How to enable nameserver recursion?

ubuntu dns resolv.conf dig

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The DNS resolver will only move onto the other name servers if the first one returns an error (i.e SERVFAIL) or can't be reached. If the DNS server returns NXDOMAIN then the resolver considers that the proper answer and won't check the others. NXDOMAIN is considered a final definitive answer that the requested domain does not exist.

In your case the first namserver is reached and is denying you.

In that namserver's named.conf you should have something like allow-query { any; };

Or

One solution might be to temporarily change the order of the nameservers in /etc/resolv.conf & put 8.8.8.8 first

Or

Just to direct dig to use 8.8.8.8 as the DNS server at command line you can do :

dig @8.8.8.8 google.de

16,986

Gottlieb Notschnabel

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Gottlieb Notschnabel over 1 year
On Ubuntu 14.04, when I'm performing a
```
dig google.de
```
on my machine, I get a REFUSED status (reducing to relevant lines):
```
me@machine:~# dig google.de
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: REFUSED, id: 26926
;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 1
;; WARNING: recursion requested but not available
```
My /etc/resolv.conf knows three nameservers:
```
nameserver 1.2.3.4
nameserver 1.2.3.5
nameserver 8.8.8.8
```
where the first two are corporate owned nameservers. But at least the last one (8.8.8.8) shouldn't return a refused status. So how can I enable recursion so that the last nameserver is considered?
- neuron almost 9 years
  
  Can you paste the named.conf configurations?
- neuron almost 9 years
  
  You should have allow-query { any; }; in that
- Gottlieb Notschnabel almost 9 years
  
  There is no named.conf on that machine; find / -name "named.conf" returns nothing...
- neuron almost 9 years
  
  That will be there on your nameserver..
Gottlieb Notschnabel almost 9 years

Thank you! Do I have to restart something after modifying resolv.conf (and if yes: how)?
Wouter Verhelst almost 9 years

No, that's not necessary. It will be picked up immediately.
Gottlieb Notschnabel almost 9 years

Funnily I still get the same behaviour. And although 8.8.8.8 is the first nameserver now, dig still returns ;; SERVER: 1.2.3.4#53(1.2.3.4)...
YoMismo almost 9 years

@Neuron, you can specify a server for lookup in the dig command avoiding modifying files: dig @8.8.8.8 google.de
neuron almost 9 years

@YoMismo: Agree, edited my post to include your suggestion