On Fri, 2007-01-05 at 10:24 +0000, Dan Track wrote: > I've got a problem resolving some internal hosts. I've listed three > servers in my resolv.conf. The first two (ext1 ext2) are external and > the last is internal (int 1). With this setup I'm unable to resolve my > internal hosts. > > However if I rearrange the dns servers so I now have > > nameserver int1 > nameserver ext1 > nameserver ext2 > > I can resolve the internal hosts easily. > > So my question is really why won't the hostnames get resolved if the > internal DNS server is last in the list to be queried ? The usual process is to query the first, wait for a response, then query the next if there's no response. This will mean, at least, a significant delay for internet name resolution. The time-out for the first two isn't always quick. What you're asking it to resolve might play a part in why you're not getting an answer. If the external resolvers do provide some answer, but not the one that you want (such as reverse look-ups on 192.168.x.y addresses), that'd be the cause of your problems. You can dispense with the external resolvers, and use your internal one for all queries (internal and internet addresses).