Tim:
>> What do you mean by they gave you a new "DNS address", though?
Deepak Shrestha:
> what I mean by this is my ISP gave me their new DNS address so that I
> can configure in my box and that's what I did. I didn't gave DNS
> address, instead I set the new primary and secondary DNS servers in my
> network cofiguration.
DNS means "domain name system" (the scheme of how domain names work),
not "domain name server". It is confusing when people use the terms
incorrectly and/or partially. We cannot tell what they really mean.
Usually, when connecting, the ISP will provide you with their DNS server
addresses, and they'll be written into /etc/resolv.conf file by the
scripts that run when you're connecting, if they're not already there.
I've noticed that if the file doesn't need changing, it didn't get
changed (i.e. if I'd preloaded it with my ISP's DNS server IP addresses,
at the top of the list, they remained). But if it did need changing
(i.e. I had others, or local name server addresses first), the ISP's
would be written into it, and a backup of that file might be restored
after you disconnected.
On those notes: You don't usually need to do anything, it's done for
you automatically. If you add them while connected, then disconnect,
you might get a /etc/resolv.conf file that's different (as the backup
gets restored over your modifications). If you're going to add them
manually, it's better to do so while off-line.
In deference to your subject line, I have found some oddities with it as
well, particularly when I hadn't manually set up my machines local
addresses - it might add them (machine hostname and FQDN) to the
localhost line.
>> If you edit, and restart the network, out of sequence, you might have a
>> bit of confusion.
> It was not out of sequence. What I did was simply changed the old
> primary and secondary DNS address to new one. Reactivated the network.
> All of a sudden my hostname is changed together with that.
Which hostname, though? The machine's hostname (type in "hostname" into
a command line, and see what you get). Or the address associated with
an interface (each interface has its own name). It may well be that
when you connect to your ISP you're supplied with a collection of
different details, which your machine may use:
* The ISP's DNS server numerical IP addresses.
* A gateway address that you connect through for internet traffic.
* A public numerical IP address for you, e.g. "192.0.34.166".
* A public named address for you, e.g. dialup166.example.com, of
which "dialup66" may be used as a temporary hostname for you,
and example.com as temporary domain name for you, by your PC.
* It's also possible to supply you with addresses to use for other
types of services, as well.
> My question is still remains:
> Does this utility just wipes out everything and rewrites without
> considering what is already been configured?
My experience has shown it to be conditional, though not always
desirable. But then I haven't had the need to keep on using it. I've
used it, once, to configure dial-up connections, then left it alone.
--
(Currently running FC4, occasionally trying FC5.)
Don't send private replies to my address, the mailbox is ignored.
I read messages from the public lists.
