My poor man’s DNS-unblocking configuration using just a single, public IP address has one serious limitation: it will not run Netflix or Hulu Plus with non-SNI players like the PS3, Xbox 360, Samsung TVs, Sony BluRay players and possibly quite a few other devices. A commenter (kudos go out to Alex) suggested to use Netfilter’s DNAT port forwarding mechanism to overcome this limitation. Using DNAT you can forward packets based on the source-ip:port to a remote-ip:port.

So, here’s a modified version of the poor man’s DNS-unblocking approach. You will need some sort of Linux server at home to do this. I’m using a Raspberry Pi Linux mini computer which is up 24/7 on my LAN. And of course you will need a remote Linux server with an IP address registered in the U.S. You can get a low-end virtual private server for as low as $5/year. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to come up with a step-by-step tutorial because every LAN setup is different, hence you have to have some Linux and networking skills in order to get this baby up and running.

And here’s how this approach works: A DNS forwarder like Dnsmasq on your local Linux server will intercept domain names relevant for DNS unblocking. All other queries will be forwarded to the DNS resolver/forwarder of your choice (usually, this will be your router). The intercepted domain names will be resolved to IP addresses which are routed to your Linux server within your LAN. Depending on the resolved IP addresses and ports, iptables DNAT rules will forward the request to a HAProxy proxy on your remote server. Each domain name can have its own internal IP adress and thus its own listening port on your remote server’s HAProxy. And since every domain name can have it’s own HAProxy TCP proxy on your remote server, there’s no need for SNI! Continue reading →