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DNS servers

The university recursive DNS servers. They resolve domain names for devices in the TUKE network and also know internal names that public servers cannot see.


  • Three servers


    Configure all three so that one outage stops nothing.

  • Low latency


    A few milliseconds inside the university network.

  • Internal names


    They resolve names that public DNS servers cannot.

  • IPv6 on rs2


    The rs2 server also answers on an IPv6 address.


Server addresses

Server IPv4 IPv6
rs1.tuke.sk 147.232.3.2
rs2.tuke.sk 147.232.16.16 2001:4118:200:1000::16
rs3.tuke.sk 193.87.100.12

Configure all three

rs1 and rs2 sit in the university network, rs3 is in a different network. If the university network has trouble, rs3 is reachable by another route. That is why it makes sense to configure all three rather than just one.


Properties

Property State
Type Recursive resolver
Port 53/UDP and 53/TCP
EDNS(0) Yes, 1232 B buffer size
Internal TUKE names Yes
DNS over TLS (853) No
DNS over HTTPS No

Response times measured from the university network:

Server Median response
rs1 3 ms
rs2 5 ms
rs3 2 ms

Configuration on Ubuntu

Ubuntu Server is configured through netplan, which passes the result to the systemd-resolved service.

Find the interface name

ip -br link

On virtual servers in TUKE Cloud it is usually ens160 or ens192.

Edit the configuration

sudo nano /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

Add nameservers to your interface section:

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    ens160:
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 147.232.3.2
          - 147.232.16.16
          - 193.87.100.12
        search:
          - tuke.sk

What search is for

Thanks to search: tuke.sk you can type just www instead of the full www.tuke.sk.

Apply the change

sudo netplan try

The command applies the change and reverts it after 120 seconds unless you confirm. It protects you from losing connectivity through a bad configuration. Once everything works, confirm with Enter and save permanently:

sudo netplan apply

If you would rather not touch netplan, set the servers globally:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/resolved.conf
[Resolve]
DNS=147.232.3.2 147.232.16.16 193.87.100.12
Domains=tuke.sk
sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved

DHCP settings take precedence

If the interface receives DNS servers over DHCP, those take precedence over the global setting. Use netplan in that case.

Graphically, without the terminal:

Open network settings

Settings → Network, then click the gear icon next to your connection.

Turn off automatic DNS

On the IPv4 tab switch DNS to Off (automatic) and enter the addresses separated by commas:

147.232.3.2, 147.232.16.16, 193.87.100.12

Reconnect

Turn the connection off and on again for the change to take effect.


Configuration on Windows

In a command prompt started as administrator:

netsh interface ip set dns name="Ethernet" static 147.232.3.2 primary
netsh interface ip add dns name="Ethernet" 147.232.16.16 index=2
netsh interface ip add dns name="Ethernet" 193.87.100.12 index=3

Find the interface name with:

netsh interface show interface

Verification:

ipconfig /all | findstr /i "DNS Servers"
nslookup www.tuke.sk

Verification

resolvectl status

All three addresses should appear under DNS Servers in your interface section.

A test resolution:

dig www.tuke.sk +short
nslookup www.tuke.sk

A check that internal names work too:

dig vraa.cloud.tuke.sk +short

What success looks like

The command returns an IP address without an error, and resolvectl status shows the configured servers on the right interface.


Troubleshooting

Name resolution fails but IP addresses work

A typical symptom of a bad DNS configuration. Check who is actually answering:

resolvectl status
dig @147.232.3.2 www.tuke.sk +short

If a direct query to the server works but the system one does not, the fault is in your configuration, not in the server.

The setting disappeared after a reboot

You only edited /etc/resolv.conf. On Ubuntu that file is generated by systemd-resolved and overwritten on reboot. Use netplan or resolved.conf.

Internal names do not resolve

You are using a public DNS server such as 8.8.8.8. Internal names are known only to the university resolver, so put it first in the list.

netplan try reported an error

YAML is sensitive to indentation and uses spaces, not tabs. Check the syntax:

sudo netplan generate

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to request access?

No. The servers are intended for devices in the TUKE network and require no registration.

Which server should come first?

The order does not matter much, the latency differences are a few milliseconds. What matters is having all three configured as backup.

Do they support DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS?

No. We verified that port 853 is closed and encrypted DNS is not available. Traffic therefore travels unencrypted across the network.

Do the servers validate DNSSEC?

No. They do not verify signatures and do not mark answers with the ad flag. If you need validation, run a local validating resolver such as unbound on your server and point it at these servers as upstream.

Are these servers also authoritative for tuke.sk?

No, they are purely recursive resolvers. Authoritative answers for the zone are served by different servers.


Next steps

  • NTP server


    The university time server.

    Guide

  • Ubuntu


    First steps after creating a virtual server.

    More info