Re: Finding DNS and SMTP server ID's

Robert Bonomi wrote:
In article <IbRjh.16$gr7.12@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Rich Piehl <rpiehl5REMOVETHIS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Robert Bonomi wrote:

In article <qH0jh.105$9f5.16@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Rich Piehl <rpiehl5REMOVETHIS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


I'm having the installation of new equipment thrust on me and some of the stuff is on the fringe of my knowledge of computer networking. One of the things it needs in the network setup are the primary and secondary DNS server IP's and the SMTP server name or IP.

When I go in to customers who are not computer literate and start asking for such things I'm usually met with blank stares. Often these are smaller companies who have no full or part-time IT departments. Usually their network was put together by the friend of a friend who isn't around to ask.

I can generally find a static IP for my device by doing 'ipconfig' from a C prompt to get and idea of their network range, and then pinging around 'till I get no response (if they're using DHCP). But is there a similar command that I can use to find the information I need for the DNS and SMTP servers?


The network range _is_ specified in the ipconfig output. If you don't know
how to extract that from what ipconfig displays, you _shouldn't_ be doing
this kind of work.A At least without more training. Demand that your
employer send you to training, if he wants you to do this jobs


BTW, on this I've conveyed this to my employer numerous times. The mindset is training time is not time spent in the field, plus I have to be paid while I'm in training. So the company is losing money twice while I'm in training. Doesn't matter that it takes me three times as long to do a job without training. Or that it makes the company look like Keystone cops.


There's no need to talk down to me. I know what IPCONFIG does...and doesn't give.


Sorry, your own description of your activities says otherwise -- if you're having to ping random addresses to find the network range, as you said, then you _don't_ know.

Forgive me if I was misunderstood, but if I go into a network using DHCP and I need a static IP I have to be sure that the IP I select isn't already in use by some other device. Hence the need to do some pinging to find and unused addressed. If you know another way to find an unused IP address on a DHCP system with no IT management please enlighten me.


That aside --

DNS/SMTP information is always made available -- usually on-line, sometimes
it takes a phone call -- by the provider of the Internet connectivity
that the customer is using.

The other way to find out: "look at a machine where it is working", and copy those settings.

Note: if they're using DHCP, and it is properly set up, the DHCP server
_should_ be providing the IP address to the client machine for the DNS
server.

Outgoing SMTP servers are _frequently_ something very close to "mail.{provider}.com"
Incoming mail servers are frequently something close to
"pop.{provider}.com"


Many providers have a web-page for their customers, with all these configuration settings on them.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but unless I have the DNS server ID's putting mail.[name].com won't do beans since my device has know what of finding what IP address mail.[name].com goes to.


Correct.


And my device doesn't do DHCP so it can't pull it from the DHCP server. So then I'm back to square one - sort of trying to track down someone at the ISP who might be able to help is there another way to determine the address of the DNS server for the network?


There are precisely TWO ways to find out where the DNS server(s) are.
1) look at a *working* machine

Exactly what I'm asking. On a working machine which is set to automatically get DNS server address how can I obtain what that address is?

2) ask someone who knows.

It is a _very_ common question to ISP tech support.

So what your saying is that I ask the customer for their ISP tech support number when they aren't even 100% sure what ISP they have. Got it.

Thanks.

Take care,
Rich

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