OpenDNS on Linux Mint

Discovering disappointing defaults well after committing to using a distro is a rite of passage for Linux users, isn't it?

November 26, 2013 Reading time: 1 minute

2026 editor's note: this post was written over a decade ago, and it is unlikely to accurately depict my current opinions, level of knowledge... and English proficiency. Read about this website for details.

Note to self:

By default, Linux Mint brings OpenDNS (which I hate, if not for anything else, for the NXDOMAIN response it gives) as the resolvconf fallback. Deleting /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/tail as root and then restarting the resolvconf will (re)solve it. Do not waste time trying to figure out where the DNS is being hijacked on your network: the thing is right on your machine, even if you have overridden the DHCP DNS configuration on the network configuration dialogues – out of the box, it will always use OpenDNS if the DNS servers you or DHCP specified, are not available/don’t answer fast enough.

By the way: http://myresolver.info/ helps with debugging DNS issues.

This post brings to an end months of trouble, and me thinking my ISP, to add to the fact that even though my plan is unlimited, severe speed limiting starts at 15 GB of data usage, was also hijacking DNS queries to their own system. Fortunately, looks like it is not the case. At the same time, I’m disappointed with the choice of DNS fallback by the people behind Linux Mint.