[Dnsmasq-discuss] ipconfig /registerdns and split DNS

[Joe.Kelly]

Hi,

I'm currently running dnsmasq on a LinkSys WRT54GL that is running
OpenWrt White Russian RC6. Using the openswan package, I managed to
create a VPN between the WRT54GL and a LinkSys RV082.

I must say that I am very impressed with the features of dnsmasq. Some
of the more advanced features are particularly well suited for VPN use.
For example, we are using the "server" setting in dnsmasq.conf to enable
"split dns". This is useful because we have an internal DNS server that
runs on the RV082 side of the VPN and we want dnsmasq to delegate all
internal hostname DNS lookups to the internal DNS server while still
handling internet lookups on the WRT54GL. Here is a sample value for the
"server" setting:

# internal.mydomain.com is the internal domain
# 192.168.1.145 is the address of the internal DNS server on the other
side of the VPN
server=/internal.mydomain.com/192.168.1.145

Another nice feature for VPNs is the "srv-host" setting in dnsmasq.conf.
That setting enables a host on the WRT54GL side of the VPN to join an
active directory domain managed by a domain controller on the RV082 side
of the VPN. Here is a sample value for the "srv-host" setting:

# internal.mydomain.com is the active directory domain name (same as DNS
domain name in this case)
# mydomaincontroller.internal.mydomain.com is the hostname of teh domain
controller
srv-host=_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.internal.mydomain.com,mydomaincontroller.i
nternal.mydomain.com,389,0,100

With these settings, I have successfully done internal DNS lookups and
domain joins. 

***HOWEVER***, the "ipconfig /registerdns" command does NOT seem to work
if the host it is run on uses the WRT54GL as its DNS server. I ran this
command on a Windows 2000 and Windows XP host on the WRT54GL side of the
VPN and I expected to see a new host record in the internal DNS server.
However, it doesn't seem to work. I hoped that the split DNS feature
would handle this for me (the host's DNS server was set to the WRT54GL,
not the internal DNS server). Any suggestions? I'd prefer to keep the
host pointing at the WRT54GL as its primary DNS server.

Cheers,
Joe