How to make Ubuntu gimme DNS servers
Apr. 15th, 2007 01:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pseydtonneI like a lot of things about Ubuntu Linux, particularly the Xubuntu deviant with the skinny XFCE desktop. I am always juiced to put a single CD into a machine with a blank drive, get the installer to detect even the wireless crap and then work without a problem. Windows can't even do that anymore (not even when you don't bootleg it).
My main Xubuntu server is also a basic desktop machine. While I use my Windows laptop for most things (more because it's a laptop, it lets me remote into my work machines and iPods don't like Linux), I still have this box in my bedroom. I've got a what I need and I'm about to move from my old 80 GB IDE drive to a 300 GB SATA drive so that my MP3s have a nicer home. Since it's a server, I gave it a static IP address just below the DHCP start point for my home router. Ubuntu doesn't mind this... until I want to surf the Net.
Ubuntu is so big into ease of configuration that it can stymie a geek that wants to configure things manually. I am used to editing /etc/resolv.conf myself. If I do this on Ubuntu, it'll wipe whatever I type when I reboot.
Let's face it: when you want pr0n, you don't want to wait or even configure anything. There's blood in your piece and you're ready to prime the pump.
Actually, I feel far lamer admitting I'm usually looking for web comics and stuff about the history of computers and only looking for new pr0n a couple times a week. It sounds wicked lame to say "I want to play sudoku... oh snap! I didn't get the DNS configured!" or worse: "It's Friday so there's probably a Pintsize reference in QC... oh jeeze-o-pete! I forgot to set up the box."
I dug around for answers. Ubuntu's documentation pretends I have some special case not worth discussing.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hakamadare taught me an important razor: "If you have an administrative need in Linux, chances are someone has already made a tool and you don't need to write anything." I kept this in mind and found out there is a way to preload DNS servers to the auto-resolver Ubuntu uses. You go to /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d and add what you want to an otherwise empty file called 'tail'. Who doesn't like to get some tail, especially when I'm giving it out.
That worked. I am happy and surfing with aplomb on my Xubuntu desktop. Soon I'll be tricking my iTunes setup into looking on my server first for all the MP3s.
My girlfriend just muttered something in her sleep and didn't believe me when I told her. I think that's my cue to hit the sack.
-geeking to help mankind, Dante
My main Xubuntu server is also a basic desktop machine. While I use my Windows laptop for most things (more because it's a laptop, it lets me remote into my work machines and iPods don't like Linux), I still have this box in my bedroom. I've got a what I need and I'm about to move from my old 80 GB IDE drive to a 300 GB SATA drive so that my MP3s have a nicer home. Since it's a server, I gave it a static IP address just below the DHCP start point for my home router. Ubuntu doesn't mind this... until I want to surf the Net.
Ubuntu is so big into ease of configuration that it can stymie a geek that wants to configure things manually. I am used to editing /etc/resolv.conf myself. If I do this on Ubuntu, it'll wipe whatever I type when I reboot.
Let's face it: when you want pr0n, you don't want to wait or even configure anything. There's blood in your piece and you're ready to prime the pump.
Actually, I feel far lamer admitting I'm usually looking for web comics and stuff about the history of computers and only looking for new pr0n a couple times a week. It sounds wicked lame to say "I want to play sudoku... oh snap! I didn't get the DNS configured!" or worse: "It's Friday so there's probably a Pintsize reference in QC... oh jeeze-o-pete! I forgot to set up the box."
I dug around for answers. Ubuntu's documentation pretends I have some special case not worth discussing.
hakamadare taught me an important razor: "If you have an administrative need in Linux, chances are someone has already made a tool and you don't need to write anything." I kept this in mind and found out there is a way to preload DNS servers to the auto-resolver Ubuntu uses. You go to /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d and add what you want to an otherwise empty file called 'tail'. Who doesn't like to get some tail, especially when I'm giving it out.That worked. I am happy and surfing with aplomb on my Xubuntu desktop. Soon I'll be tricking my iTunes setup into looking on my server first for all the MP3s.
My girlfriend just muttered something in her sleep and didn't believe me when I told her. I think that's my cue to hit the sack.
-geeking to help mankind, Dante
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-15 06:34 pm (UTC)resolvconf is an extra package that is not be installed by default (at least on Ubuntu proper). It's definitely nice for configuring your /etc/resolv.conf (go figure!), but there is another place where you can put the DNS info if you want to use something like OpenDNS and your ISP wants you to user _their_ DNS. They even have a HOWTO for Ubuntu: http://www.opendns.com/start/ubuntu.php
Basically, since the reason your resolv.conf gets blown away is that the DHCP server is telling Ubuntu's DHCP client to blow it away (and rightfully so), you can configure the client by fiddling the /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf file. Add "prepend domain-name-servers 208.67.222.222,208.67.220.220;" (or whatever you like for your DNS servers). Tell the network manager to reconnect, and your /etc/resolv.conf should be remade with the DNS servers you like.
mike
no subject
Date: 2007-04-16 03:27 am (UTC)In this case the DHCP server... is my old Linksys router. Since it's not assigning that IP address to the machine (it's just cool with the server stealing it), it's not handing anything back (such as DNS server details).