Failed remote network problem

[Anonymous]

Both Craig and DalikVee were able to download successfully when their SKY boxes used my home router for their DNS, which proves that like me, they are affected by Akamai and can download when Limelight is always presented as primary IP

[Craigv9]

Indeed. And it's a result that has BAFFLED Sky who wish to maintain we are not being geoblocked / non whitelisted.

The simple facts prove otherwise.

But even with your proof AND the remedy, which is a simple DNS forward, here we are...without on demand downloads...still..as my leaving date inches ever nearer

The whole thing is bonkers...

[Anonymous]

All SKY need to do is provide a special public DNS server that repeats what my router does, and they could instantly direct anyone with issues to use it.

This has been my main point all along.

While you could forgive SKY for being awful and not realising what has been going on through lack of undersrtanding of their own network.

It is so much worse when there is a solution and they refuse to deploy it, that is when it becomes a deliberate act not to help people on non-SKY ISPs.

[Chodley]

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@Craigv9 wrote:

Just an update...

I downloaded a PC DNS server program on mini PC today

The mini PC has an IP address of 192.168.1.59

I put in a forwarding rule on the mini PC stating that ANY DNS request WHATSOEVER should result in 87.248.204.0

I set the DNS on my Sky box to 192.168.1.59...pointing it to the mini PC, assuming my DNS server would do the rest...

No joy...downloads stuck at 0%. Not failing or erroring out, just stuck

Don't claim to know what I'm doing, but thought I'd throw it open to folk whilst so wait for my router solution to arrive...

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Missed this. I suspect you may have been forwarding all DNS requests to that address, and it's not a DNS server.

You want to configure it to forward all DNS requests to 1.1.1.1 and add a single override local host lookup to it, for the hostname Mark gave much earlier in the thread, pointing to that 87. address.

[Chodley]

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@Anonymous wrote:

All SKY need to do is provide a special public DNS server that repeats what my router does, and they could instantly direct anyone with issues to use it.

This has been my main point all along.

While you could forgive SKY for being awful and not realising what has been going on through lack of undersrtanding of their own network.

It is so much worse when there is a solution and they refuse to deploy it, that is when it becomes a deliberate act not to help people on non-SKY ISPs.

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There's unfortunately no chance on earth that they have a support runbook that tells them how to do that. Not to mention all the security checks, build & run phase processes etc. would be a 3 month project in most corporate IT shops.

@Craigv9 No, windows doesn't have a DNS server (Windows SERVER does though)

but I gave you the name of a 3rd party DNS software which has a Windows version and you said you were going to try it on your mini PC. I guess that's what you said you downloaded?

[Craigv9]

Yes, that's what I was referring to...I think it was MarasDNS that I used.

It looked like it was doing stuff. In fact, the activity log was a frenzy of activity

Sadly, I was an imbecile running an asylum...I have my mini pc next to my router, next to my Sky box. I confess to being baffled what to plug in to what! I do think I was only one step away from TOTAL VICTORY, which ultimately added frustration

I had downloads stuck on zero % and 'connected to router, but not Internet'. I'm no expert, but I got the impression my PC wasn't talking to my router

All the devices are connected to an access point, but I did plug the Sky box in to the router without success...might plug thr Sky box in to the mini PC, but then dont know how my mini pc would talk to the router! I think you can see my lack of tech prowess here...

I had the mini PC IP address added to the Sky Box and don't think I was far off!

I just did some forwarding in Maras...'if (dodgy domain name) then forward to 87...etc'

Thought that would have worked

I might have another go tomorrow, but tis very disheartening when Sky are kicking me down, then pulling me up, going dark, then getting very animated, then going dark

As I say, pretty happy I had Maras set up, so might have another go tomorrow if its raining

Otherwise I'm then waiting for the Cisco router. I did some reading today, but tech talks tech. If I understood any of it, I could make a fortune translating this stuff in to English for poor folk like myself to understand...Networks for dummies!

[Anonymous]

hmm, there are a few issues with what you posted Craig

Quote "I just did some forwarding in Maras...'if (dodgy domain name) then forward to 87...etc'"

No you dont do that.

Ok some simple basics, a DNS server is just a directory, think of a phone book for names and ip addresses. No DNS server can resolve everything therefore you have DNS forwarders, these are servers that "know more than the current server".

In simple terms, you ask me where someone lives, I do not know, so I ask the electoral register. To me, the electoral register would be a DNS forwarder.

Now, what we're trying to do is create a Host Record on your Maras, that means when SKY says, hey where is this web site and your Maras doesnt bother asking anyone, it Resolves the DNS lookup by checking the static entry in its config. You also need a DNS forwarder but that should be Cloudflare DNS or similar.

Moderator note: personally identifiable information removed - please repost your diagram without IP addresses

[Anonymous]

Chodley

Quote "There's unfortunately no chance on earth that they have a support runbook that tells them how to do that. Not to mention all the security checks, build & run phase processes etc. would be a 3 month project in most corporate IT shops."

Forums have been full of these issues for years, I have had it for close to 4, so gladly would wait 3 months for a proper fix ! lol

[Chodley]

Yeah the mini PC is presumably just using the access point to get to the router. I don't think the physical network was your problem but as Mark says, rather than directing the actual traffic (requests for a download, or extending Mark's phone number analogy, the actual phone call) to the 87 host, you were forwarding all the lookups (DNS requests asking "what IP address hosts this service called blahblah.sky.com?", like a call to directory enquiries*  to find out what number you really want to call) - those latter have to go to either your router (which will forward them to Kloud9's DNS because all consumer routers run a DNS proxy, or one of the big public ones like 1.1.1.1 - you just want to intercept any lookups for the one sky hostname which is being round-robinned by the "real" DNS services between edgio/limelight and akamai and always return the limelight 87. address instead.

and what you did, as well as not doing what you want, would also break every other lookup hence the sky box suddenly thought it couldn't "get to the internet" any more. But you didn't change the DNS on any other device so they all carried on working.

I'll see if I can find time to figure out how tou configure Mara to do that but I've got 3 days of absolute carnage at work 🙂

* does that still exist??

[Craigv9]

Mark / Chodley

Thanks for your advice re Maras. I'll have a tinker, but you've just confirmed I'm out of my depth..

I shall await any Maras input offered and see what the Cisco router brings

Thanks again

[Craigv9]

And just to confirm..I messed with so many programs...it was actually Yoga DNS I used in the end as I could get Maras to boot...

[Chodley]

I don't think YogaDNS resolves lookups by itself, I think it only acts as a proxy to many other actual DNS servers. From a quick glance at the doc.

[Craigv9]

Yes, try Simple DNS Plus...that was easier for me to use...

[Craigv9]

So, I've posted the exact solution to this problem twice in the last half hour and the last has disappeared twice?

Does anyone know why?

[Chodley]

Some terms cause auto-deletions because they can refer to sensitive data. An admin might be able to review and retrieve.