jaybravo

Q: Problems with Safari - server not found  - for no reason!

Just in the last week when I go to a webpage (and it can be any random page and its intermittent) it will come up blank saying "Safari cannot open the page because the server cannot be found" HOWEVER there is nothing wrong with my internet connection or with the website I am trying to navigate to.

 

Example, I wanted to go to mailcall couriers. I click on the link on my favourites bar, I get the above error message. I got to google and try access it, same thing. I go to google and click on a sub page link (like contact us) and it is fine and I can then navigate to their working home page from there.

 

Safari seems to do this routinely with some pages but not all, and not always the same ones. Sometimes the pages will open sometimes I will get this error - but if I try opening that same page at teh same time on my ipad its fine! So it is not the website or the internet.

 

I have tried resetting safari, clearing cache etc... to no avail.

 

NOW, on a similar note, I have numerous open pages in safari on my iphone 5S - as of today - all thos pages are coming up witht eh same above error message and wont open

 

Safari 7.0.1

 

Any help is much appreciated as this is driving me insane.

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 19, 2014 2:09 PM

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Q: Problems with Safari - server not found  - for no reason!

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  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,Helpful

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 19, 2014 3:02 PM in response to jaybravo
    Level 9 (60,904 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 19, 2014 3:02 PM in response to jaybravo

    safari or any Internet Browser does not open pages by name -- only by IP address. When you specify a name,  a request is sent to a Domain Name Server (DNS) to get the number.

     

    If you have not specified the DNS numbers, or you are using unusual ones, or they have been changed for some reason, sites may not be found.

     

    ¿ Are you using the DNS numbers specified by your Internet Provider?

  • by LomasNZ,

    LomasNZ LomasNZ Feb 28, 2014 5:15 PM in response to jaybravo
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Feb 28, 2014 5:15 PM in response to jaybravo

    Hi

    I have been having the sane problem with two different iPhones on the same wifi network. But not with my PC on the same network.

    Indeed I could not even get to this forum page due to this error. Until I tried using the 'private' feature of safari. That resolved it enough to enable me to get to this forums and the I found the following post and the first instruction,  to reset my network settings on my iPhone, has work successfully for me. Although I have not tested it for long.

     

    Settings>General>Reset>Reset Network Settings

     

    See...

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/20340126#20340126

     

    Good luck.

  • by LomasNZ,

    LomasNZ LomasNZ Feb 28, 2014 6:58 PM in response to LomasNZ
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Feb 28, 2014 6:58 PM in response to LomasNZ

    Further to my post above the solution I posted did NOT work.

     

    The problem is intermitant and so I get short periods of times when thing do work. The problem is persistant across iPhone 5, 4, iPad 1. On wi-fi. And on Safari and on Chrome.

     

    I do not get this problem on 3G from the above i devices.

     

    And I do not get it on my PC.

     

    Frustratingly I often can not get to these forums.

  • by LomasNZ,

    LomasNZ LomasNZ Feb 28, 2014 7:36 PM in response to LomasNZ
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Feb 28, 2014 7:36 PM in response to LomasNZ

    I am beginning to wonder if this is a DNS TTL issue. This rather technical article (http://www.saurik.com/id/3) points to an issue with DNS CNAMEs in the iOS OS.

     

    I noted on a seperate forum post that "discussions.apple.com" is directed to via a CNAME. Thus that might explain why I sometimes have a problem getting to this forum. Noting that there are many sites that I never have a problem getting to (eg, Google). Perhaps becuase these are DNS A (Address type) records?

     

    What appears to make things work , for a while, are minor changes that I might presume cause any DNS cache to be cleared. Eg, clearing cookies and data; turning off and on the wi-fi.

     

    Although that does not explain why things work (as far as I observe) via 3G. Does 3G have an alternative DNS cache algolrithim?

     

    Very frustrating.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Feb 28, 2014 8:37 PM in response to LomasNZ
    Level 9 (60,904 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 28, 2014 8:37 PM in response to LomasNZ

    Those are really interesting theories, but you are massively over-thinking this. You do not have access to CNAME records, and TTL problems would be affecting huge numbers of Users, not just you.

     

    The usual problem is that the DNS numbers in use are damaged or absent, and your query gets hijacked by an internet site pretending to be a DNS.

     

    ¿Exactly what DNS numbers are being used by the devices having these probelms?

  • by jaybravo,

    jaybravo jaybravo Mar 2, 2014 2:32 PM in response to jaybravo
    Level 1 (2 points)
    Mar 2, 2014 2:32 PM in response to jaybravo

    I wouldnt have a clue what DNS numbers Im using - im just browing to website like I normally would - its rnadom and intermittent and can stop me even from getting to this forum half the time, not sure if it is related but I get pages that half load sometimes - example being apple Id login page is shows up as a list of text instead of the proper page - but at least I get to the page!

  • by LomasNZ,

    LomasNZ LomasNZ Mar 2, 2014 7:39 PM in response to jaybravo
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPad
    Mar 2, 2014 7:39 PM in response to jaybravo

    I can provide my DNS number. That will be my wirless modem. And for the record I have checked it and it is present and correct. What my ISP uses in terms of DNS... I have no idea. And they may indeed be at fault. So I have also logged a call with them.

     

    Based on further observations that my PC/Windows7 does exhibits the same error, but appears to resolve itself faster; flushing its chache; Ctrl+F5 on that browser helps with that. Then I think the issue is off the device (Windows and iOS have the same problem at my house). However, I think what iOS is doing is caching for longer [than Windows] the invalid response which it is getting from DNS. Meaning the issues lives for longer on iOS.

  • by Chris Walker (74),

    Chris Walker (74) Chris Walker (74) May 18, 2014 7:17 PM in response to jaybravo
    Level 1 (75 points)
    May 18, 2014 7:17 PM in response to jaybravo

    I also have had the problem now for a few weeks.

    Safari randomly comes up with 'Safari Can't find the server' errors loading webpages, when everything else works fine. My internet connection is fine, and if I copy and paste the exact same link into Chrome, it loads no problem.

    Try a refresh in Safari, but it still says cannot find the server, so clearly the server itself is fine, and the internet connection is fine, it is just Safari that is not working.

     

    Any ideas what would cause this?

    I'm currently on 10.9.2 and Safari 7.0.3

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder May 21, 2014 6:03 AM in response to Chris Walker (74)
    Level 9 (60,904 points)
    Desktops
    May 21, 2014 6:03 AM in response to Chris Walker (74)

    What would cause this is just what I mentioned above.

     

    You MUST be using a valid Domain Name Server to look up your symbolic addresses into IP addresses so that sites can be contacted. It is easy to get a bad DNS Server, and the information sometimes comes from bad info entered into your Router. Bad DNS references can also be caused by certain malware.

     

    You must use one of:

     

    • The EXACT numbers provided by your ISP.

     

    • The numbers provided by a Public DNS server such as (in the USA) Google DNS  or Open DNS

     

    .

     

    DNSList.png

  • by dansavol,

    dansavol dansavol Aug 15, 2014 10:17 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 15, 2014 10:17 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Apple advisor had me do the following and it seemed to work

         prefernces

              users/user groups

                   login items

     

    all the items/apps are trying to open at the same time and some may show a yellow conflict sign.  he had me delete all of them and restart.  seems to have worked.

  • by notcloudy,

    notcloudy notcloudy Aug 15, 2014 10:31 AM in response to jaybravo
    Level 4 (1,190 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 15, 2014 10:31 AM in response to jaybravo

    Think of the information highway in terms of how real highways are affected by storms, fires, mudslides, accidents.

     

    If an artery that normally handles fast traffic is shut down, the traffic is rerouted to roads that now become clogged with traffic.

     

    If you have an important meeting and would be on time if you were on the highway - you will be late - or time out to make the connection.  

     

    Then there is too much traffic so it is almost denial of service.

     

     

     

    Just about 15minutes ago - had a server error message from this site - 3 minutes later same page through this site and it was fine.  

  • by donunddor,

    donunddor donunddor Oct 19, 2014 7:54 AM in response to jaybravo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 19, 2014 7:54 AM in response to jaybravo

    For 3 days I could not connect to two websites and got the msg cannot connect because safari cannot find the server.  All other sites worked normally.  This was true on my iMac  and two iPads, all working off of wifi.  After checking forum comments, I did not get into the DNS solution but just cut the power to my modem and router for a minute.  After reconnecting, those two websites worked fine.  Don

  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Oct 19, 2014 8:09 AM in response to donunddor
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Oct 19, 2014 8:09 AM in response to donunddor

    And  most ISPs will have you recycle the modem and router if it is not performing as it should as a first step.

     

    Some ISPs actually do have good forums and some are public forums or just look through.

     

    I can go months with no issues and then have a week of trouble, often after a storm or event that affected our backbone.

     

    Make sure your networking equipment like modem and router are on battery and surge UPS, that can protect or minimize damage - mine were but not filtering the coax coming in and modem was operating at 40%, barely able to function and connect. Could not work on ISPs new modem but did on retail Surfboard. Finally they replaced some of the outside equipment where the line connected on a utility pole that the storm damaged.

  • by Stephen Smiroldo,

    Stephen Smiroldo Stephen Smiroldo Oct 30, 2014 11:21 AM in response to jaybravo
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 30, 2014 11:21 AM in response to jaybravo

    Running into this "Safari - Server not Found issue" as well on a new MacBook Pro laptop running OS X 10.10 Yosemite. I'm at work, connected through WiFi and 99% of the time, no problems. However, sporadically seeing this issue pop-up where Safari (and even the App Store) gives this message. Tried multiple internal and external URLs without success. Opened websites in Chrome and all sites worked!

     

    Tried quitting and reopening Safari, deleting cache, renewing DHCP lease, and changing the network location within network preferences, etc. but without success. ONLY thing that fixes the problem is a restart.

     

    Apple, why is this happening with Safari – or anything that seems to use WebKit?

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