Talk Fantasy Football

From work I'm having some serious problems resolving the TalkBloodBowl domain name. I know others have had the same problem and have posted on the NAF site.

Er, so if JP gets a chance can he check its all propagating okay since it appears some DNS servers don't have the details.

On behalf of all the non-technicals out there, can I just say:

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Ian, it seems to be good shit that you've been smoking! Pass the joint.

[Nerd_mode]
DNS = Domain Name System

As most of you guys know, every computer that is connected to the internet, has a unique ID, called an IP adress (IP = internet protocol). This is necessary, to separate all the numerous servers worldwide from each other. Well, the IP adress looks something like 81.168.2.123. So, if you wanted to contact any web server in the internet, you would have to remember these IP adresses.

So, someone clever invented domain names, which is nothing but attaching a name to an IP adress (roughly speaking). So, instead of typing the IP adress in your browser's adrress field, you type in the name. And this is where the DNS comes into play. As names and IP adresses keep constantly shifting in the volatile internet environment, some sort of dynamic database needs to be kept. Voila, the DNS. So, when you hit enter on "www.talkbloodbowl.com", internally your browser queries the next DNS server, asks it "Hey, dude, what internet adress is currently related to www.talkbloodbowl.com?" and the server answers "It's <insert IP adress here>." And only then, your browser can contact the actual web server of TBB.

Pretty complicated, it may seem, but it usually works. Now, the problem, Ian is hinting at is, that this DNS is a distributed system, which means, that not all DNS servers have all information about all server adresses (which is a pretty big number anyway couple of millions, I'd guess). So, if one server doesnt have the info of talkbloodbowl.com, it relays the request to another DNS server. And in this process, somewhere, is, where the problems might occur.

[/nerd_mode]

With the help of the System Admins here at my work I found a pretty simple work around (for Windows XP at least).

edit the file C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\etc\hosts

after the line that looks like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost

add this line
81.168.2.123 www.talkbloodbowl.com


Basically, this just tells your PC what IP address to use without it having to go look it up.

i would highly recomment people NOT edit their hosts file. What happens if/when talkbloodbowl gets assigned a new IP? Suddenly they dont have a prayer of getting back, and chances are they dont know enough about computers to fix the problem themselves. Heck, chances are they've long since forgotten about the "fix" you gave them with their hosts file.

Too much information is damaging, and giving the masses access to the hosts file can have violent repercussions. Not to mention it's taking a bazooka to an anthill to have people editing their hosts file over a DNS problem that will likely clear itself up.

Ravage wrote:i would highly recomment people NOT edit their hosts file. What happens if/when talkbloodbowl gets assigned a new IP? Suddenly they dont have a prayer of getting back, and chances are they dont know enough about computers to fix the problem themselves. Heck, chances are they've long since forgotten about the "fix" you gave them with their hosts file.

Too much information is damaging, and giving the masses access to the hosts file can have violent repercussions. Not to mention it's taking a bazooka to an anthill to have people editing their hosts file over a DNS problem that will likely clear itself up.

Hadn't even thought about this. I'll probably be one of the guys who forgets he made the change and can't figure out why it doesn't work 2 months from now.

see?

I disagree. Edit the host file if it doesn't work now. Ask again later if it quits again. What's the worst that will happen? You have to load the OS again? Big deal. That's probably what needs to happen anyway to fix it and this is just a band-aid.

Editing the hosts file doesn't help me either - since its the work's new IPCop &^%$ - that can't find TBB - my own machine (on the same network) can see it fine (or I could if it wasn't for that &*%&*$ IPCop).

It seems that the DNS problem is still out there. I can connect to TBB from work but cannot connect at home. I succeeded once a month ago, but haven't got any luck otherwise within last 5 months. My home computer is in other network (different ISP) than my job.

I contacted my ISP and they tried to connect the site but with no luck. They promised to check the problem with more care and to find a solution.

Did you try jaylazer's instructions?

ianwilliams wrote:Did you try jaylazer's instructions?

Nope, not yet. I've asked my networkgurubrother tho, if it's ok and safe to do so and how its done with a Mac.

Just got the instructions how to add the site. When I get back home, I'll try wheter I got it working or not.

I'm still having problems at both work and at home. However I can get on at the public library and at two other people's ISP's.

I think that the common element is a firewall thingy (DNS resolution?) called Squid. It can't resolve it.

GIven that 2 BBRC members can't get onto TBB as well as they'd like - there's still very much a problem I'd say.