Can't browse local domains without a network connection

Question

I have a few different PHP sites running on local domains (i.e. domains set to 127.0.0.1 in /etc/hosts) so I can work on them without any network delay.

I'd like to be able to work on these sites when I have no connection at all (e.g. on the bus or in the park) but my browser (Firefox on LinuxMint) can't load the local pages when there's no network connection (it doesn't have to have Internet access, but it must have a working network connection). Note that it can load a site via local IP addresses or "localhost", but not using any other local domain name.

I'd like to create some kind of local network that makes the Network Manager show a valid connection even when there is no LAN adapter present. Or alternatively a way to make Firefox work with the local domains without needing the network would be just as good.

Reproduce this problem as follows:
- Run a local web-server such as micro_httpd and serve a test site
- Set up some other names for 127.0.0.1 in addition to localhost in your /etc/hosts file such as foo.bar
- Test that your site works from localhost and from foo.bar
- Unplug your network cable
- Test again, only localhost works, not foo.bar
- Test with wget, both work fine

Answer 1

I have the same issue. Either of these work for me, in Firefox go to about:config and click I'll be careful, I promise!, search for network.dns then either:

• Set network.dns.disableIPv6 to false

or

• Add your local domain names to network.dns.localDomains

I think the latter is probably the better of the two options, but either works for me.