Could not connect to members.dyndns.com

@demo360: I cannot connect to members.dyndns.com either -- it times out. It looks more like they are indeed down.

Here I can ping members.dyndns.com and my IP is updated.

I think it's a dupe of bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ddclient/+bug/60159

I do not have, or use, ddclient. What I did was a wget members.dyndns.com... and it timed out. Ping succeeded, but it does not provide much data or worth. In fact, 'telnet members.dyndns.com 80', followed by "get / HTTP/1.0" and some hits of the Return key would work as a pretty good test. But... telnet is unable to open a session there...

Please note that ping uses ICMP, while this is a TCP connection; by pinging, all we know is that this host (or someone posing as this host) is alive; it does not follow that an HTTP server is running and accepting connections at this address (members.dyndns.com at port 80).

bug 60159 is not the same: there we have a "no route to host" error; here we have a time out.

Right now this would more appropriately be taken with DynDNS support.

Here's the answer i got from them when I first ask if there is a problem on there side...

> Hello there,
>
> I'm using ddclient to update my IP address in my account. But
> every time ddclient try to update i get this message:
>
> May 20 20:31:29 ubuntu ddclient[4256]: WARNING: cannot connect
> to members.dyndns.com:80 socket: IO::Socket::INET: connect:
> Connection timed out
>
> Did you have any idea why I get this error message? Can you help
> me to solve this problem.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Denis
>

That error isn't caused by our system, unfortunately. You should
address this question to the author of the client you are using as we
can not provide support for third-party products.

--
Alan Ellis
Customer Service Technician
Dynamic Network Services, Inc.
http://www.dyndns.com/

Typical response. I guess they did not even read your e-mail.

Now... have you tried members.dyndns.ORG ? I think you might be surprised... Please try it, and report back. Meanwhile I will have a look at ddclient to see what is set up as default for the contact web address.

I am also resetting the duplicate status here.

what version of ddclient are you running (you can run 'apt-cache showpkg ddclient')?

I'm running 3.7.1

OK. On 3.7.1 (at least) members.dyndns.com is what is offered; but http://www.dyndns.com/support/kb/using_ddclient_with_dyndns_services.html suggests members.dyndns.org.

Please change it to .org, and try again.

seems to work now with .org extension

thanks...

You are welcome.

Left as an exercise to me... figure out if it should be .com, or .org, and perhaps suggest an update to ddclient (if, indeed, needed).

Indeed. http://www.dyndns.com/developers/specs/syntax.html states one must hit http://members/dyndns.org. I wonder when this has changed. Now... to http://ddclient.sf.net...

sf.net states that Ubuntu users should report issues to us. So... I guess there is no need to open an upstream here.

Issue: ddclient setup should suggest 'members.dyndns.org' instead of 'members.dyndns.com'. Although there seems to be a .com, it does not answer to the update requests; moreover, the first link in this comment states one should hit 'members.dyndns.org'.

Seems pretty easy, and I will try to prepare a patch as soon as I can. Right now... thunderstorms are hitting north Texas, and I will stop playing on the laptop.

Now I am totally confused. The original ddclient 3.7.1 used 'members.dyndns.org', and the Ubuntu patch reset it to 'members.dyndns.com':

--- ddclient-3.7.1/ddclient.orig 2007-04-30 00:40:49.000000000 +0100
+++ ddclient-3.7.1/ddclient 2007-04-30 00:40:59.000000000 +0100
 (snip)
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@
        'postscript' => setv(T_POSTS, 0, 0, 1, '', undef),
     },
     'service-common-defaults' => {
- 'server' => setv(T_FQDNP, 1, 0, 1, 'members.dyndns.org', undef),
+ 'server' => setv(T_FQDNP, 1, 0, 1, 'members.dyndns.com', undef),
 (snip)

So... instead of preparing a patch I think my best option it to let this bug stay in confirmed status, so that the maintainer may look at it and decide on a course of action (either reverting the dyndns patch, or confirming it).

I'll revert that patch of change .org to .com, I've talked to DynDns.com about that.. wait for it =)

ddclient (3.7.1-0ubuntu2) gutsy; urgency=low

  * Remove the patch to change from .org to .com (LP: #116066)
    - DynDNS team only wants .com to access their website.

 -- Marco Rodrigues <email address hidden> Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:51:55 +0100

I can confirm this bug, or at least this behaviour.

My ddclient.conf is :

pid=/var/run/ddclient.pid
protocol=dyndns2
use=if, if=ppp0
server=members.dyndns.com
login=<username>
password='<password>'
example.homelinux.org

Sorry - didn't see ".org" solution. Tried & worked.

I can confirm I experience this bug too. Running a fully updated Feisty:

Logs show repeated instances of error messages:

Aug 4 10:04:30 plasken ddclient[8092]: WARNING: cannot connect to members.dyndns.com:80 socket: IO::Socket::INET: connect: Connection timed out
Aug 4 10:04:30 plasken ddclient[8092]: FAILED: updating {domainname}.homeip.net: Could not connect to members.dyndns.com.
Aug 4 10:09:30 plasken ddclient[8092]: WARNING: forcing update of {domainname}.homeip.net from 89.168.xx.xx to 89.168.yy.yy; 25 days since last update on Mon Jun 25 22:41:05 2007.
Aug 4 10:12:39 plasken ddclient[8092]: WARNING: cannot connect to members.dyndns.com:80 socket: IO::Socket::INET: connect: Connection timed out
Aug 4 10:12:39 plasken ddclient[8092]: FAILED: updating {domainname}.homeip.net: Could not connect to members.dyndns.com.

Trying to run sudo ddclient in a terminal yields the following:

$ sudo ddclient
Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at /usr/sbin/ddclient line 1681.
WARNING: forcing update of {domainname}.homeip.net from 89.168.xx.zz to 89.168.xx.yy; 25 days since last update on Mon Jun 25 22:41:05 2007.
Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at /usr/sbin/ddclient line 1681.

WARNING: cannot connect to {domainname}.dyndns.com:80 socket: IO::Socket::INET: connect: Connection timed out
FAILED: updating {domainname}.homeip.net: Could not connect to members.dyndns.com.

Does anyone have an explanation / fix for the "Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at /usr/sbin/ddclient line 1681." ? Thanks!

It's already fixed on feisty and gutsy, try to update your system.

ddclient 3.7.1-0ubuntu2 have it fixed. Soon it will be released 3.7.3 :-)

Thanks, but I run a fully updated feisty.

I got rid of part of the errors by setting the server manually in the /etc/ddclient.conf file.

I still get "Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at /usr/sbin/ddclient line 1681."

Hi,

I have 3.7.1-0ubuntu3~feisty1 version, and it was a .com by default. After changing to .org, everything ran smoothly.

Thanks.

It will be fixed on 3.7.3...

oups I misread :)

It will be fixed on version 3.7.3 at Gutsy. Maybe after that a Backport for Feisty will be nice.

I am getting the same error messages.

ddclient (3.7.3-2ubuntu1) gutsy; urgency=low

  * Merge from Debian unstable (LP: #132694) & (LP: #77570).
  * Changed some files inside debian/ to match DynDNS.com (LP: #116066).
    - debian/po: all .po files
    - debian/config
    - debian/ddclient.templates
    - debian/ddclient.xml
    - debian/copyright
    - debian/ddclient.pod
    - debian/ddclient.8
  * debian/control: bump debhelper to 5.0.38 and initscripts to ubuntu version.
  * debian/rules: call dh_installinit with -u multiuser (Teardown spec)
  * debian/patches: Add sample_ubuntu.diff.

ddclient (3.7.3-2) unstable; urgency=low

  * Apply changes suggested by Marco Rodrigues (thanks, Marco):
    + Upgrade debian/compat to debhelper 5 (no adaptation needed)
    + Add README.ssl to debian/docs (great oversight :)
    + Add missing sample-* files to debian/examples.
  * Fix patch for ip-up sample script (which used an IP as interface
    name because my misreading of a bug report - shame on me).

ddclient (3.7.3-1) unstable; urgency=low

  * New upstream release.
  * Disable patches that were adopted upstream:
    + cachedir.diff: Cache files are now stored in /var/cache anyway.
    + daemon_interval.diff, daemon_check.diff: Handling of the -daemon option
      was fixed upstream.
    + update-new-config.patch: Upstream checks for config changes now as
      well.
    + smc-barricade-7401bra.patch: New router type adopted upstream.
    + abuse_msg.diff: Upstream fixed the unblock pointer for dyndns abuse.
    + help_nonroot.diff: Help option now works for non-root users.
    + cisco_fw.diff: URL for ip information fixed upstream.
    + silence_undefined.diff: No more warning about undefined variables.
    + checked_ssl_load.diff: Successful inclusion of SSL library now checked.

 -- Marco Rodrigues <email address hidden> Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:40:53 +0100

I have fully updated Gutsy and i can confirm that ddclient doesn't work with ssl (if ssl=no then everything is ok)

ddclient - 3.7.3-2ubuntu1

The config is:
pid=/var/run/ddclient.pid
ssl=yes
wildcard=yes
daemon=900
syslog=yes
use=web, web=checkip.dyndns.org/, web-skip='IP Address'
server=members.dyndns.org
protocol=dyndns2
login=username
password='password'
domain.name.on.dyndns

The error is:
CONNECT: members.dyndns.org
WARNING: cannot connect to members.dyndns.org:443 socket: IO::Socket::SSL: Timeout IO::Socket::INET configuration failederror:00000000:lib(0):func(0):reason(0)
FAILED: updating domain.name.on.dyndns: Could not connect to members.dyndns.org.

I tried to replace the IO::Socket::SSL/NET with the current one from CPAN (deinstalled all from apt) but that didn't help too.
No firewall is running.

Why this happens and who should be addressed for this issue to be fixed?

BTW i forgot to say that this is not a general connection issue with members.dyndns.org .
The error is issued right away (no timeout at all) and if the url from the debug is used in a web-browser it is ok
(DEBUG: url = http://members.dyndns.org/nic/update?system=dyndns&hostname=....)
Obviously it is some problem with the perl Socket ssl/inet code or the way ddclient makes the calls to them...

Hi! Can you create another bug reported with that problem with SSL ?

And run this command: $ ddclient -daemon=0 -debug -verbose -noquiet and attach it to a comment.

Thanks!

All the info in my bug report above was taken via the same command and i pasted only the useful parts.... :)
Anyway here is the full debug with private info removed (removing is using a pattern). (Attached)

OK,
the reason for this bug is in the routines of the ddclient perl script that set the default values for the options.
In this case the timeout for the ssl connection is set to 0 which gives the above error on Gutsy.
I have not tested what is the effect of the other default values that are set in ddclient but this should be changed as a whole (maybe the author of the app should be notified too).
A workaround for all this is:
1. set a timeout value either in the ddclient.conf file or on the command line
2. apply the patch i upload here to the ddclient script (patch -p0 < ddclient.patch)

The easier and safer way is number 1 ;)