FR DNS problems...

today | self

[FreedomPoster]

That's OK, they play cyberterrorist, we get to watch their boy Clarke melt down. I'll take that trade.

[plewis1250]

Yeah, though it could have just been a computer "glitch"... as long as someone has emailed Jim about it...
I wonder why Jim uses them and not someone like Network Solutions?
- Peter

[beckett]

It worked for me too. After FR comes back up we'll have to remove the file from the hosts directory right?

You don't have to remove it. FR's IP addy (207.etc...) should remain constant unless they relocate the servers to a new internet provider, a major project which is not likely to occur anytime soon since they just moved a year or two ago. If FR's IP addy does change at some point, however, you will have to update the IP addy in your hosts file.

By hardcoding (permanently connecting) the FR IP addy to FR's domain name on your own computer you're essentially bypassing the big DNSlookup servers on the internet which normally connect domain names to IP addys.

[SCR1]

I concur, there is a Freerepublic DNS issue. I had to create a WWW host record on my Local DNS server to get here.

[LibWhacker]

Notepad defaults to saving it as "hosts.txt", but that won't work - it has to be just plain "hosts".

Strangely, my Notepad saved it without an extension, but I'm not looking any gift horses in any mouths, lol! Also, I did have to edit the host file before I could log in. Manually entering http://209.157.64.200 in my browser wasn't good enough. It let me see FR, but I still couldn't post or log in. I had to edit the hosts file to do that. Weird.

After you save, www.freerepublic.com should work normally, at least until the IP address changes, in which case remove the entry or update it with the new address.

This worries me because a year or two from now I doubt very much I'll remember all this.

[BaBaStooey]

weird. Is this some kind of hacker out to get FR or is it another problem?

[Lady Jag]

I'm going to forget editing the hosts file, too. I hope my blood pressure is better by then.

[steveegg]

Update from John Robinson over on the Yahoo lifeboat:

Something odd is happening with our domain at GKG.net (registrar.) For some reason their records say our domain is INACTIVE (expires Sep 22, 2006.) We're looking into it, I will keep you posted.

[SittinYonder]

thanks eyespy it worked. don't know how i would have spent my day if I couldn't have gotten on.

[Sloth]

Also, I did have to edit the host file before I could log in. Manually entering http://209.157.64.200 in my browser wasn't good enough. It let me see FR, but I still couldn't post or log in. I had to edit the hosts file to do that. Weird.

Same here.

This worries me because a year or two from now I doubt very much I'll remember all this.

Same here.

[LibWhacker]

Maybe after this is all over, I'll go back and delete the entry so I don't run into any unpleasant surprises in the future. But I wonder . . . Does this hosts file entry make the initial connection to FR go a little faster??? Hate to give up anything that makes things faster.

[steveegg]

I haven't noticed any speed differential.

[general_re]

This worries me because a year or two from now I doubt very much I'll remember all this.

In that case, the easiest thing to do will be to go back to the hosts file in a day or two, after John's gotten this registrar issue sorted out, and take that line back out. That way, your computer will go back to looking up FR on your ISP's DNS server, as it was before you put that entry in there.

[Lady Jag]

FR is running a lot faster for me with the edited host file. The past week or so FR was miserably slow, so this is great. I'm almost ready to keep the file and hope gmbeahan comes back to Yahoo when I need him again.

Bless you gmbeahan wherever you are.

[LibWhacker]

I thought maybe you might save a little time since this trick lets you bypass the DNS servers. But you're right, I'm not seeing much difference at the moment.

[eyespysomething]

Thanks.

[Lady Jag]

It's a lot faster for me. It could be a coincidence, but FR is now loading like cable again where the last week it was loading like 56k.

[eyespysomething]

Thanks. It worked.

[LibWhacker]

Yes, thank you gmbeahan. You're a good (wo)man. :-)

[LibWhacker]

Yes, thank you, I think I'm probably going to do that -- as soon as I can determine how much load time the entry saves, if any.