DNS Error using Sony Gr47 and GPRS

baileysinplett

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We have a vehicle tracking system using GPRS and SMS. The unit uses a Sony Erricsson GR47 GPRS enabled modem and has been working successfully for over 2 years (including on the Vodacom Network). The unit connects to an APN and then has the ability to resolve a host name to IP through DNS and this is used extensively to allow connections to ADSL lines using Dynamic DNS host resolution. This functionality is part of the modem firmware and is a simple request with the URL and the function returns an ERROR or the host IP address

We have clients running on both MTN and Vodacom networks. Recently we have had complaints of clients using too many SMSs as opposed to sending over a GPRS connection. In analysing the problem we discovered that the issue only revolved around our Vodacom customers and that the MTN customers were operating well within accepted norms

We discovered today what this issue is - when the modem requests the host resolution of the host name the modem returns with a blank IP address and NO error as if the name was resolved correctly but the IP was returned as a blank. If we switch off the modem and reconnect the request returns back a correct and valid result

As we do not experience this feature on our MTN clients (at all - we currently have more MTN than Vodacom), one can assume that there is not a specific fault with the modem, but there appears to be an issue around Vodacom, the modem, and how this TCP request is handled

The way around this issue is to obviously reset the modem when this problem occurs, but I was wondering if anybody else has experienced the same problems or if the guys at Vodacom possibly have a internal problem that they are not/or are aware of, or there may be a compatibility issue with Vodacom and the Sony Erricsson modems that has only recently surfaced
 
Last edited:
GPRS and DNS, similar problem

Hi there,

did you ever manage to get to the bottom of the Vodacom problem? I'm experiencing a similar problem (with an ISP in Italy) where I can never resolve a host name. I can do all other things, just not resolve!!

Thanks,
Checco
 
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