Issue with Steam domain and OpenDNS

[Nite Owl]

I have OpenDNS installed directly to my computer (not the router). I have the Games category blocked with an exception for steampowered.com and store.steampowered.com in the Allow list, but whenever I visit the store in a web browser I get this:

https://imgur.com/a/3QYAS95

Also, when I check the activity report it shows steampowered.com as allowed. Steamcommunity.com is also in the Allow List and unaffected and it's where I'm typing this from, in case my competence with filtering websites comes into question.

Does anyone have any issues with this? My physical computer is a Mac and my PC is in the cloud. I use my Mac to browse the store, make purchases, etc. and I play in the cloud. Mac is just my preferred operating system and method of engaging with the store. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[ReBoot]

Your OpenDNS-configuration blocks some of the domains used by Valve. In this particular case, the domain where the CSS is hosted is blocked. Pro tip: use a traffic monitor. See where the CSS is being fetched from and allow that as well.

[Nite Owl]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Your OpenDNS-configuration blocks some of the domains used by Valve. In this particular case, the domain where the CSS is hosted is blocked. Pro tip: use a traffic monitor. See where the CSS is being fetched from and allow that as well.

You mean this:

https://imgur.com/a/dd1NPpP

OpenDNS has a built-in traffic monitor, or are you saying I need another one? So, maybe I should've added that I'm not a novice at this. I use OpenDNS to prevent images from rendering in Yahoo search, the domain being yimg.com which shows up and from there I block it. As a matter of fact, I do this for a lot of websites and Steam's store is the only domain that gives me an issue.

[ReBoot]

Then use OpenDNS' built-in traffic monitor. If I were you, I'd fire up a traffic monitor running on the same machine as Steam, filter trafic by process and then allow everything in OpenDNS. Or open Steam in a browser, again filter by process and allow everything.

[Nite Owl]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Then use OpenDNS' built-in traffic monitor. If I were you, I'd fire up a traffic monitor running on the same machine as Steam, filter trafic by process and then allow everything in OpenDNS. Or open Steam in a browser, again filter by process and allow everything.

I think we're on the same page but I'm not getting reliable traffic monitoring from OpenDNS. I'll look for an alternative. Thanks for your help.

[Satoru]

Note that steam uses a ton of akamai and other hosted content on CDNs that are not solely on steamcommunity.com

DNS style blocking is incredibly bad from that perspective because it assumes some kind of fantasy land where companies dont use international CDNs

[crunchyfrog]

Originally posted by NITE OWL:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Then use OpenDNS' built-in traffic monitor. If I were you, I'd fire up a traffic monitor running on the same machine as Steam, filter trafic by process and then allow everything in OpenDNS. Or open Steam in a browser, again filter by process and allow everything.

I think we're on the same page but I'm not getting reliable traffic monitoring from OpenDNS. I'll look for an alternative. Thanks for your help.

Yeah, I'd definitely recommend NOT using OpenDNS.

It sounds great in theory - a truly open and free DNS - but I've used it a few times in the past, and always ended up discarding it because it would just refuse to access certain sites, and I just got fedup with having to manipulate it every 5 minutes.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by NITE OWL:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Then use OpenDNS' built-in traffic monitor. If I were you, I'd fire up a traffic monitor running on the same machine as Steam, filter trafic by process and then allow everything in OpenDNS. Or open Steam in a browser, again filter by process and allow everything.

I think we're on the same page but I'm not getting reliable traffic monitoring from OpenDNS. I'll look for an alternative. Thanks for your help.

Network Monitor on Windows is a great tool for the job because it allows for per-process monitoring.

[Nite Owl]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Originally posted by NITE OWL:

I think we're on the same page but I'm not getting reliable traffic monitoring from OpenDNS. I'll look for an alternative. Thanks for your help.

Network Monitor on Windows is a great tool for the job because it allows for per-process monitoring.

I'm not familiar with this per-processing you speak of, I'll have to check it out. Thanks, man.