[Dnsmasq-discuss] Initializing DNS

[Mark Olbert]

Apologies for raising what is probably a newbie question, but I’ve been unable to find an answer elsewhere despite several hours of online searching.

I am transferring the DHCP/DNS services provided by dnsmasq for my LAN from one device to another (the old device runs Debian wheezy; the new one runs Debian stretch).

A number of the devices on my LAN have fixed IP addresses. Some of these are statically-defined on the devices themselves, and others are always assigned the same address by virtue of entries in dnsmasq.conf like this:

dhcp-host=1C:6F:65:39:09:8D,colossus,10.0.0.8

This is all pretty straightforward, and has worked fine for years on the old device.

But what I’m noticing when I try to cut over to the new device is that the DNS service only appears to be resolving local LAN addresses for devices for which it has issued a DHCP lease. I had assumed that those fixed IP entries in dnsmasq.conf “initialized” the DNS service so that it would resolve them properly whether or not a lease had been issued.

Questions:


* Is there a way to configure dnsmasq to act the way I expected it to?



* If not, what’s the recommended way of addressing the situation? I could put the fixed IP addresses in /etc/hosts. But I’ve resisted doing that because of concerns over someday accidentally changing the DHCP assignment in dnsmasq.conf and forgetting to update the corresponding entry in hosts (or vice versa). It feels kludgy.

- Mark

[Geert Stappers]

Post by Mark Olbert
I am transferring the DHCP/DNS services provided by dnsmasq for my
LAN from one device to another (the old device runs Debian wheezy;
the new one runs Debian stretch).
A number of the devices on my LAN have fixed IP addresses. Some of
these are statically-defined on the devices themselves, and others are
always assigned the same address by virtue of entries in dnsmasq.conf
dhcp-host=1C:6F:65:39:09:8D,colossus,10.0.0.8
This is all pretty straightforward, and has worked fine for years on the old device.
But what I?m noticing when I try to cut over to the new device is that
the DNS service only appears to be resolving local LAN addresses for
devices for which it has issued a DHCP lease. I had assumed that those
fixed IP entries in dnsmasq.conf ?initialized? the DNS service so that
it would resolve them properly whether or not a lease had been issued.

I do mis a picture or drawing. So I made one.
Please view it with a mono spaced font ( "typewriter" )


+---------+ +---------+
| wheezy | | stretch |
+----+----+ +----+----+
| |
==========================================LAN====
| | |
+---+----+ +----+-----+ +----+----+
| client | | colossus | | client2 |
+--------+ +----------+ +---------+

Post by Mark Olbert
What?s the recommended way of addressing the situation?

Frankly, I don't understand "the situation".

Post by Mark Olbert
I could put the fixed IP addresses in /etc/hosts. But I?ve resisted
doing that because of concerns over someday accidentally changing
the DHCP assignment in dnsmasq.conf and forgetting to update the
corresponding entry in hosts (or vice versa). It feels kludgy.

I think the kludgy feeling is that the expected magic didn't work.

The trick is knowing that it is high tech, not magic.




Groeten
Geert Stappers