MarkosWeb

covid-19 widget

We recommend you to print these instructions now.



Public DNS


Public DNS IP addresses (IPv4) are:

  • 208.76.50.50
  • 208.76.51.51

Included in these instructions:


NOTE: These instructions are designed for the experienced individual; this is not a beginners page.

BEFORE YOU START:


Please note that MarkosWeb Public DNS is IPv4 (which is most common way of using DNS). If you are looking for IPv6 DNS – this is not a service for you. If you do not understand or not sure what IPv4 means service will work for you just fine. You may continue reading the guide.

Before you make any changes on your DNS settings for the MarkosWeb Public DNS, WRITE DOWN your current server addresses/settings on a piece of paper. These are very important for backup purposes, in case you need to return back to your default settings.

Depending upon your operating system, you may need system administrator privileges. This will mean having access to login/password information. If you are not the system administrator, you will need to contact the administrator for this access information.

CONFIGURATION OF YOUR NETWORK SETTINGS TO USE SMARTVIPER PUBLIC DNS


When you use MarkosWeb Public DNS, you are changing your DNS ‘connectivity’ from your existing ISP to MarkosWeb Public DNS.

In a majority of cases, when you originally set your systrem up, your DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) accomplished an automatic settting for your IP addresses that are used by your ISP’s domain name. When this is accomplished automatically, you are typically unaware of the setting unless you look it up.

Important: If you change to MarkosWeb Public DNS, you will be changing your default settings from your existing set up. To use the MarkosWeb Public DNS you will need to change the DNS settings in your operating system or device.

Each operating system/version (Windows, Mac or Linux) or device (computer, phone or router) may have unique DNS change instructions. Please have your operating system and/or device technical manual available.

Attention OS System Users: The general instructions that are included here may not apply for your OS or device. You will need to consult your vendor/product technical documentation for system administration or authorization information.

MarkosWeb Public DNS IP addresses


Either IP address that is supplied can be used as a primary or secondary DNS server number. While you can use both numbers, they must be used uniquely; ergo specify one number only as both primary and secondary. Do not use the same number in both locations.

MarkosWeb Public DNS addresses are configured for either IPv4 connections, or both.

Public DNS IP addresses (IPv4) are:

  • 208.76.50.50
  • 208.76.51.51

Accomplishing the change of your DNS servers settings


Again, we repeat that the instructions will differ between different versions/releases of each operating system type. We are only giving one example change for each operation system (Microsoft/Mac/Linux) as well as device type (routers and other mobile device types). For specific instructions on your operating system and version, please refer to the vendor and/or technical documentation.

It’s important to note that many systems allow you to allcate multiple DNS servers. These are always designated in priority order. In the following instructions, we provide steps to specify only the MarkosWeb Public DNS servers as the primary and secondary servers, to ensure that your setup will correctly use MarkosWeb Public DNS in all cases.

Note: Depending on your network setup, this may be an area that you need administrator/root authority to change these settings.

For Microsoft Windows


Your DNS settings are specified in the TCP/IP Properties window for the particular network connection.

Here is an example: Changing DNS server settings on Microsoft Windows 7

  1. Go the “Control Panel”.

  2. Control Panel

  3. Click on “Network and Internet”, then on “Network and Sharing Center”, and then click on “Change adapter settings”. (Note: Your display may only show “Network and Sharing Center” and not the initial “Network and Internet”)

  4. Change adapter settings

  5. Select the connection that you want to configure MarkosWeb Public DNS. As an example:

    • To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, right-click on “Local Area Connection”, and then click on “Properties”.
    • To change the settings for a wireless connection, right-click on “Wireless Network Connection”, and then click on “Properties”.

  6. Connection Properties

    You may be prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide the required confirmation.

  7. Select the “Networking” tab; under the choice of “This connection uses the following items”, select the specific connection: “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and then click on “Properties”.

  8. Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)

  9. Click on “Advanced” and then select the “DNS” tab. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed there, you need to write them down for possible future use, and delete them from this window.

  10. Click “OK”.

  11. Now, select “Use the following DNS server addresses”. If there are any IP addresses listed in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server, you need to write them down for possible future use.

  12. Type in/replace those addresses with the IP addresses of the MarkosWeb DNS servers:

    • use 208.76.50.50 and/or 208.76.51.51

  13. You will now need to restart the connection you selected in step 3.

  14. Test that your setup is working correctly; see “Testing your new settings after changes are made” below.

  15. Repeat the procedure for each additional network connections you want to change.

For Mac OS X:


DNS settings are specified in the Network window on the Mac OS X systems.

Here is an Example: Changing DNS server settings on Mac OS 10.5

  1. From the Apple menu, click on “System Preferences”, then click on “Network”.

  2. If the lock icon in the lower left-hand corner of the window is locked, click the icon to make changes. When you are promoted for authentication, you will need to enter your password.

  3. Select the connection that you want to configure MarkosWeb Public DNS. As an example:

    • For Ethernet connection change: Select “Built-In Ethernet”, and click on “Advanced”.

    • For wireless connection change: Select “Airport”, and click on “Advanced”.

  4. Then select the “DNS” tab.

  5. Click + to replace any listed addresses with, or add, the MarkosWeb IP addresses at the top of the list: Remember to write any existing address information down for future use, in case you need to revert back.

    • use 208.76.50.50 and/or 208.76.51.51

  6. Click “Apply” and “OK”.

  7. Test that your setup is working correctly; see “Testing your new settings after changes are made” below.

  8. Repeat the procedure for any additional network connections you want to change.

For Linux:


In most of the newer Linux distributions, DNS settings are configured through the Network Manager.

Here is an Example: Changing DNS server settings on Ubuntu

  1. In the “System” menu, click on “Preferences”, then click on “Network Connections”.

  2. Select the connection that you want to configure MarkosWeb Public DNS. As an example:

    • For Ethernet connection change: select the “Wired” tab, then select your particular network interface in the list. It is usually called “eth0”.

    • For wireless connection change: select the “Wireless” tab, then select the appropriate wireless network.

  3. Click “Edit”, and in the window that appears, then select the “IPv4 Settings” tab (whichever you are changing).

  4. If the selected method is “Automatic (DHCP)”, open the dropdown and select “Automatic (DHCP) addresses only” instead. If the method is set to something else, do not make any changes to it.

  5. In the DNS servers field, remember to write down any addresses that may be currently listed, then enter the MarkosWeb Public DNS IP addresses, separated by a space:

    • use 208.76.50.50 and/or 208.76.51.51

  6. Click “Apply” to save the change. If you are prompted for a password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

  7. Test that your setup is working correctly; see “Testing your new settings after changes are made” below.

  8. Repeat the procedure for any additional network connections you want to change.

If your distribution doesn't use Network Manager, your DNS settings are specified in /etc/resolv.conf.

Here is an Example: Changing DNS server settings on a Debian server

  1. Edit /etc/resolv.conf:

    sudo vi /etc/resolv.conf

  2. If any nameserver lines appear, you will need to write down the IP addresses for possible future use.

  3. Replace the nameserver lines with, or add, the following lines (if the area is blank):

    nameserver 208.76.50.50
    nameserver 208.76.51.51

  4. Click on “Save” and then “exit”.

  5. Restart any Internet clients that you are using.

  6. Test that your setup is working correctly; see “Testing your new settings after changes are made” below.

If you are using DHCP client software that overwrites the settings in /etc/resolv.conf, you will need to set up the client by editing the client's configuration file.

Here is an Example: Configuring DHCP client sofware on a Debian server

  1. Back up /etc/resolv.conf:

    sudo cp /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf.auto

  2. Edit /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf:

    sudo vi /etc/dhcp3/dhclient.conf

  3. If there is a line containing domain-name-servers, you will need to write down the IP addresses for possible future use.

  4. Replace that line with, or add, the following line:

    prepend domain-name-servers 208.76.50.50, 208.76.51.51

  5. Click on “Save” and then “exit”.

  6. Restart any Internet clients you are using.

  7. Test that your setup is working correctly; see “Testing your new settings after changes are made” below.

DEVICE CHANGES:


For Routers:


It’s important for you to know that every router uses a different user interface for configuring DNS server settings. We are providing a generic procedure below. For more information, please consult the technical documentation for your specific router.

Hard-coded Routers: Note: Some ISPs hard-code their DNS servers into the equipment they provide. This means that they cannot be changed or altered manually. If you are using such a device, you will not be able to configure it to use MarkosWeb Public DNS. You can however, configure each of the computers connected to that router using the change instructions above.

To change your settings on a non hard-coded router: You will need administration authorization/password.

  1. In your browser, enter the IP address to access the router's administration console.

  2. When prompted, enter the password so that you can access the network settings.

  3. Find the screen where the DNS server settings are specified.

  4. If there are IP addresses specified in the fields for the primary and secondary DNS servers, you will need to write them down for possible future use.



  5. use 208.76.50.50 and/or 208.76.51.51

  6. Click “Save” and then “exit”.

  7. Restart your browser.

  8. Test that your setup is working correctly; see “Testing your new settings after changes are made” below.

For Mobile or other devices


DNS servers are typically specified under advanced wi-fi settings. However, as every mobile device may use a different user interface for configuring the DNS server settings, we provide only a generic procedure below. For more information, please consult your mobile provider's technical documentation.

To change your settings on a mobile device:

  1. Go to the screen where the wi-fi settings are specified.

  2. Find the screen where the DNS server settings are specified.

  3. If there are IP addresses specified in the fields for the primary and secondary DNS servers, you will need to write them down for possible future use.

  4. Replace those addresses with the MarkosWeb IP addresses:

    208.76.50.50 and/or 208.76.51.51

  5. Click on “Save” and then “exit”.

  6. Test that your setup is working correctly; see “Testing your new settings after changes are made” below.

TESTING YOUR NEW SETTINGS


To test that the changes to the MarkosWeb DNS resolver is working properly:

  1. From your browser, type in a hostname, as an example: https://www.markosweb.com. If it resolves correctly, bookmark the page, and try accessing the page from the bookmark. If both of these tests work, everything is working correctly. If not, go to “Step 2”.

  2. From your browser, type in a fixed IP address. You can use https://208.76.50.76/ (which points to the website https://www.markosweb.com/) as the URL*. If this works correctly, bookmark the page, and try accessing the page from the bookmark. If these tests work (but Step 1 fails), then there is a problem with your DNS configuration; check the steps above to make sure you have configured everything correctly. If these tests do not work, go on to “Step 3”.

  3. Revert back to the original DNS information and run the tests again. If the tests still do not work, then there is most likely a problem with your network settings; contact your ISP or network administrator for assistance.

DIAGNOSING AND TROUBLESHOOTING RESOLUTION PROBLEMS


If you encounter problems when resolving particular names, you will need to verify whether the problem is with MarkosWeb Public DNS. Start by running the following diagnostic procedures.

Step 1: Verify that your client can communicate with the MarkosWeb Public DNS servers


Open a command prompt, and run the following command:

For Windows operating system:

tracert -d 208.76.50.50


For Mac OS X operating system:

/usr/sbin/traceroute -n -w 2 -q 2 -m 30 208.76.50.50


For Linux operating system:

sudo traceroute -n -w 2 -q 2 -m 30 208.76.50.50


If the last line of the output does not list 208.76.50.50 as the final hop, or if there are significant timeouts, there may be a network problem preventing you from contacting the MarkosWeb servers.

If the last line of the output does list 208.76.50.50 as the final hop, continue on to “Step 2”.

Step 2: Verify that MarkosWeb Public DNS can resolve the selected hostname


At the command prompt, run the following command, where hostname is the name that you were having difficulty resolving:

For Windows operating system:

nslookup -debug hostname 208.76.50.50


For Mac and Linux operating systems:

dig @208.76.50.50 hostname


If the output shows an answer section with an A record for the hostname, then MarkosWeb Public DNS is able to resolve the name. Check your settings to make sure your system is correctly configured to use MarkosWeb Public DNS.

If the output does not show an answer for the hostname, continue on to “Step 3”.

Step 3: Verifying that another open resolver can resolve the selected hostname


At the command prompt, run any one of the following commands, where hostname is the name that you were having difficulty resolving:

nslookup hostname 4.2.2.1
nslookup hostname 4.2.2.2


(Commands above test Level 3's DNS servers)

If you are not able to get a successful result, this means that there is most likely a problem with the server you are trying to contact. Wait some time (approx. 10+ min) and try running the tests again. This may be a temporary problem on the server's side that will likely resolve itself eventually. If it does not, you should contact the owner of the server.

If you do get a successful result, there may be a problem with MarkosWeb Public DNS.

CHANGING YOUR SYSTEM BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL/DEFAULT DNS SETTINGS:


As long as you did not previously configure any customized DNS servers, to switch back to your original settings, follow the following instructions:

In the window in which you specified the MarkosWeb IP addresses, select the option to enable the system ability to obtain DNS server addresses automatically, and/or delete the MarkosWeb IP addresses. This will revert your settings to using your ISP's default servers.

If you need to manually specify any addresses, use the procedures above to specify the old IP addresses.

You may also need to restart your computer.