ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED
Description
The ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED error indicates that the destination name could not be resolved and the browser could not find the IP address to match the entered domain name.
Possible causes
DNS
Broadcasting on the local subnet by default, specifically in Chrome browser
Browser cache
VPN
What could be causing this type of problem?
The ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED is a Chrome-specific error, but other browsers display a similar message indicating an issue with the Internet connection or with the browser itself.
Usual causes include the DNS server being temporarily unavailable or incorrect DNS settings. Also, the name resolution may not be possible because the DNS server cannot be reached, e.g., the VPN is not connected on a remote client which is needed to reach the DNS Server. Additionally, incorrect entries in the DNS server zone file for the website could cause the return of an incorrect IP address and the error.
In most cases, this is an isolated incident concerning an individual device that happens to be accessing Internet (or intranet) locations that have, for some reason, changed since the last visit. In this case, individual fixes can be applied as outlined below.
If this is a widespread incident, consider the following questions:
Has your browser been recently updated?
Has there been a change to the network resulting in a different route or path needed to be taken to the website’s destination?
Are the devices using a predefined proxy server to get to their destination?
Has the destination, usually a website, been altered or changed?
Read the suggestions below to find out how Nexthink can help solve these problems.
How to Scope this issue
The first step is to scope the issue to understand how serious or widespread the problem is.
Scoping with Applications
Using Applications Reliability dashboards, look at the various breakdowns and filter them to find correlations. For instance, specific errors could be present on:
Specific applications only
In this instance, try to understand what has changed concerning a particular web application.
Specific OS, browser version
Has the OS or browser version changed? Has the browser been updated recently? Using Nexthink, investigate the performance of various browser versions to understand if a specific version is experiencing the problem.
Specific hierarchy nodes
If an infrastructure component such as a network change, a proxy server, or something similar is causing the problem, then it is likely to be shown by a specific area in the hierarchy containing a high quantity of errors.
Specific key pages or URLs
Most likely, a change was made at the web app level. Contact the appropriate application support team and inform them of the problem.
Specific time frames only
Examine if it is a one-time event that must be investigated, or whether this is a recurring event where something on the network, e.g., corporate backup, may be altering the availability of the network.
Scoping with Nexthink Finder (classic)
You can search for failed connections with the Applications console and start an investigation in Finder. By entering the web address as a criterion in Finder and checking all connections to that domain or website, Finder returns valuable insights into the scope of the issue.
Possible Solutions
Fixing Employee Devices
NOTICE: Consider the scoping procedures first, see the steps above.
Be aware of the scope of impact when running corrective actions using Nexthink. If you are dealing with a single device or just a few devices, the Remote Actions can be run in the background while providing help to the affected employees or they can even be performed silently.
Should the scoping reveal that the incident is widespread, the issue will require more attention. We recommend employing Engage Campaigns to ensure that affected employees will get a visual notification of any changes being performed through remote actions at scale because employees may not be aware of the Remote Action taking place.
Refresh the page
Refreshing the page can be a quick way to fix the problem because usually, the error is a temporary one. Press CTRL+F5, which works on most browsers, or refer to your documentation if needed.
Flush DNS
Flushing the DNS on the device deletes the DNS cache, which then forces a new DNS lookup. If the website or page in question was recently moved to another IP address, deleting (or flushing) all DNS entries should resolve the error. Use the Remote Action Network Management.
Confirm Network Settings
Use the Remote action Get Network Configuration to confirm that the DNS settings on the devices are correct. If they are not, ensure the correct DNS settings are used (see the step above), either by renewing the DHCP lease (ipconfig /renew) if on a DHCP enabled network or by simply entering the correct DNS server settings into the IP configuration settings of the client, if they are managed locally.
Clear cache
If the cache hasn’t been cleared for a while, some of the files within it may be corrupt. Clearing the cache can help. Select the Basic data clearing option if the user does not want to lose saved passwords and other personalized data.
Use the remote actions to clear the browser cache on Edge or Chrome (‘Clear Edge / Chrome Settings’). Clearing of the cache can be carried out remotely to assist the user.
Confirm correct connection configuration
It may be necessary at times to activate a VPN to reach the DNS Servers required for name resolution. This is especially true for remote employees wanting to connect to the company’s resources, such as the intranet. In this case, confirm with the employee that their VPN is connected, and if not, establish a connection and then check the access. If the problem has been solved, this should provide an insight into the same connection issue on other remote devices. Employees can be reached using an Engage Campaign to be reminded of this requirement.
Infrastructure fixes
DNS
Whenever employees are trying to access the Internet or a particular website (i.e., http://www.google.com ), the device sends a request to the assigned DNS (Domain Name Service) server to find the associated IP address of the site being requested. If the DNS server is unavailable for any reason, the name resolution lookup fails. Any indication that this is affecting multiple employees in various locations or regions is a good hint that the server-side configuration or availability may be the problem.
In addition to server unavailability, it is possible that the DNS server has an incorrect entry in its own zone database or cache files. If this is the case, it will return the requested query to the device but with incorrect data. Contact the network infrastructure team and ask them to check if employees are receiving incorrect data.
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