# Plex Server Making Strange DNS Requests **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-linux\ **Created:** [September 9, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791 "2024-09-09T18:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mshorey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mshorey](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mshorey)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/1 "2024-09-09T18:16:36Z")
Server Version#: 1.40.5.8921 Player Version#: \ I have been noticing lately that my plex server is sending some pretty strange dns requests to my adguard home server that look like: 2024-08-mzjl-mad0ys:2.mydomain.net (the [mydomain.net](http://mydomain.net) is my home lan domain that I didn’t want to share with everyone). Has anyone seen anything like this before? Am I just being overly paranoid? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/2 "2024-09-09T19:44:22Z")
Do you have mDNS enabled? Those ‘goofy’ names are usually resulting from mDNS. As long as they resolve to the local LAN (RFC-1918 addresses) then you’re still 100% safe ---
**Author:** ![mshorey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mshorey](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mshorey)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/3 "2024-09-09T19:59:41Z")
I do have Avahi running on pfSense but restricted to 2 specific interfaces, neither of which Plex has access to. It doesn’t resolve to anything as there’s a colon in the request but I have a catch-all wildcard DNS rewrite that is snagging it and sending it to my reverse proxy…which has no idea what to do with it. Just very strange I haven’t seen it up until today. ---
**Author:** ![mshorey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mshorey](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mshorey)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/4 "2024-09-09T21:24:49Z")
So I found more on this. It is only when I am playing an IPTV stream from “Live TV”. Every 13 seconds it sends that funky request. I monitored the unbound log and noticed my plex VM only sends those requests when I have a stream running through it. ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2024, 1:38am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/5 "2024-09-10T01:38:26Z")
not knowing anything about which IPTV stream (even Plex’s), there’s nothing I can advise. Personally, I don’t run anything but the pure domain (ACME managed) on the pfsense. I keep it pure / native to PfSense. The firewall with allowed access alias list controls the access so no proxy of any type is needed. A simple NAT-port forward with AccessList is all that I need. I could give you my IP or FQDN and port number. You’d get nothing. I’d be a hole in the internet. ---
**Author:** ![mshorey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mshorey](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mshorey)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2024, 1:56am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/6 "2024-09-10T01:56:37Z")
That’s fair. I don’t really _Need_ to have it behind my proxy but that’s how I handle all of my other publicly exposed services. It makes it easy for certificate management and keeps everything in one place. But I agree. I have crowdsec blocklist mirror list ingested to pfsense, various pfblockerng lists and geoip blocking lists someone would have to get through to reach plex. I could most likely get away with a port forward with all the rules I have on the WAN. Thanks for taking a look anyhow. Always appreciate your insight and help. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2024, 3:02am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/7 "2024-09-10T03:02:10Z")
I avoided the proxy entirely by giving folks the WAN port. ```auto plex.my.domain:port ombi.my.domain:port overseer.my.domain:port ``` Now my firewall rules fire on the inbound port and redirect appropriately. Cloudflare is where the CNAME magic happens. ![Screenshot from 2024-09-09 22-54-30](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/4/8/a/48a6aa5455cb8eb95be47fac08f37c4a1218dd82.png) Followed by NAT port-forward for each service (including Plex) Here you can see the actual WAN ports. ![Screenshot from 2024-09-09 22-58-38](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/0/3/f/03f8327cb1b8d15f6dc34f77fcd3be41052ced49.png) Maybe cludgy but it’s straight forward to me as I see the port transitions. PfSense keeps Cloudflare updated with my IP address As always, the “AllowedRemotes” alias keeps out all except those permitted. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 3:02am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-making-strange-dns-requests/887791/8 "2024-12-09T03:02:23Z")
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