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[Launchpad Bug Tracker <621879@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

** Changed in: firefox (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Confirmed

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/621879

Title:
  Ubuntu Firefox handles DNS failure poorly

Status in “firefox” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: firefox

  When the primary DNS server is set to the wrong address, Ubuntu
  Firefox takes 10 to 15 seconds to look up URLs. The problem does not
  occur with Firefox on Windows XP, and appears to be much less severe
  with Firefox on Fedora 13 or with Google Chrome.  It does not appear
  to be an ipv6 problem.

  
  Steps to reproduce:
  1. Set 192.68.0.1 (incorrect value) as the primary DNS and 208.67.220.220 (OpenDNS) as the secondary. In my case this I am using a WRT54GL router with DHCP, so the DNS was determined by the router, and these settings were in the router.

  2. Reboot to make sure you are using OpenDNS. Verify the server used by typing
  nslookup www.google.com .

  3. With Ubuntu Firefox 3.6.8, go to
  http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/alpha/ and pick an obscure
  university. Open the Web site by <Shift> clicking. Do this for several
  universities. (Other Web sites could be used, but these (1) tend to
  load from a single server and (2) are unlikely to be cached locally or
  by remote DNS, thereby simplifying testing.)

  
  Results
  1. The status line displays "Looking up [URL address] ..." for 10 to 15 seconds. This is reproducible.

  2. If the primary DNS is set correctly and the computer is rebooted,
  the problem is solved and the lookup is almost instantaneous. (Primary
  DNS set to 192.168.0.1 (the modem) instead of 192.68.0.1 in the
  router; primary DNS in the modem was left at 68.94.156.1 [Southwestern
  Bell].)

  
  Other diagnostic information (all tests run with primary server set incorrectly)
  1. Nslookup returns the IP address in 0 to 2 seconds. Thus, the system appears to be handling the lookup much faster than Firefox.

  2. Even if nslookup is used immediately before Firefox, Firefox is
  still slow. Thus, IP address caching (if it occurred) did not speed up
  Firefox.  Dnsmasq is not installed.

  3. I never observed the problem with Windows XP (I tested on the same
  machine). Name resolution is almost instantaneous.

  4. I have not tested much with other browsers or other OS's, but
  Google Chrome (Ubuntu) and Fedora 13 (Firefox, live CD) are much
  faster. Typically 4 to 5 seconds, as opposed to 10-15 seconds with
  Ubuntu Firefox.  Thus, the bug appears to be specific to Ubuntu
  Firefox, or to a specifically Ubuntu component.

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