[Techtalk] DNS horror story. Beware the dynamic IP!

[Carla Schroder]

Here's a juicy horror story from the world o Windows, and can anyone tell me
if this could happen on a Linux box?

I created a nice little network from scratch in a small office. Nice new
machines, brand-new clean install of Small Business Server 2000, for they
insist on having Exchange.

I have the intranet all set up and humming smoothly. Authentications are
working, DHCP is working, computers, printers, and users all properly
assigned and accounted for. No Internet access yet, they are on a cheapo DSL
account with dynamic IP.

Anyone see where this is going yet?

The DSL modem (it's a router, as we all know, but people insist that it is a
modem) is still connected to the hub. I'm fooling around on one of the
workstations, open a browser just for kicks. There should be no Internet at
all, I have not upgraded their ISP account to a static IP, I have not
re-programmed the DSL router, I have not set up a proxy server. It says page
not available 'cause I'm working offline, would I care to go online? I click
yes.

Now do you see what is going to happen?

The damn thing overwrote the network settings not only the workstation I was
on, but completely hosed all the network settings on the SERVER! Erased my
DHCP address pools, wrote new configurations on the NIC, and did something
really weird to my DNS server that I never figured out.

Now where in the HELL does this dumb little ISP account get such power? Ole
Windoze just opened the door wide and accepted all the changes without
saying a word. I spent the best part of today re-doing everything.

Could this happen on a Linux box? Has anyone else ever fallen into this
particular pit?

I tell ya, learning from other people's pain is ever so much better.

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Carla Schroder, Ace PC Goddess
Plain English spoken here
www.bratgrrl.com
www.computerbits.com
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