@DiWiT Try this suggestion.
It appears that your Windows host (192.168.1.220) is repeatedly issuing reverse DNS (PTR) queries for its own IP address (222.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa) to your Pi-hole server (192.168.1.222), leading to rate-limiting issues. This behavior is often due to the Windows system attempting to resolve its own IP address, possibly for network identification or logging purposes.
Steps to Mitigate the PTR Query Flood
- Assign a Static Hostname in Pi-hole's DHCP Settings:
- Navigate to Pi-hole's admin interface.
- Go to Settings > DHCP.
- Under Static DHCP leases, assign a hostname to the Windows host's MAC address.
- This ensures that reverse DNS lookups for 192.168.1.220 return a valid hostname, potentially reducing repeated queries.Pi-hole Userspace
- Disable Conditional Forwarding (if enabled):
- In Pi-hole's admin interface, go to Settings > DNS.
- Ensure that Conditional Forwarding is disabled.
- Conditional Forwarding can sometimes create loops, causing excessive PTR queries.Pi-hole Userspace+4Pi-hole Userspace+4Pi-hole Userspace+4Pi-hole Userspace+1GitHub+1
- Adjust Pi-hole's Logging Behavior:
- Edit the Pi-hole FTL configuration file:
sudo nano /etc/pihole/pihole-FTL.conf
- Add the following line to limit logging to A and AAAA queries:
ANALYZE_ONLY_A_AND_AAAA=true
- Save the file and restart Pi-hole's DNS resolver:
sudo pihole restartdns
- This change reduces log clutter but does not stop the PTR queries themselves.Pi-hole Userspace+6Pi-hole Userspace+6GitHub+6
- Check for Duplicate MAC Addresses:
- Ensure that the virtual network adapter of your Ubuntu VM has a unique MAC address different from the Windows host.
- Duplicate MAC addresses can cause network confusion, leading to excessive ARP and DNS traffic.
- Review Windows Host's Network Configuration:
- On the Windows host, check for any services or applications that might be causing repeated reverse DNS lookups.
- Use tools like
Process MonitororWiresharkto identify processes generating these queries.
- Implement DNS Query Rate Limiting:
- In Pi-hole's admin interface, go to Settings > DNS.
- Adjust the Rate Limit settings to a level that balances between preventing abuse and allowing legitimate traffic.
By following these steps, you should be able to mitigate the excessive PTR queries from your Windows host to the Pi-hole server. If the issue persists, consider exploring further network diagnostics or consulting Windows-specific forums for additional insights.