Resolve the Proxy Hostname Before Using Remote DNS

Remote DNS can solve a destination lookup problem and still leave you unable to connect. The client first has to find the proxy.

Consider an endpoint called proxy.office.example. Sending a website hostname through SOCKS does not tell the client how to obtain the address of that initial endpoint. The SOCKS conversation has not started yet.

This matters when the proxy name belongs to a private namespace. A home resolver may not know it, while a resolver on the approved office network does. A short proxy name can also depend on search-domain configuration that differs between networks.

Keep the names separate

• The proxy endpoint name is needed to establish the first connection.
• The website name can be carried inside the supported proxy request for remote resolution.

Record which name failed before changing the resolver. Replacing the client's DNS with an unrelated public service can make a private proxy name less reachable, not more. Use the intended network's supported name-resolution configuration.

A provisioned proxy IP can remove one hostname lookup in some arrangements, but it is not universally interchangeable with the name. TLS to an HTTPS proxy and name-based authentication can depend on the expected identity. Keep that identity intact rather than disabling its checks.

Once the first connection works, investigate the destination stage separately. A working proxy hostname proves neither that the proxy knows the website's name nor that it is allowed to connect there.