I haven't done anything at all to my server but all of a sudden I can't access webmin at all. It says can't find the server at ekmb.net which is my webmin server as well as one of my websites.

When I type in 127.0.0.1 or localhost it shows the virtualmin apache page.

I am also getting emails and the website is up for collectivestrategies.com which brings back the server address under ping.

I've also restarted Webmin, but no joy.


Please help. I have no idea what caused this or what to do.

$ host ekmb.net
;; connection timed out; no servers could be reached

Code:

Domain servers in listed order:     NS2.EKMB.NET   74.52.212.235     NS1.EKMB.NET   71.43.226.6

$ dig @71.43.226.6 ekmb.net

Code:

; <<>> DiG 9.4.2-P1 <<>> @71.43.226.6 ekmb.net ; (1 server found) ;; global options:  printcmd ;; connection timed out; no servers could be reached

$ dig @74.52.212.235 ekmb.net

Code:

; <<>> DiG 9.4.2-P1 <<>> @74.52.212.235 ekmb.net ; (1 server found) ;; global options:  printcmd ;; Got answer: ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: SERVFAIL, id: 16022 ;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0 ;; WARNING: recursion requested but not available ;; QUESTION SECTION: ;ekmb.net.                      IN      A ;; Query time: 92 msec ;; SERVER: 74.52.212.235#53(74.52.212.235) ;; WHEN: Thu Jul 17 22:41:57 2008 ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 26

So all this tells me that bind is not running on the main server at 71.43.226.6

Scott's spot on here. You've got broken name service. Either BIND isn't running on your boxes (74.52.212.235 and 71.43.226.6), or your glue records at your registrar are pointing to the wrong addresses.

Thanks. I figured it was DNS, but had no idea what to do or where to start looking.

The ip address is wrong. I don't have 74.52.212.235 at all. I have no idea where it came from or how it changed.

This is scary.

$ host 74.52.212.235
235.212.52.74.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer ns1.us.editdns.net.

$ whois 74.52.212.235
BW whois 3.4 by Bill Weinman (http://whois.bw.org/)
Copyright 1999-2003 William E. Weinman
Request: 74.52.212.235
connected to whois.arin.net [199.43.0.144:43] ...
connected to rwhois.theplanet.com [216.185.113.8:4321] ...
%rwhois V-1.5:003eff:00 whois.theplanet.com (by Network Solutions, Inc. V-1.5.9.5)
network:Class-Name:network
network:ID:THEPLANET-BLK-14
network:Auth-Area:74.52.0.0/14
network:Network-Name:TPIS-BLK-74-52-212-0
network:IP-Network:74.52.212.232/29
network:IP-Network-Block:74.52.212.232 - 74.52.212.239
network:Organization-Name:Tyler Hall
network:Organization-City:Phoenix
network:Organization-State:AZ
network:Organization-Zip:85286
network:Organization-Country:US
network:Description-Usage:customer
network:Server-Pri:ns1.theplanet.com
network:Server-Sec:ns2.theplanet.com
network:Tech-Contact;I:abuse@theplanet.com
network:Admin-Contact;I:abuse@theplanet.com
network:Created:20070109
network:Updated:20070109

$ host 71.43.226.6
6.226.43.71.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer rrcs-71-43-226-6.se.biz.rr.com.

$ whois 71.43.226.6
BW whois 3.4 by Bill Weinman (http://whois.bw.org/)
Copyright 1999-2003 William E. Weinman
Request: 71.43.226.6
connected to whois.arin.net [192.149.252.44:43] ...

OrgName: Road Runner HoldCo LLC
OrgID: RCSW
Address: 13241 Woodland Park Road
City: Herndon
StateProv: VA
PostalCode: 20171
Country: US

ReferralServer: rwhois://ipmt.rr.com:4321

NetRange: 71.40.0.0 - 71.43.255.255
CIDR: 71.40.0.0/14

If Bind isn't running on the main server (71.43.226.6) and I can't get Webmin to start so it will run, how am I supposed to get it going on my system?

you can use ssh..or a keyboard on the box and start it up.

eboughey wrote:
If Bind isn't running on the main server (71.43.226.6) and I can't get Webmin to start so it will run, how am I supposed to get it going on my system?

Must be a point-n-click windows user :( You *MUST* learn console commands if you are going to play server admin/owner. Yup that was blunt and to-the-point. There is NO WAY around that.

Since you have not told us what distro I'll give 2 possibilities...

/etc/init.d/bind9 restart
/etc/init.d/named restart

yes, I am a windows user and have been since the begining and dos before that. You make it seem like a bad thing and I don't think it is.

Granted I need to learn more commands, but I am posting in the NEWBIE section so I thought I'd get just a little more leeway here.

I do use a lot of commands but since I haven't had any issues with Virtualmin in almost a year, I don't remember all of the research commands.

I went to my custom nameservers and editdns to make sure everything was okay. editdns was messed up and it was pointing to 1.2.3.4 which looks like they reset it.

When I changed it, it worked for awhile but the email hasn't worked yet.