Problem = Internal users cannot access my website (MyWebDomain.com), but external users can. In other words, people who are outside my LAN can navigate to my website, but people who are inside my LAN cannot.
Desired Solution = give internal users access to my website, too.
My Network Limitations
- No NAT on Gateway/Router
- No Configurable DNS Settings on Gateway (ie, I can’t set the router’s DNS Address)
- I’ve disabled navigation to my Public IP (ie, https://Z.Z.Z.Z:80 will not work) – due to my SSLs.
Needed Method = Using an Internal DNS Server
I can’t rely on the driversetchosts file, because:
(i) some of my LAN clients can’t utilize it; and
(ii) it is a suboptimal method for me (too many client devices; too many network changes).
Current Setup
- Public DNS (via Registrar) {@.MyWebDomain.com → Z.Z.Z.Z}
- Port-Forwarding (via personal gateway) {Port 80 → Y.Y.Y.Y; Port 443 → Y.Y.Y.Y}
- Private Hosting (ie, my webserver is [physically] right next to me – in my LAN}
- 20+ Client Machines (“LaptopX” IP = X.X.X.X)
- 3 Server Machines (“MyWebServer” IP = Y.Y.Y.Y)
- MyWebServer is also operating as MyDNSServer
- DNS Zone Name #1 (Primary) = MyWebDomain.com
- DNS Zone Name #2 (Automatically-Created by Microsoft) = MyServerName.MyDomain.local
Note: “Z.Z.Z.Z” is the public IP address of my gateway/router. It was [randomly] issued to me by my ISP.
Tech Specs
- Windows Server 2012 [on MyWebServer]
- IIS 8 [on MyWebServer]
- Windows 7 [on most of my client machines] (eg, “LaptopX” is a Windows 7 machine)
Network Configurations
DNS Addresses on MyWebServer‘s Network Adapter:
- Y.Y.Y.Y (the internal IP address of my MyWebServer)
- W.W.W.W (the internal IP address of my gateway)
- 8.8.8.8 (dns.google.com)
- 8.8.4.4 (dns.google.com)
- 75.75.75.75 (ISP’s public DNS)
- 75.75.76.76 (ISP’s public DNS)
DNS Addresses on LaptopX‘s Network Adapter:
- Y.Y.Y.Y (the internal IP address of my MyWebServer)
- 8.8.8.8 (dns.google.com)
- 8.8.4.4 (dns.google.com)
- W.W.W.W (the internal IP address of my gateway)
- 75.75.75.75 (ISP’s public DNS)
- 75.75.76.76 (ISP’s public DNS)
DNS Server’s Forwarders
- W.W.W.W (the internal IP address of my gateway)
- 8.8.8.8 (dns.google.com)
- 8.8.4.4 (dns.google.com)
- 75.75.75.75 (ISP’s public DNS)
- 75.75.76.76 (ISP’s public DNS)
DNS Zone (Primary)
- Active Directory Integration = disabled
- Dynamic Updating = disabled/none
Results from Network Commands
tracert -4 MyWebDomain.com= 1 | 11ms | 6ms | 32ms | MyWebServerName [Y.Y.Y.Y]ping -4 -n 1 MyWebDomain.com≈ Reply from Y.Y.Y.Y: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=128nslookup MyWebDomain.com= Server: Unknown | Address: Y.Y.Y.Y | Name: MyWebDomain.com | Address = Y.Y.Y.Y
Note: I don’t get any results when I nslookup my server’s actual name (ie, nslookup MyWebServerName ≈ “UnKnown can’t find MyWebServerName“
Error Message
“This site can’t be reached”
MyWebDomain.com took too long to respond”
Note: I get this error message on all of my web browsers (Chrome; IE; Yandex)
Disclaimer
Pardon me for asking this similar question. It’s just that other people’s setups varied from mine – in material ways (ie, NAT; DNS Configurability; etc.). Plus, after spending about 5 hours researching this specific problem, I still don’t have my “needed” solution.
note: if I add the requisite records to the driversetchost file [of LaptopX], then LaptopX can access my website (ie, MyWebDomain.com). This method, of course, is not what I’m looking for. I’m looking to use DNS and IP Routing (reason = it’s optimal for my setup).
This problem has exacerbated other troubleshooting efforts (thereby costing me a lot of time/effort – and a week’s worth of business). As such, your help would be greatly appreciated.
Please help me provide my internal users access to my public website (i.e., MyWebDomain.com)?
Please take into consideration my gateway’s/router’s limitations (i.e., no NAT; no DNS configurations).
