Welcome to RCF - WHF

Karen · Jan 06, 2006

What does this mean? I read that it means a host name can't be located I think but does it mean anything dodgy?
I'm not allowing anyone with open proxys because of our troll incident - is it them same sort of thing?

dontknow

Nightrider · Sep 25, 2004

I really have no clue what that means. Maybe your host could explain it to you...

dontknow

Karen · Jan 06, 2006

I'll ask them Very Happy

As it turns out the person is ok, she is friends with another member sunny

fishead · Feb 09, 2005

http://www.rtknet.org/reverseDNSlookup.php

Why do reverse DNS lookup failures occur?

Every Internet computer has a numeric "internet protocol" (IP) address which uniquely identifies that computer in the world-wide Internet. There is also a DNS computer officially assigned for every block of IP numbers, whose job is to translate those IP numbers into hostnames and back again.

IP addresses (which look like 123.456.789.012) can be assigned to a caller's workstation permanently or just for the duration of an internet session -- such as the home computer of an AOL user. Either type of IP address will work fine on RTK NET -- so long as the caller's IP number can be verified (from its DNS computer) when the call is received.

When somebody calls our database computer, the calling computer puts its IP number in the call. Our computer asks the official DNS computer to verify that IP number, through a process known as "reverse dns lookup": Our computer asks the DNS computer for the "hostname"associated with the calling IP number and for the IP address associated with that name.

If the DNS computer sends back answers that don't match (or no answer), our computer doesn't know where to send the caller's database search results!

And when a caller's computer receives no response from ours, some web browsers report it as "document contains no data" or "remote server error." Most likely such reports just mean that the caller's pc/workstation has an unlisted IP address -- hidden behind a company "firewall" or behind a DNS computer which has no IP address listing for the workstation.

How to fix the problem
Callers experiencing reverse DNS lookup failures have two options: either to "unhide" their workstation's IP address -- by adding it to the DNS computer's address list -- or to call from (different) workstation whose IP address will be verified by its official DNS computer.

Most callers cannot on their own add IP numbers to the official DNS computer address lists, nor can we. That change must be made by the DNS computer operator, typically the callers' internet service provider or technical support personnel at a workplace. Callers should ask them to enable "reverse DNS lookups" for their workstations.

Karen · Jan 06, 2006

Thanks! So it means they would be unidentifiable then. We are currently screening all members to make sure our 'pals' don't sign up again Rolling Eyes