Resolv.conf getting reset on reboot

If you have been around Linux for any length of time, you know that you can statically define which DNS servers your computer uses for name resolution. This is not always the case in Ubuntu / Debian systems because of a package called dhcp3-client. If this package is in use on your system, you will notice that your resolv.conf file is reset every time the system reboots or the network interfaces are cycled. This is because dhcp3-client resets your resolv.conf file using the information provided by your local DHCP server.

In my case, I am running numerous tools from my box and I need these tools to be able to resolve names on my LAN using the DNS server on my LAN. There are a couple different ways to resolve this issue but I’ll show you the way that I like to handle this.

Make sure that you have the IP addresses of the DNS servers you want to use and drop to the command line and run: sudo nano /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf

Navigate down through all of the commented area and locate the request directive. You will need to enter in your DNS above the request line with the prepend command. Mine looks like this:

prepend domain-name-servers 10.10.10.11, 208.67.222.222;
request subnet-mask, broadcast-address, time-offset, routers,
domain-name, domain-name-servers, domain-search, host-name,
netbios-name-servers, netbios-scope, interface-mtu;

As you can see, you just need to add that line and as many DNS servers as you need. In this example I have chosen to use my internal DNS server and OpenDNS as a secondary. Make sure your syntax is correct, separate DNS servers with commas and end the line with a semi-colon.

–Himuraken

New member of Leetworks!

I’d like to welcome raulmontana to our blog. His first post is below and as you can see, he has a knack for new things technical. Raul is always on the up and up with new technology whether it is browsers, devices, or social networking. He brings a perspective that many may find familiar and thats because he is doing this stuff all day everyday. You can check out his blog on photography and everything else at RM Paparazzi.

–Himuraken

Got it! The Rush Limbaugh signed humidor

Well folks, I kept with my original bid for the signed humidor and I won! I placed my original bid just after the auction started and thought that I would lose for sure. Well, I didn’t and I am now the proud owner of this El Rushbo signed humidor. Hrmm, come to think of it, I’ve never even had a cigar, guess I need a recommendation or two.

–Himuraken

Bad pic from mobile phone below, a high resolution image can be found here.

Rush Limbaugh signed humidor

Identifying kernel and Ubuntu versions

These are pretty basic tasks but they are important things to know if you are new to Linux. These are particularly useful if you are running a Linux system without an X server.

To find the Linux kernel version that you are running, open your favorite terminal or CLI and type in: uname -a. Using the -a switch will display all information related to the kernel version. Usually, uname -r will be sufficient.

To find the version of Ubuntu that you are running, open your favorite terminal or CLI and type in: cat /etc/issue. This will give you the version number only. If you need to know the name of the version just run
cat /etc/lsb-release and check the named value in the field named DISTRIB_CODENAME=.

Hopefully these simple but useful commands will help you.

–Himuraken

Entourage 2004 configuration on Windows 2003 SBS

A client of mine purchased one of the new iMac’s and needed it setup on the network. Specifically, they wanted Entourage from Office 2004 for Mac to work with their exchange server. After following the setup wizard and putting in the proper server settings it still would not work. After searching numerous sites without any luck, I came across SimultaneousPancakes. There is an older post from January, 2005 that had my answer. Apparently, Entourage connects to Exchange using Outlook Web Access, quite similar to Evolution actually.

You can find the step by step instructions on the original page which is located here.

–Himuraken

Rush Limbaugh signed humidor on eBay!

So a radio station in the area has this thing going on for soldiers, it is called Cigars for Soldiers. They basically send cigars to deployed troops as a show of appreciation. You can visit their webpage and get additional information here. Recently, someone from within the radio station offered up a humidor for sale on eBay, signed by none other than Rush Limbaugh. Apparently, Rush signed the humidor knowing that it was for a good cause and obviously, his signature helps to increase the value.

So why am I mentioning this on my technical blog? Because it is for a good cause and its your chance to get the signed humidor! I have placed a bid and I am currently the highest bidder, who knows how high I will go!?!

The direct link to the item is here.

–Himuraken