--- loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2008/12/18 16:58:31	1.978
+++ loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2008/12/19 17:04:57	1.979
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network
 # TCP networking package
 #
-# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.978 2008/12/18 16:58:31 raeburn Exp $
+# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.979 2008/12/19 17:04:57 raeburn Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -8648,14 +8648,19 @@ sub get_dns {
     open(my $config,"<$perlvar{'lonTabDir'}/hosts.tab");
     foreach my $dns (<$config>) {
 	next if ($dns !~ /^\^(\S*)/x);
-	$alldns{$1} = 1;
+        my $line = $1;
+        my ($host,$protocol) = split(/:/,$line);
+        if ($protocol ne 'https') {
+            $protocol = 'http';
+        }
+	$alldns{$host} = $protocol;
     }
     while (%alldns) {
 	my ($dns) = keys(%alldns);
-	delete($alldns{$dns});
 	my $ua=new LWP::UserAgent;
-	my $request=new HTTP::Request('GET',"http://$dns$url");
+	my $request=new HTTP::Request('GET',"$alldns{$dns}://$dns$url");
 	my $response=$ua->request($request);
+        delete($alldns{$dns});
 	next if ($response->is_error());
 	my @content = split("\n",$response->content);
 	&Apache::lonnet::do_cache_new('dns',$url,\@content,30*24*60*60);