Can't Access .local from Linux Mint or from server

Hello!

I am running my DIY Start9 server, and can’t access any of the .local app websites from either my Linux Mint machine, nor my actual server.

On my mint machine: The TOR connections work (tested through a few different TOR compatible apps). I have the “org-Start9” certificate in my authorities tab on brave, but still neither the adjective-noun.local nor any of the app specific .local sites work. I can access the server though the IP address in Brave.

On my DIY server: The adjective-noun.local site works, but the app specific .local sites do not work.

I see something about Bonjour a lot in problems similar to this one, but as I’m on Linux, I’m not sure what the equivalent would be.

Thank you!

Hi @S9runner, here is a list of common troubleshooting actions to try; please work through them and see if they resolve your .local connectivity issue.

As well, can you confirm if you are running avahi and/or using a VPN?

Thank you for getting back to me, I tried all these things, and what I found after following all the steps was that both my phone on WiFi, and my server itself were able to reach adjective-noun.local, but still nothing on my main machine.

I’ve cleared cache, restarted both my browser and computer itself several times, and I don’t know what else to try

If you have any other suggestions, I would really appreciate it, as it would help massively if I could just use my main machine to check everything locally.

I wouldn’t mind just using the IP address, but the local apps (mempool and datum gateway) also don’t work, and I’d rather not have to use TOR for everything.

(EDIT, other questions)

No VPN, and I’m not sure about avahi.

Looking it up, I ran “sudo systemctl status avahi-daemon” and it says it’s active. Not sure what is or is not sensitive, but I do have the output saved in a file if you want to see it (edited slightly for privacy)


(My experience documented below)


During initial setup, I am unable to connect to “start.local”.

  1. Confirm that the server is plugged into both power and Ethernet
    CONFIRMED

  2. Confirm your phone/computer is not connected to a “Guest” network
    CONFIRMED

  3. Confirm you are not using the Tor Browser.
    CONFIRMED

  4. Confirm your phone/computer is not using a VPN, or that if you are, that it allows LAN connections
    CONFIRMED NO VPN

  5. On macOS[…]
    NOT USING MACOS

  6. To avoid networking issues, it is recommended to use your primary router, not an extender or mesh router
    PRIMARY ROUTER CONFIRMED

  7. Very rarely, your firewall settings may block mDNS. In this case:

  • From your browser, navigate to your router configuration settings. This is usually an IP address such as 192.168.1.1. A simple web search will usually reveal how to access the router configuration settings for a particular brand.
    • Once in the router config settings, find the section that lists the devices on your network. You should see a device labeled start. Take note of the associated IP address and enter it into your browser’s URL field to enter the setup.

DIRECT IP WORKS AND TOR ADDRESS WORKS, BUT NOT THE [DOT]LOCAL URLs

  1. Log into your router (the directions for which can be found with a simple web search for your router model and ‘how to log in’). Once you are in your router, find the device labeled start, and visit its associated IP address, which will look something like: 192.168.1.9
    DIRECT IP WORKS AND TOR ADDRESS WORKS, BUT NOT THE [DOT]LOCAL URLs

I am unable to reach my server via its .local (LAN) address

  1. First, try these steps. If none resolve the issue, continue below.
    STEPS FOLLOWED, NOT RESOLVED

  2. Hard refresh the browser
    HARD REFRESH ATTEMPTED, NO AVAIL

  3. Make sure you have successfully followed the Connecting Locally instructions for your device.
    DOWNLOADED ROOT CA, WENT THROUGH TERMINAL STEPS OUTLINED, OUTPUT INCLUDED “1 ADDED”, IMPORTED CRT FILE INTO AUTHORITIES TAB IN BRAVE CERTIFICATE SETTINGS AND TRUSTED FOR WEBSITES; LINUX MACHINE IS ON SAME ROUTER; [DOT]LOCAL ADDRESS DID NOT LOAD; WENT TO TROUBLESHOOTING PAGE (CURRENT PAGE)

  4. If you are using Windows[…]
    NOT USING WINDOWS

  5. If you are using macOS[…]
    NOT USING MACOS

  6. If using Firefox[…]
    NOT USING FIREFOX

  7. Try connecting using your server’s IP address or Tor address. If this works, it means your issue is specific to .local. Try clearing your browser cache and/or restarting your phone/laptop/router. If all fails, try restarting your server.
    DIRECT IP WORKS AND TOR ADDRESS WORKS. BROWSER CACHE CLEARED, COMPUTER AND SERVER RESTARTED, STILL NOTHING

  8. Try connecting using a different browser on the same device. If this works, it means you need to clear cache on your current browser.
    WENT TO ADJECTIVE-NOUN.LOCAL ON CHROMIUM, DIDN’T LOAD

  9. Try connecting using a different device. If this works, it means you need to clear cache on your current browser and/or restart your current device.
    PHONE ON WIFI AND START9 SERVER BOTH ABLE TO REACH ADJECTIVE-NOUN.LOCAL, CLEARED CACHE ON BROWSER, AND RESTARTED MACHINE. STILL NOTHING ON MAIN MACHINE

  10. Try visiting start.local. Your server may be in diagnostic mode.
    “START.LOCAL” CAN’T BE REACHED ON MAIN MACHINE

  11. Try restarting your router.
    ROUTER RESTARTED. NO CHANGE

  12. Try restarting your server. Be patient and give it plenty of time to come back online.
    SERVER RESTARTED. NO CHANGE

I don’t think Avahi is not installed by default on Linux Mint. Avahi is a service that allows for the discovery of services and hosts on a local network using the mDNS (Multicast DNS) protocol (.locals). You can install it using the package manager.

You should be able to do this by running the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt install avahi-daemon

After installation, you can start the service with:

sudo systemctl start avahi-daemon

And enable it to start on boot with:

sudo systemctl enable avahi-daemon

I did those three commands, and restarted my computer, but still can’t access the .local versions of the apps

When I run:
sudo systemctl status avahi-daemon
It says that it’s loaded, enabled, and active.

When I try to open a site, I’m shown this, followed by a reload button below it:

This site can’t be reached

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.local’s DNS address could not be found. Diagnosing the problem.

DNS_PROBE_POSSIBLE

Hi

Hmm, this should work. Perhaps your Brave browser is containerized as a Flatpak or Snap package, which could be blocking mDNS resolution. Try these steps to enable it:

  1. Opened the systemd-resolved configuration file:
sudo nano /etc/systemd/resolved.conf
  1. Added the following line to enable Multicast DNS:
MulticastDNS=yes
  1. Restart systemd-resolved to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved.service

If this doesn’t work, try installing the non-Flatpak version of Brave using the appropriate guide.