How to Resolve Proxy URL Update Errors Caused by DNS Resolution Issues in Bold BI

Overview

If updating the Proxy URL in Bold BI fails with an error such as: Error: Given domain IP address is not whitelisted in IP Whitelisting, the most common cause is that the configured domain does not resolve to an IP address (DNS resolution failure) from the Bold BI server.

This guide walks you through validating domain resolution, correcting DNS configuration, and successfully updating Proxy URL settings.

Although the error mentions IP whitelisting, the issue can occur when the configured hostname cannot be resolved to an IP address from the Bold BI server.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Confirm the Proxy URL value

• Log in as an administrator and navigate to Proxy Settings in the UMS page.
  
  
• Identify the exact domain and protocol being configured.
• Example:
  • http://bi.example.com
  • https://bi.example.com
    
    

2. Verify DNS resolution from the Bold BI server

• Run the check directly on the server hosting Bold BI:
  Windows:
  nslookup <your-proxy-domain>

  Linux:
  nslookup <your-proxy-domain>
dig bi.example.com

• Below is an example check for localhost(for DNS validation using a fully qualified domain name (FQDN)):
  

  

• If the domain does not resolve, you will see an error similar to the following:
  “Failure case” visual example:
  
  

3. Fix DNS if the hostname does not resolve (Recommended)

• Create or update a DNS record:
  • Add an A record:
    bi.example.com → <server IP>

Ensure:

• The record is accessible from the Bold BI server
• Internal DNS is used for private networks

4. (Alternative) Use the hosts file as a temporary workaround

• If DNS is not yet available:

  1. Click Start

• Search for Notepad

• Right-click → Run as Administrator

• In Notepad:

  • Click File → Open
  • Navigate to:
    C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
    
    
    
    
    

  2. Add:
  <server IP> bi.example.com
  Example:
  <server-ip> <your-proxy-domain> as 192.168.1.10 bi.example.com

• Example output when the hostname cannot be resolved(DNS resolution failure)

3. Save with Administrator privileges

4. Flush DNS cache:

• Open the Command Prompt window and run:
  ipconfig /flushdns
  
  
  
  Result:
  
  
  
  Run your nslookup <your-proxy-domain> again in the Command Prompt window after flushing the DNS Cache.
  Example DNS resolution failure:
  
  

5. Reconfigure Proxy Settings in Bold BI

• In Proxy Settings, set:
  • Protocol: http or https
  • Site/Proxy URL: your domain
• Optionally enable:
  • Update the URL of the sites.

6. Validate HTTPS configuration (if applicable)

• Ensure the SSL certificate is properly configured for the domain.
• Only use HTTPS if:
• The certificate is valid and trusted.
• Optionally:
  • Enable: Ignore SSL certificate validation errors (non-production only)

7. Restart the web server or reverse proxy.

• Apply changes by restarting hosting services:
• IIS:
  iisreset
• Nginx:
  sudo systemctl restart nginx

8. Re-test the application end-to-end

• Access the application via the proxy URL and verify:
  • Login works.
  • No redirect loops
  • Dashboards render correctly.

Why This Issue Occurs

• Bold BI validates Proxy URL by resolving the domain to an IP
• If DNS fails:
  • The domain is treated as invalid or untrusted
  • This may trigger misleading errors (e.g., IP not whitelisted)
• This validation occurs even if IP Whitelisting is disabled.

Notes

• The hosts file overrides DNS but applies only locally.
• DNS resolution is required for:
  • Proxy validation
  • Connectivity checks
• Internal/private domains must still resolve within the network.

Best Practices

• Use DNS configuration for all production environments.
• Reserve hosts file entries for temporary testing only.
• Verify resolution from the actual Bold BI server (not client machines).
• Ensure domain consistency across:
  • Server
  • Proxy/load balancer
  • Client browsers
• Always validate SSL before enabling HTTPS.

Conclusion

Proxy URL update failures in Bold BI are most often caused by DNS resolution issues rather than IP whitelisting settings. Ensuring the domain is properly configured in DNS and reachable from the server allow the Proxy URL update to succeed without errors.

Related Articles

• Proxy Settings – On-Premises & Embedded
• How to resolve the HTTPS redirection issue in Bold BI when using it with an external load balancer