[clue-tech] DNS lookups take a looooooong time SOLVED!

[Peter Kuykendall]

Ken MacFerrin wrote:
:
> I still can't understand what happened in Chris' case.  When I
> previously had Comcast I paid for the "premium" tier service and changed
> the device behind my cable modem many times without issue (as long as I
> rebooted the CM).  I did have to call Comcast and re-register when I
> upgraded my CM once but not for changing the device behind it.
> 
> -Ken

I have the Comcast "triple play" deal, *without* the extra cost home 
networking.  In my case the cable modem will refuse to talk to any 
device that does not have the MAC address that they configured it with. 
  I believe that the idea is if you want to run a home network, they 
charge you extra for it.  Their terms of service specify this. 
Obviously it's trivial to spoof by having the NAT router spoof the MAC 
address.

But the 10 - 20 second DNS thing is still a bit of a mystery to me.  It 
seems like it must have been a timeout, followed by a successful lookup. 
  There are a lot of things that could cause that, and we don't seem to 
have enough data to figure it out.

Here is the clause in the TOS regarding not setting up a LAN behind the 
cable modem (http://www.comcast.net/terms/use.jsp):

Prohibited Uses and Activities

Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, using the Service, 
Customer Equipment, or the Comcast Equipment to:

<snipped a bunch of prohibited uses>

x. connect multiple computers behind the cable modem to set up a LAN 
(Local Area Network) that in any manner would result in a violation of 
the terms of this Policy or an applicable Service plan;

< Note that they also prohibit a zillion other things, such as running 
Bitorrent, SSH, and other servers.  I don't think that they actively 
attempt to enforce any of this unless somebody causes them a big headache. >

xiv. run programs, equipment, or servers from the Premises that provide 
network content or any other services to anyone outside of your Premises 
LAN (Local Area Network), also commonly referred to as public services 
or servers. Examples of prohibited services and servers include, but are 
not limited to, e-mail, Web hosting, file sharing, and proxy services 
and servers;

- Pete