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Suddenly: "This device is using NextDNS with no configuration."

Hi,

I have a Pro subscription since January 2022.

Seemingly overnight NextDNS started reporting:

This device is using NextDNS with no configuration.
Make sure you set the configuration ID shown below in the app settings.

The NextDNS client configuration has been unchanged for 6 months.

In my setup, my router runs the NextDNS client and serves to all DHCP clients.

As a result, none of my network clients now benefit from block lists or rewrites.

I restarted the NextDNS client on my router:

<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 86475 - [meta sequenceId="1"] Received signal: terminated
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 86475 - [meta sequenceId="2"] Stopping NextDNS 1.37.11/freebsd
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 86475 - [meta sequenceId="3"] Deactivating
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="4"] Starting NextDNS 1.37.11/freebsd on 127.0.0.1:53, 192.168.1.1:53
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="5"] Starting mDNS discovery
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="6"] Listening on TCP/192.168.1.1:53
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="7"] Listening on UDP/127.0.0.1:53
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="8"] Listening on TCP/127.0.0.1:53
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="9"] Listening on UDP/192.168.1.1:53
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:46-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 86475 - [meta sequenceId="10"] NextDNS 1.37.11/freebsd stopped
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:47-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="11"] Connected 45.90.30.0:443 (con=11ms tls=52ms, TCP, TLS13)
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:47-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="12"] Connected 162.220.223.23:443 (con=10ms tls=53ms, TCP, TLS13)
<29>1 2022-06-21T13:08:47-04:00 host.domain.removed nextdns 16962 - [meta sequenceId="13"] Switching endpoint: https://dns.nextdns.io#162.220.223.23,2a00:11c0:46:4::5,207.246.91.188,2001:19f0:5:663d:5400:2ff:fece:2f14

nextdns.conf

control /var/run/nextdns.sock
config removedforsecurity
mdns all
hardened-privacy false
log-queries false
cache-size 0
discovery-dns 127.0.0.1:5555
bogus-priv true
auto-activate true
cache-max-age 0s
detect-captive-portals false
timeout 5s
max-inflight-requests 256
setup-router false
listen 127.0.0.1:53
listen 192.168.1.1:53
max-ttl 0s
report-client-info true
use-hosts true

sockstat

root     nextdns    16962 9  tcp4   192.168.1.1:53        *:*
root     nextdns    16962 10 udp4   127.0.0.1:53          *:*
root     nextdns    16962 11 tcp4   127.0.0.1:53          *:*
root     nextdns    16962 12 udp4   192.168.1.1:53        *:*
root     nextdns    16962 13 udp4   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 14 udp6   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 15 udp4   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 16 udp6   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 17 udp4   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 18 udp6   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 19 udp4   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 20 udp6   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 21 udp4   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 22 udp6   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 23 udp4   *:5353                *:*
root     nextdns    16962 24 udp6   *:5353                *:*

There are no errors or any indication of failure on the client side. Only the NextDNS GUI seems to report the issue.

  1. How can what the NextDNS client is communicating to the NextDNS service? The configuration ID seems to not be getting passed, but nothing changed. How can I confirm that?
  2. Any chance my Pro account is not actually active? Have I been downgraded to a free account and subsequently lost the Pro benefits? I am over 300k queries this month. Can a representative check that for me?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

16 replies

null
    • NextDNs
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Are you getting this issue from several clients on your LAN?

    • Matt_Savona
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Every client. The DNS server is 192.168.1.1 (the router), and the NextDNS client is running on 192.168.1.1:53 as seen in my output above.

    • Matt_Savona
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    I can see a huge gaps in my NextDNS logs:

    Tuesday, June 21, 2022 3:26 AM <<< Last functional query (I can tell because device names were still being reported)

    [GAP. NO QUERIES IN LOG.]

    Tuesday, June 21, 2022 7:06 AM <<< First dysfunctional query (I can tell because device names are no longer reported)

    ... after this, simply a handful of sporadic queries are logged with no device names ...

    until Tuesday, June 21, 2022 11:00 AM ... and then the logs stop completely. However, DNS is still being served by the NextDNS client:

    # nslookup google.com
    Server:         127.0.0.1
    Address:        127.0.0.1#53
    
    Non-authoritative answer:
    Name:   google.com
    Address: 142.250.176.206
    Name:   google.com
    Address: 2607:f8b0:4006:81c::200e
    

    I was asleep -- so I certainly wasn't making any configuration changes at this time.

    • Tony_T
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    I am having the same issues.

    • NextDNs
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    what do you get for https://test.nextdns.io

    • Matt_Savona
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    This started magically working for me again at Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:39 PM (Eastern). No changes to my setup at all.

    I did hit test.nextdns.io earlier in the day -- unfortunately now I don't have the output. It did produce a JSON response, though I don't recall the entirety of the output. When I hit it right now, it looks normal (whatever that means, I don't know if there is documentation that explains the key-value pairs, for example: what is "profile"?) ... but it does include device identification information which means it MUST ultimately be using the NextDNS client. And now the NextDNS web interface reports:


    All good! This device is using NextDNS with this configuration.

     

    I would really love to know how one can identify what (if anything, and to *where*) the NextDNS client is communicating the config ID. I spent a lot of time debugging this morning and all I can say, from my perspective, is that there was nothing wrong at all -- and yet interfacing with NextDNS beyond basic DNS resolution was completely broken.

    • P_Pace
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Glad it resolved for you automatically.   I'm facing the same issue but no automagic repair. Frustrating when you have something running for months/years then suddenly.... broken!

      • NextDNs
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      P Pace please provide the output of https://test.nextdns.io

      • P_Pace
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      NextDNS When using my DDNS service I get:

      {
      
      
      "status": "ok",
      "protocol": "UDP",
      "client": "172.58.58.246",
      "srcIP": "172.58.58.246",
      "destIP": "45.90.28.223",
      "anycast": true,
      "server": "anexia-den-1",
      "clientName": "unknown"
      }
      
      When I hit the manual refresh IP on my nextdns dashboard... it works b/c next DNS sees a different IP than DDNS service sees for some reason (CGNAT...?)
      
      After a manual IP on the dashboard - i briefly also see the profile added, until the DDNS changes the IP back to what DDNS says.
      {
      "status": "ok",
      "protocol": "UDP",
      "profile": "fpaf71627e6e6<redacted>",
      "client": "172.58.58.246",
      "srcIP": "172.58.58.246",
      "destIP": "45.90.28.223",
      "anycast": true,
      "server": "anexia-den-1",
      "clientName": "unknown"
      }
      
      
      Maybe it's not CGNAT to blame, but Edge browser / google "my IP" reports different than googling my ip from Firefox, which are BOTH different from what nextdns says my IP is when I do a manual refesh via dashboard.... so I magically have 3 IPs simultaneously.
      
      
      
      • NextDNs
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      P Pace are you behind a CGNAT? If that’s the case, link IP is not an option. Are you able to use DoH or DoT?

      • P_Pace
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      NextDNS

      Thanks.  I guess out of dumb luck I had it running for quite a few months over CGNAT; but for the last few days it's clearly broken down, I think the modem bouncing between bands more often and subsequent constant IP changes has broken the system that was limping along before.
       

      I need to set the DNS server on a router to make my home setup easy. We use DOH on mobile phones so they can roam and maintain nextdns settings - but I see no easy way to setup DoH or DoT on my DD-WRT router.

      • NextDNs
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      P Pace you try this, but DD-WRT with no guarantee: https://github.com/nextdns/nextdns/wiki/DDWRT

      • P_Pace
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      NextDNS Thanks so much!  Someone on the DD-WRT forum pointed me to this.  I goofed on the 1st install, but since then it's been just fine!  I don't know what settings this is doing beyond what you can do with DD-WRT GUI, but i could not use the GUI to get DoH, or IPV6, or DoT to work... but this github install did the trick with nearly no effort!  

      I know it's "in development" but I'm so happy it's working!

      • NextDNs
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      P Pace it is installing our client in order to add this support.

    • maNComPA
    • 10 mths ago
    • Reported - view
    NextDNS said:
    what do you get for https://test.nextdns.io

    nextdns  Am i behind CGNAT?

    {
    "status": "ok",
    "protocol": "UDP",
    "client": "49.36.144.234",
    "srcIP": "49.36.144.90",
    "destIP": "45.90.28.155",
    "anycast": true,
    "server": "vultr-sin-1",
    "clientName": "unknown"
    }
    • Marc_dav
    • 6 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    This has started happening for me as well. On iOS app and on nextdnscli on edgeos. 

Content aside

  • 3 Likes
  • 6 mths agoLast active
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