[Dnsmasq-discuss] query from a windows workstation

[Simon Kelley]

Goldorak wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> Is it possible to query dns request by dnsmasq, from a
> windows workstation?
> 
> I am using dnsmasq to serves query from the linux
> machine itself, and it work fine, but i am not able to
> make a another machine asking dnsmasq to give answer.
> 
> (i dont want to use the dhcpd server include in
> dnsmasq)
> 
> this the the log of dnsmasq:
> when i am doing : nslookup www.google.fr from a
> windows workstation
> 
> dnsmasq[10809]: query[PTR] 123.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa
> from 192.168.1.20
> dnsmasq[10809]: forwarded 123.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa
> to 212.30.96.123
> 
> 192.168.1.123 is the interface where dnsmasq is
> working, 212.30.96.123 is my ISP dns server. but then
> the windows workstation get this :
> 
> *** Can't find server name for address 192.168.1.123:
> Non-existent domain
> 
> when i am doing the query from the linux machine
> itself, no problem.
> 

Confusingly , nslookup is trying to do an address->name query on the 
address of it's nameserver _before_ it does the name->address query on 
www.google.fr. It does this so that it can tell you what nameserver it 
used, but then treats failure as a fatal error and never even tries to 
do what you asked.

192.168.1.123 is a private address, so it's no surprise that looking it 
up in your ISPs nameserver fails.

To fix the problem, you need to add an entry for 192.168.1.123 in 
/etc/hosts on the machine running dnsmasq. Then the query address->name 
query will work, and nslookup will do what you asked and try the 
name->address query for www.google.fr

dnsmasq is completely compatible with Windows. (or rather, both follow 
the DNS standard.)

Cheers,

Simon.