Hello everyone,
I’ve recently been testing ZeroTier clients across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. During my tests, I encountered some issues regarding DNS settings. I hope to discuss these issues here and seek some insights and solutions from the community and the development team.
Background:
When the “Allow Default Route Override” option is enabled, all traffic from the node is routed through the ZeroTier network. This setup is often used to access special network resources, such as a company’s internal network, and to use the company network for internet access. This configuration is common and necessary in several use cases.
Issue:
After enabling “Allow Default Route Override,” the node continues to use the locally configured DNS server for domain name resolution, leading to the following problems:
- DNS Resolution Issues: For example, if the local DNS is proxied or uses a Fake IP mode, it may result in incorrect DNS resolution, making it impossible to correctly access internet resources.
- Lack of Global DNS Setting: In ZeroTier Central, there is no option to set a global DNS server. The current setup only allows DNS configuration based on specific domains, which is not suitable for scenarios requiring global DNS coverage.
Client Discrepancies:
Testing multiple platforms, I found that only the Android client offers flexible DNS settings, including:
- No DNS: Do not use ZeroTier-managed DNS.
- Network DNS: Use the DNS server configured in the ZeroTier network.
- Custom DNS: Allow manually inputting custom DNS servers.
However, on iOS, macOS, and Windows clients, these options are absent, making automated DNS switching unachievable.
Suggestions:
I suggest that the ZeroTier team add an option in ZeroTier Central allowing users to automatically set a global DNS server when nodes connect to the ZeroTier network. This would greatly improve the user experience in the following scenarios:
- Enterprise Users: Need to access both company internal networks and internet resources via ZeroTier.
- Home Users: Want to optimize DNS resolution through ZeroTier, bypassing local network restrictions or proxies.
My Questions:
- Why does only the Android client offer flexible DNS settings? Is there any official documentation or technical reasons explaining this discrepancy?
- Are there plans to provide similar DNS configuration options on all platforms in future releases?
I hope the community and the ZeroTier team can offer some suggestions and solutions. Thank you!