DNS and site resolution issues via Spark VDSL

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VirtualKiwi

29 posts

Geek

#225664 29-Nov-2017 12:28

I had a client call up this morning about a couple of websites they were unable to access.

They're on a VDSL connection with a Spark supplied HG659B router.

I remoted into their PC and one of the sites responded to a ping request but the other didn't, and failed to resolve the domain, but neither displayed the website.

On my Vodafone connection I could access both.

I tried changing the DNS server on their router to Google's free public DNS servers, and both sites now respond to a ping request from their PC, but still no site visibility.

Finally, I installed the Tor browser on the client's PC and they have access, but it's not an ideal workaround.

Apparently the sites in question had been checked and had issues on other Spark fixed line broadband, but seem to work OK via mobile.

One of the sites they're trying to access is http://www.fridayoffcuts.com/

(I won't publish the other one as it's a private login for their business)

Can anyone else on Spark fixed line broadband confirm whether or not they can access the site in question?

Also, can anyone suggest what might be the issue?

tdgeek

29743 posts

Uber Geek

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Lifetime subscriber

#1909512 29-Nov-2017 12:37

I got in, ChCh Fibre, dynamic IP

Its a wood site, not meat!

hio77

12999 posts

Uber Geek

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Lizard Networks

#1909518 29-Nov-2017 12:43

I wouldn't call tor a realistic troubleshooting step, Props for going outside of the box though!

DM me the addresses you had issues with, and i'll do some testing. Sounds very specific to this customer having issue though.

I don't have my surface in the office with me today, a quick RDP has the following results.

in otherwords, fully resolvable and rotatable over both Vodafone ADSL and Spark VDSL, both my personal connections.

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

VirtualKiwi

29 posts

Geek

#1909548 29-Nov-2017 13:12

hio77:

I wouldn't call tor a realistic troubleshooting step, Props for going outside of the box though!

DM me the addresses you had issues with, and i'll do some testing. Sounds very specific to this customer having issue though.

I don't have my surface in the office with me today, a quick RDP has the following results.

in otherwords, fully resolvable and rotatable over both Vodafone ADSL and Spark VDSL, both my personal connections.

Tor was really just a workaround to provide them access. They'd tried contacting Spark and their usual IT support and got nowhere. I just look after their web site and they tried me as a last resort. I figured if a site is not down then Tor would provide access at least until the issue is resolved properly.

As I mentioned, once I switched to Google DNS, I could ping each site from their PC, so they appeared to be resolving, but were not accessible from their browser.

I wonder about something similar to fail2ban on the servers although I'm not sure how that would have been triggered for my client's IP address, and one is running classic ASP, and the other Cold Fusion, so fail2ban itself seems unlikely.

VirtualKiwi

29 posts

Geek

#1910604 29-Nov-2017 15:47

I've just heard from my client that the problem has resolved itself after almost a week.

I suggested to them that I'd ask on Geekzone, as it would involve less time and expense than waiting on the end of a Spark callcentre queue.

I'm not sure what the issue was, but it does seem to have mysteriously resolved itself.

I actually had a similar issue with some sites being unavailable myself yesterday via my Vodafone VDSL connection, but in that case, all of them seemed to be related to something up in Auckland, as most Umbrellar related sites and a few other ones with Auckland datacentres seemed to be inaccessible. That resolved itself within a few hours.