Computer gets IP from DHCP server but has no internet connection

Question

I've installed an isc-dhcp-server on Ubuntu 12.10 and I'm trying to setup a DHCP server on a head node for six worker computers in the local network. The head node itself is a DHCP client receiving the IP-address 192.168.20.1 (on eth0) from an other computer in the network.

IPv4 IP forwarding is enabled on the head node. In /etc/sysctl.conf the following line was added:

net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1

The following rules are set in /etc/rc.local:

/sbin/iptables -P FORWARD ACCEPT
/sbin/iptables --table nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE

Furthermore, INTERFACES="eth0" is set in /etc/default/isc-dhcp-server.

The dhcpd.conf file contains (for the moment only one worker computer is in the file):

ddns-update-style none;

default-lease-time 3600;
max-lease-time 7200;

authoritative;

subnet 192.168.20.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
  range 192.168.20.2 192.168.20.200
  host hostName {
    hardware ethernet macOfHost;
    fixed-address 192.168.20.20;
  }
  option subnet-mask 255.255.255.0;
  option broadcast-address 192.168.20.255;
  option routers 192.168.20.1;
}

The worker node effectively gets the IP address 192.168.20.20, but it has no internet connection. A ping to 192.168.20.1 is successful, as well as a ping to the computer that serves as a DHCP server for the head node (a ping to 192.168.1.1). The problem doesn't seem to have something to do with DNS as a ping to an IP-address (such as 8.8.4.4) fails.

Update

The network topology is as follows. There is switch connecting a computer (with internet access and running a DHCP server, IP address 192.168.1.1) and 7 other computers. One of these 7 computers gets an IP from the 192.168.1.1 computer. The IP it gets is 192.168.20.1 and the internet on that computer works fine. Now we have a DHCP server running on 192.168.20.1 in order to provide internet access to the other 6 computers, but that fails. They get IP addresses but have no internet access. We are not allowed to modify anything on the 192.168.1.1 node so it should be feasible to make internet work with this setup.

Does someone know what the problem could be?

Solution

Everything is working now. It turned out to be a DNS problem; changing the option routers to option routers 192.168.1.1 fixed the issue. Pings must have been blocked somewhere in the network as responses never came through, but surfing in the browser to a specific IP-address was possible, which made me realise that DNS was the problem. Thanks everyone for your help.

Comments

[Dubu]

Crosspost of serverfault.com/questions/525671/…

[user2611216]

There is only one interface (eth0) except for the loopback.

[johnshen64]

in that case, how do you get to the internet? the iptables rules indicate that you are forwarding your traffic to somewhere from the internal network, but with only one interface, there is nowhere to forward to.

[user2611216]

The head node itself is a DHCP client of some other computer which is also in the local network. That other computer is connected to the internet. It looks something like this: 192.168.1.1 (Router and DHCP server) -> 192.168.20.1 (other local router and DHCP server) -> 192.168.20.20 (DHCP client)

[trpt4him]

Does the 20.1 computer have internet access? Also, the 20.1 computer MUST have two interfaces, if you're connecting it to the router and to the 20.20 computer.

[user2611216]

The 20.1 computer has internet access. It has only one NIC however, everything is connected via a switch.

[trpt4him]

Guess we're not understanding your topology. How does the 20.1 machine get an IP on the 20.0 subnet when it's connected to a 1.1 router? Also, what happens if you change your option routers to 192.168.1.1?

[user2611216]

Thank you for your help. I've made the network topology more clear now in my post. Changing the option routers to 192.168.1.1 still gives no internet access.