Cannot resolve smtp-mail.outlook.com

[Michael Gratton]

After upgrading to 17.10, applications can no longer resolve smtp-mail.outlook.com, although host can:

> mjg@payens:~/Projects/GNOME/geary$ telnet smtp-mail.outlook.com 25
> telnet: could not resolve smtp-mail.outlook.com/25: Temporary failure in name resolution
> mjg@payens:~/Projects/GNOME/geary$ telnet smtp-mail.outlook.com
> telnet: could not resolve smtp-mail.outlook.com/telnet: Temporary failure in name resolution
> mjg@payens:~/Projects/GNOME/geary$ host smtp-mail.outlook.com
> smtp-mail.outlook.com is an alias for smtp.live.com.
> smtp.live.com is an alias for smtp.glbdns2.microsoft.com.
> smtp.glbdns2.microsoft.com is an alias for smtp.office365.com.
> smtp.office365.com is an alias for smtp.outlook.office365.com.
> smtp.outlook.office365.com is an alias for outlook.office365.com.
> outlook.office365.com is an alias for lb.geo.office365.com.
> lb.geo.office365.com is an alias for outlook.office365.com.g.office365.com.
> outlook.office365.com.g.office365.com is an alias for outlook-au.office365.com.
> outlook-au.office365.com has address 40.100.151.226
> [many more replies snipped]

Also reported on ask.ubuntu.com: https://askubuntu.com/questions/969689/dns-problem-trying-to-ping-or-send-email-using-smtp-mail-outlook-com-after-upgra

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: systemd 234-2ubuntu12.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-16.19-generic 4.13.4
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-16-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Mon Oct 30 21:07:17 2017
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-07-22 (831 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release amd64 (20150422)
Lsusb:
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05ac:0273 Apple, Inc.
 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 05ac:8290 Apple, Inc.
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
MachineType: Apple Inc. MacBookPro12,1
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.13.0-16-generic root=/dev/mapper/ubuntu--gnome--vg-root ro quiet splash acpi_backlight=vendor i915.fastboot=1 vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: systemd
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 10/24/2016
dmi.bios.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.bios.version: MBP121.88Z.0167.B18.1610241407
dmi.board.name: Mac-E43C1C25D4880AD6
dmi.board.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.board.version: MacBookPro12,1
dmi.chassis.type: 9
dmi.chassis.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: Mac-E43C1C25D4880AD6
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAppleInc.:bvrMBP121.88Z.0167.B18.1610241407:bd10/24/2016:svnAppleInc.:pnMacBookPro12,1:pvr1.0:rvnAppleInc.:rnMac-E43C1C25D4880AD6:rvrMacBookPro12,1:cvnAppleInc.:ct9:cvrMac-E43C1C25D4880AD6:
dmi.product.family: MacBook Pro
dmi.product.name: MacBookPro12,1
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: Apple Inc.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Matevž Jekovec (matevz-jekovec)]

Another workaround is to add some other nameserver to /etc/resolv.conf instead of 127.0.0.53.

For example:
nameserver 193.2.1.72

[Shuhao (shuhao)]

I observe the same issue here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/systemd/+bug/1731522

[Michael Gratton (mjog)]

Looks similar, yeah.

[Shuhao (shuhao)]

I found that disabling ipv6 dns helped (in thunderbird). Disabling ipv6 systemwide works as well.

[Steve Langasek (vorlon)]

Looking at the output of a lookup today of smtp-mail.outlook.com, it appears the DNS configuration of this name has changed (there are now much fewer CNAMEs chained together than there were when this bug was reported). So I believe the symptom that was reported is now resolved, but that the root cause is the same as bug #1731522 - resolved fails to implement TCP support.