable.virginmedia.net
Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 7:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:5ef5:73ba:14b9:c02:3f57:fe98
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::14b9:c02:3f57:fe98%10
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::


So basically do i need to edit something in my router ( i had a look couldnt find anything) or is it a NTL issue? :)

if you need any more details let me know.
thanks in advance.

[Kymmy]

It shouldn't be active on a business line but go here (https://my.virginmedia.com/advancederrorsearch/settings) and select NO and tell me if it says it was already turned off??

If not already off then you'll need to reboot modem/router afterwards

[SOSAGES]

You have successfully switched off advanced network error search.
This will apply to all computers on this internet connection, but you may have to opt out again if you replace your modem.
You can switch this service back on at any time by going to virginmedia.com, and then looking for the links to Advanced Error Search in the My Virgin Media section of the site.
The Virgin Media Team

i will give things a reboot.

[Kymmy]

Did it work?

[caph]

Sosages, you're kind of confusing two technologies here. What you are wanting is to be able to talk to a computer by its NetBIOS name using NetBIOS over TCP/IP, which a windows PC will try, using broadcast traffic, AS LONG AS a DNS resolution fails. It looks like what is happening is that your PC is now appending a valid domain name to your NetBIOS name when it tries to resolve it via DNS (the DNS check happens before a broadcast for a NetBIOS name) which is why it fails (actually succeeds in DNS terms but returns your WAN address which is valid but we're treating it as a failure in terms of what you are trying to achieve) before it gets a chance to succeed, if that makes sense!

You could try unticking the append suffix tickbox in the TCP/IP settings in the Advanced button under the DNS tab. I think that might do it.

BTW, for reference, a modem can't be in bridge mode. Bridging is done between wireless access points. A modem just modulates / demodulates signals. I know I'm being picky, but facts is facts!

[Kymmy]

All modems on a no NAT run in bridged mode. It's bridging the external cable network to the internal ethernet network.

VM business cable modems using the admin login give operational config options of


Bridge mode
NAT mode
Router mode
NAT Router mode
CableHome 1.1 mode


There is also a few posts round the internet about the new search function messing up netbios requests hence I suggested that the OP opts out of the new search function

[caph]

All modems on a no NAT run in bridged mode.

Kymmy, I'm not having a go but that statement is nonsense. A modem modulates and demodulates a signal, nothing more.

If the VM business modem is misnamed and is actually a router with an integral modem then that's fair enough, I don't know anything about the business kit. What I do know is that a modem can't run in bridged mode, only a router/access point can.

You're spot on about the VM advanced DNS search causing the problem. It was obvious that it was unwanted DNS resolution that was preventing the netBIOS broadcast but I didn't figure on VM trickery. I can ping any made up name and it always resolves to VM's advanced search, I assume so that you hit their suggestions page if it's an HTTP request. Clever but confusing if you're just pinging.

[Kymmy]

I didn't say it was a bridge, I just suggested that it bridges differing network hardware layer to another ;) Perhaps more intelligently than a standard network bridge but still the same function. The VMB modems do have router capability but when turned off it is really acting as an intelligent bridge ;)

[caph]

OK, my mistake.