Lan/Wan router w/DHCP and DNS?

[Software_Samurai]

Greetings!

I'm looking for a lan/wan router to replace the current router I'm using for internet access.

I'm currently using a DGL-4100. It's fine, except it's missing one feature I really want - a DNS server that "talks" to the DHCP server. Let me explain.

I would like to get a router that can act as the gateway between my internet access (WAN: FIOS ONT) and my home network (LAN). I would also like it to be the DHCP server for my home network. I have a few pieces of equipment that I need to assign a static DHCP address to (printer, file server, etc.). At the same time, I want it to have a DNS server that ties into the DHCP server. That way all of my home network computers can use it for both intranet (looking up statically assigned DHCP address by name for my local equipment) and internet DNS requests.

When I bought the DGL-4100, I thought it would do this, but after spending weeks emailing D-Link, they've finally admitted that the DNS server and the DHCP server don't "talk" to each other. So I can statically assign an address to my file server PC, but I can't refer to it via it's name. (I can ping 192.168.144.10, but I can't ping "MyServer".)

D-Link also stated that "There is also no router that has what you request." I have a hard time believing that's true! So I thought I'd post the question here and see if anyone knows of a router that has both DNS and DHCP services linked together in this way.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

D-Link also stated that "There is also no router that has what you request." I have a hard time believing that's true! So I thought I'd post the question here and see if anyone knows of a router that has both DNS and DHCP services linked together in this way.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

They are incorrect...I've seen quite a few routers that have a local DNS table you can edit. The Linksys/Cisco RV0 series for example. As well as many *nix router distros.

 

[Software_Samurai]

Right, I've seen those routers too. What I am looking for is one where the DHCP server automatically updates the DNS service whenever it assigns an address (static or dynamic).

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Whelp, I can tell you right now...I just moved into a home I bought, my normal network isn't up yet, I'm just running a temporary network that's using a Linksys/Cisco wrt150n that is running DD-WRT firmware, workstations use the router for their DNS...if I ping any other PC netbios name on the network I get replies. So DD-WRT firmware is correctly doing that feature. Tomato does also.

Gotta get my 12U cabinet up on the wall soon after I wire the house, gotta get my linux router back up and my home network up to speed again. PFSense is my usual router distro of choice..I know that does that feature too.

For a simple home network though, peer to peer, if you go into TCP/IP properties of each PC..advanced...under the WINS area, flip the radio button choice to "Enable network over IP"...workstations will discover themselves and elect a master browser.

 

[Software_Samurai]

For a simple home network though, peer to peer, if you go into TCP/IP properties of each PC..advanced...under the WINS area, flip the radio button choice to "Enable network over IP"...workstations will discover themselves and elect a master browser.

That wouldn't help with my printer and my NAS boxes. I have an HP LJ 1100A with a network adapter attached to it. My NAS boxes are Buffalo LinkStations.

I wonder if I could get pfSense running on a cheap ION box... :-?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Printers would be IP only, DNS won't come into play. As for your NAS...yes or no depending on which one(s) you have.

 

[Software_Samurai]

If a router has a static DHCP reserve list, typically you enter a name along with the IP that's reserved for it (along with the MAC address). This is what the DGL-4100 does. What I want is a router with a DNS that accesses the DHCP service information and provides named lookups for those entries. So even if a device has no way of identifying itself by name (such as a printer), the DNS in the router can still provide the named lookup for it. Does that make sense?

 

[Software_Samurai]

Follow up: Final decision

Just wanted to follow up on this thread to let everyone know that I decided to go with a NetGate Firewall unit running pfSense.

Although I did have a little trouble configuring it to work the way I wanted it to work (which I'll chalk up to it being my first time working with pfSense), I did manage to get it installed and working just fine as the Internet gateway for my home network. And now that it's been running for over a month, I can honestly report that I'm very pleased with it's performance.

Cheers!