localhost virtual server ignored unless I edit /etc/hosts. what's wrong?

[quixote]

I need to test a couple of websites locally, but only sometimes. The rest of the time I want to access them normally out on the web. I use a2ensite and a2dissite to enable and disable. But unless I also manually add a line in /etc/hosts, apache keeps serving the non-local version. That doesn't seem right. Here are the details:

I've made an entry in /etc/apache2/sites-available/molvray.com. I've made a link to it in /etc/apache2/sites-enabled. I've used sudo a2ensite molvray.com to enable it. I then reload apache2. When I go to the url in the browser, it gives me the web version, not the local version.

When I add the red line to /etc/hosts, then it gives me the local version:

127.0.0.1	localhost
127.0.1.1	snowy
127.0.2.2   www.molvray.com  molvray.com

When I want to return to the normal, web version of molvray.com, I have to manually comment that line out. Running sudo a2dissite molvray.com and reloading apache is not enough.

That seems like a bad kludge. I must be doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what it is.

[dmizer]

Nothing's wrong. You have no DNS in place that points to your local version, so your router just sends the request normally. The way to fix this is either to edit /etc/hosts as you've done, or add a local DNS server.

[quixote]

Thanks! I'm off to look up how to add a local DNS server. I'll be back once I'm hopelessly confused.

[Iowan]

DNSMasq is supposed to be a DNS/DHCP server. I haven't tried installing/configuring it, but it was on a dial-up router/firewall I had.

[dmizer]

DNSMasq is supposed to be a DNS/DHCP server. I haven't tried installing/configuring it, but it was on a dial-up router/firewall I had.

Yeah ... painfully simple actually. Just install dnsmasq, and edit /etc/hosts to include the host names on your LAN. But because of this, the DNS server (DNSmasq or otherwise) shouldn't be on a portable computer. It needs to be on a computer that will be dedicated to the LAN because (at least with dnsmasq and most other DNS servers) in order to have a properly configured DNS server, you will need to edit /etc/hosts anyway.

So if your only option for a DNS server is to have it locally on your portable computer, you're probably better off just sticking with the manual /etc/hosts edit as needed. Otherwise, you're adding overhead without adding functionality.

[quixote]

Thanks for the tips, folks. I'm going to have a look at DNSmasq. I have an HPMediavault that's permanently attached to the LAN and sounds exactly suited to this sort of thing.