Manually Add DNS Servers

My work machine is an Ubuntu machine on a Microsoft Small Business Server network. It gets all of its network settings by way of DHCP from the SBS Server. Sometimes the SBS Server has to be restarted. Most of the software I use can run offline, so that is nor normally a problem.

What is a problem is that I immediately lose internet access because the SBS Server operates as a [DNS]. This is frustrating. Helpfully, Ubuntu has an option to manually add some extra DNS's which SHOULD take over the burden from the SBS Server if it goes down.

To achieve this (in Lucid), go System -> Administration -> Network.

From the program that pops up, select the Network Device drop down menu. Choose your network device. This will be ethX if you are connected by a wired connection. Then click on the Configure button next to the device name. From the new window that pops up, choose the DNS tab. You then need to click on the button between the Help and Close buttons at the bottom of the window, and putin your admin password to allow you to change the settings.

Now, just click on Add, and type in your new DNS IP address.

Hopefully this change means that the next time the server goes offline, I can still use the internet.