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Copyright 2003Jupitermedia
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If Sygate was working fine, but all of a sudden you can't browse the web or send/receive email from any of your client computers, you may have a DNS problem:

attention.gif (275 bytes)There is an easier way to do this.  Click here if you want to see it!

Most, if not all, ISPs have multiple servers for each of their major functions, such as DNS, POP, SMTP, etc.  If one server fails, in most cases the TCP/IP "stack" in your operating system knows how to find the backup servers.

When you are using Sygate (or any other sharing program) to share your connection, it interacts with your ISP to find out the addresses of its servers.  It then passes that information to any sharing Client machines as needed.

Your ISP's DNS server in particular plays a very important function.  It translates all of the address name information ( www.blahblah.com) you give to your browser, email, and other Internet programs into the IP addresses (204.71.200.245) that are actually needed to communicate with the servers.

If you open up your browser one day and find that it won't display any sites, first try entering an IP address in your browser's Location box and see if the site comes up.   Here are some sites that are usually up and can be used for this check:

If you get a webpage, you have a DNS problem.  Read on!

Sygate 3, by default, keeps only the information for your ISP's primary DNS server.  If that server goes down, Sygate doesn't know how to switch to the backup servers, so it will look like all of your Client computers have lost their Internet connection.  The machine that is running Sygate, however, will probably be able to access the Internet just fine, since it doesn't depend on Sygate for its Internet connection.

 

Follow these steps to tell your Clients how to reach the backup DNS servers:
(if you have a MacOS computer, go to this page to find out how to access the TCP/IP properties.  Enter all the DNS server IP addresses in the Name Server Addr: box.)

1) Go to the computer that is running Sygate and click on Start > Run and type winipcfg to bring up the winipcfg program.
Click the "More Info >>>" button in the winipcfg window.

2) At the top of the window will be a button that looks like a box with 3 dots (...) in it. (See the diagram below.) 
To the left of this box is the DNS box, which usually displays your primary DNS server. Clicking the box with the 3 dots will cycle to the secondary DNS servers. There are usually 3 DNS servers total. Write down all the addresses you find and close winipcfg.Winipcfg DNS info

attention.gif (275 bytes)DO THE FOLLOWING ON THE CLIENT COMPUTERS ONLY. DO NOT DO THIS ON THE COMPUTER THAT IS RUNNING SYGATE.

3) Open the Network Control Panel on the client computer.  Open the TCP/IP properties for the network card (not the PPP Adapter).  Click the DNS configuration tab and click the "Enable DNS" button.
Enter a simple name (usually the same as your Computer name) in the Host: box.  Enter the first address you wrote down into the "DNS Server Search Order" box and click the "Add" button.
Repeat this for the other two addresses.  (See the diagram below for an example.)
TCP/IP properties for Sygate DNS fix

4) Close all windows.  If you are running Windows, you will eventually be prompted to restart, do so.
After the system reboots, try your browser and other Internet applications.
If they don't work, go back and recheck the numbers that you entered in Step 3.

5) Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for all Client computers.

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