Unexpected NetworkManager and dnsmasq interaction

[Eric Sokolowsky <esok byu net>]

I am using NetworkManager and dnsmasq together on a cluster that may or may not have outside Internet connectivity. I use the "dns=dnsmasq" option in NetworkManager to enable NetworkManager to run dnsmasq as a plugin to provide DHCP and DNS services for my cluster. However, dnsmasq does not start unless I have an external connection using DHCP. It's a bit hard to see what exactly the trigger is, but I think it's when dhclient gets link and nameserver information back, and then dnsmasq is started. Perhaps it is a configuration issue, but how do I get dnsmasq to start so I can resolve local names even if there is no external connection? When I have an external connection, everything resolves beautifully, both internal and external hosts.

Eric Sokolowsky