This problem is not with openSUSE, but I don’t understand it at all, so I’m asking for help here.
My router, an ASUS RT AC66R, is connected to the internet via a modem to my ISP using DSL. It has my user name and password in it’s configuration and has been working properly for some time now. Lately, I noticed my system, using Firefox, was acting slow. It would spend much more time “looking up” web sites I visited. I poked around in my system’s settings and couldn’t fix it. I looked at my router’s settings and noticed that it said I had no internet connection. Looking further, it said my lease had expired and the lease time was renewing.
So! I have no internet connection, but I can browse it, and ping various locations, and it is working. I even downloaded some files and it does it at the speed I am supposed to get.
How can this be? And, how can I get my router to obtain a lease from my ISP’s DHCP server? Most important, is the problem with my ISP or could it be my router?
Aha! The old Windows fix! You know, of course, that’s the first thing I did. Well, not really, but I did get around to it.
If possible, change the DNS’s to Google’s: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, if that doesn’t help
I did that. Didn’t make a difference in having a DHCP lease, but did seem to speed up page access just slightly.
Connect a laptop or such directly to the modem, see if that works
Didn’t try that yet.
Use the router interface to renew the DHCP lease.
I tried that. I have two choices: Get ip automatically and Specify ip address. Trying to specify it manually didn’t work, and changing it to manual and back should have made the router get a new lease but it didn’t.
However…
Changing the setting in my router to automatically get the DNS servers has fixed the problem of my router saying I don’t have a connection, and has fixed the delay in loading a page in my browser. It seems to me, that Century Link is doing something ah… strange with this link. If I don’t use their DNS servers, I get delays and my router says I’m not connected. My router still says I don’t have a lease, it’s still trying to get one, but my internet service is apparently working the way it’s supposed to. I guess when I have an hour or more to spare, I’ll call them and listen to them tell me to pull the plug on all my devices and that they don’t support Linux and finally move me up to level two where i just might get an answer as to how I can have an ip assigned by a DHCP server not assigned and yet still have a connection.
When you router says you don’t have a lease, it’s talking about your DHCP lease.
When DHCP is working,
Your machine boots up initially without any network settings, so goes about looking for a DHCP server (using broadcasts which doesn’t require network settings)
If the DHCP server on your router can be found, then you DHCP server can provide network settings to the DHCP client running on your machine, and then the DHCP server will keep track of your machine’s settings as an assigned “lease” so that your IP address won’t be given to any other machine.
A DHCP lease has a specified time limit before it expires, your machine can renew the lease any time after the half life of the lease, keeping the lease settings.
If your machine doesn’t renew the lease, then the DHCP <might> assign those settings to some other device, and then your machine will have to re-apply for new settings altogether.
So,
There is something wrong with your DHCP lease.
First, I’m assuming but you should verify that you’ve configured your openSUSE as a DHCP client. If you’re using Wicked to manage your network settings, you can inspect in YaST or inspect your network interface files (If you need further instructions how to view either, just ask). If you’ve using Network Manager to manage your settings, then your connection type should be specified in your network connection settings.
If you’re certain you’re configured as a DHCP client, then you can try restarting your network service with the following command
systemctl restart network
If that still doesn’t resolve your problem, then you should remove/delete the lease in the DHCP server on your router, then restart network services on your openSUSE using the above command (or simply reboot) to apply and obtain a brand new lease.
The reason why your machine is able to still have working network settings and can contact the Internet is because you either are using expired DHCP network settings or are set up as with a static address instead of as a DHCP client. Either way, you need to investigate this now instead of waiting for your network connections to fail (you may find it more difficult or inconvenient to work with your router without a working network connection).
Your DNS problems which you might have resolved for now are a further indication of a possible DHCP lease and network settings problem, so don’t let your success resolving that fool you into believing you don’t need to fix your problem properly.
The problem is not the DHCP server on my router. Everything on my network has been assigned a static ip address and all wireless devices are white listed. My network is fine.
I’m talking about the DHCP server on my ISP’s system. It’s my router, not my computer that says I don’t have a lease.
One of the things that seem strange is that if I don’t use my ISP’s DNS, my access is slowed way down and my router says I don’t have a connection. If I use my ISP’s DNS, My router says I am connected but it still says I don’t have a lease.
Could this be correct if I have a dedicated ip address from my ISP? Even if I do, I thought their DNS would still give me a lease but it would always be the same address.
You’ll need to take those issues up with your ISP.
Could this be correct if I have a dedicated ip address from my ISP? Even if I do, I thought their DNS would still give me a lease but it would always be the same address.
Bart
DNS has nothing to do with obtaining DHCP leases. The DHCP server may push specific DNS IP addresses though.
I didn’t think so. But my ISP seems to have some strange goings on. I’ll put this thread on hold until I can talk to them. I’ll post what I learn after I talk to them.
Am assuming for now that your “Everything on (your) network” is behind your router and not side by side exposed directly to the Internet…
Any DHCP problem you have using your iSP’s DHCP server should be worked out with them, particularly if your ISP has any kind of control over your router (Does your ISP have admin access to your router?)
Regarding your DNS and slow connections…
That’s possible if you’re pointing to a slow or relatively unused DNS. If the DNS server you point to does not have the name resolution in cache, it in turn has to query upstream to the next DNS which itself of course may have to query again upstream, etc. So, if you’re experiencing poor DNS performance then point to some other DNS.
That is correct. Well, almost. I have a hard drive on the USB port or the router that is accessed through an ASUS provided link.
Any DHCP problem you have using your iSP’s DHCP server should be worked out with them, particularly if your ISP has any kind of control over your router (Does your ISP have admin access to your router?)
OMG NO!
Regarding your DNS and slow connections…
That’s possible if you’re pointing to a slow or relatively unused DNS. If the DNS server you point to does not have the name resolution in cache, it in turn has to query upstream to the next DNS which itself of course may have to query again upstream, etc. So, if you’re experiencing poor DNS performance then point to some other DNS.
TSU
What you said is correct (you already knew that), and I knew that. However, I tried several different DNS including Google’s (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) and each time I change the DNS to anything other than my ISP’s DNS, my router reports that it is off line and my access slows down. I didn’t think it should be like that.
What kind of internet connection do you have?
Have you updated the firmware to your router/modem?
If this a cable modem/router for example, your ISP <should> automatically update your device automatically when you set up, but for almost any other kind of Internet connection, you’d be responsible for downloading and flashing your update yourself.
Devices which have not been updated behave erratically.
And, even if the device was working before if someone reset to factory, it’ll have to be flash updated again.
You really do not need all this thrashing around in the meantime. The problem is almost certainly with your provider, even some problem they ran into. Are they in any of the “Emergency” areas down there, for example? Or, could they have suffered a lightning strike, or something, in their system? Could be several things that can cause that problem, and until they get either the main system or an alternate system running okay, they could be having DHCP problems. You might, for example, be unable to get from the internet to their DHCP server without going through their DNS until things are straightened around.
It happens. I have seen similar when my ISP has been knocked out. Once straightened up, I find my usually stable IP address switches entirely as I am finally connected with a different DHCP Server, often even in a different city than the one I was on.
Wait until you talk to your ISP before struggling more with this.
You know, of course, that’s the first thing I did. Well, not really, but I did get around to it.