Allow TrueNAS Connect Through DNS Rebinding Protection

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How to allow TrueNAS Connect through the DNS rebinding protection on your router when a registered system stays offline.

  3 minute read  

If your TrueNAS system stays offline in TrueNAS Connect after you register it, DNS rebinding protection on your router is the most common cause.

DNS rebinding protection blocks public host names that resolve to private IP addresses on a local network. TrueNAS Connect connectivity involves two domains:

  • truenas.direct resolves your system to its local IP address. This is the domain that DNS rebinding protection blocks.
  • truenasconnect.net is the TrueNAS Connect web portal.

To fix the connection, add truenas.direct to the DNS rebinding protection exceptions on your router. Some users have also needed to allow truenasconnect.net in their router or firewall settings. Add it as well if the connection still fails after you allow truenas.direct.

Tip

Adding truenas.direct to the DNS rebinding exceptions resolves the connection problem for most users.

The exact steps depend on your router or DNS resolver. Many home routers provide a single DNS rebind protection setting in their web interface. Open that setting and add truenas.direct as an allowed domain. Routers and DNS resolvers that use a configuration file need a specific entry instead. The settings below show how to add truenas.direct for two of these configurations. These are examples, not a complete list. Check the documentation for your hardware for the exact steps.

Router or DNS resolverSetting to add
dnsmasqrebind-domain-ok=/truenas.direct/
pfSense or OPNsense (Unbound DNS)Add a custom option with an explicit server: block, then domain-insecure: "truenas.direct" on the next line. pfSense does not add the server: block automatically for custom options.

If you cannot edit the DNS rebinding exceptions, try these alternatives:

  • Change your DNS servers. Configure your router to use a public DNS provider such as Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8). This helps in some setups. It does not work when the router enforces DNS rebinding protection on all responses.
  • Test with the IP address. Open the TrueNAS system UI directly using its local IP address. A successful connection confirms that the system is reachable and that DNS rebinding protection is blocking the truenas.direct host name.
  • Add a separate local DNS resolver. Set up a resolver such as Pi-hole, dnsmasq, or Technitium DNS Server on your network. Configure it to resolve truenas.direct to the local IP address of your system and forward every other query to your router. Because some routers do not support DHCP options for DNS, you might need to set the new resolver as the DNS server manually on each device.
  • Put the router into bridge mode or modem-only mode. Contact your internet service provider to enable this mode, then connect a separate router that supports DNS rebinding exceptions behind it.

Some routers do not support DNS rebinding exceptions, a custom DNS resolver, or bridge mode. If none of these options resolve the connection issue, contact your network administrator, router manufacturer, or internet service provider for help.