/var/etc/dnsmasq-hosts is overwritten on dnsmasq restart

[ziel]

OpnSense Version 17.7.8

Steps to reproduce:
1) ssh
2) su
3) Edit /var/etc/dnsmasq-hosts
4) write file
5) restart dnsmasq in web-GUI

Results:
- in dnsmasq-log "/var/etc/dnsmasq-hosts 0 addresses

Expected results:
- dnsmasq loads addresses from /var/etc/dnsmasq-hosts

Is there a bug or do I have wrong expectations?

[fabian]

Is there a bug or do I have wrong expectations?

Probably the latter, as OPNsense ensures that the content of the configuration files matches the settings you add via the GUI (files are written at many times).

[weust]

Wrong expectations.
That file is overwritten on boot.
Edit dnsmasq from the webGUI.

[franco]

We should start from the top: what are you trying to do? :)


Cheers,
Franco

[ziel]

What I wanted to do: have a list of over 3000 hosts, mostly advertising related (adclick etc. taken from https://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/) that I want to redirect to an internal Adress (where I have set up a black-hole server wich simply logs all requests but returns 404). I would be very time expensive to add all those hosts manually over GUI (https://<opnsense>/services_dnsmasq.php) so I thought I can simply add the host-list to the file mentioned.

OK, I think I understand that the system is working as designed - somehow (I still do not see behind the curtain..)
Maybe I should post a feature-request to be able to upload a list of hosts?

Or is it possible to add the dnsmasq-config -option (probably this directive is use to point to /var/etc/dnsmasq-hosts)

# or if you want it to read another file, as well as /etc/hosts, use
# this.
addn-hosts=<some-other-file>

[fabian]

You may want to read this ticket: https://github.com/opnsense/plugins/issues/229

In includes links and comments which may help you.