Unknown host error message when trying to ping Internet

[Tom Wilson]

On Fri, 2003-08-01 at 12:18, bof wrote:
> I am trying to set up a Suse 8.2 desktop box, (Bob, address 
> 192.168.1.33) but am having trouble connecting to the Internet. I am 
> not running a firewall on it.
> 
> I can ping an Internet address by IP address without problem. When I 
> try to ping by hostname I receive the error message "unknown host."
> 
> I can ping other machines local to my network by both IP address and 
> hostname without problem. One of the other machines in the network 
> (Sam, address 192.168.1.2, RH 7.3) has no problems when pinging the 
> Internet, either by IP address or hostname, and it can ping the Suse 
> box without problem.
> 
> My Internet access is through a NAT gateway/firewall box with address 
> 192.168.1.1 (Bill) on the internal net card, and whatever address 
> assigned to tthe external card by my ISP using DHCP. From the firewall 
> box, I can ping the Suse box, the RH box, and the Internet using both 
> IP address and hostname, all without problems,
> 
> The configuration files for the Suse box are set up as follows:
> 
> /etc/hosts
> 	127.0.0.1       localhost
> 	192.168.1.1	bill.mynet.net 	bill
> 	192.168.1.2	sam.mynet.net	sam
> 	192.168.1.33	bob.mynet.net 	bob
> 
> 	# special IPv6 addresses
> 	::1             localhost ipv6-localhost ipv6-loopback
> 	fe00::0         ipv6-localnet
> 	ff00::0         ipv6-mcastprefix
> 	ff02::1         ipv6-allnodes
> 	ff02::2         ipv6-allrouters
> 
> /etc/host.conf
> 	order hosts, bind
> 	multi on
> 
> /etc/resolv.conf
> 	nameserver 216.229.33.250
> 	nameserver 216.229.33.251
> 	search local local
> 
> /etc/nsswitch.conf
> 	passwd: compat
> 	group:  compat
> 	hosts:  	files dns
> 	networks:       files dns
> 	services:       files
> 	protocols:      files
> 	rpc:		files
> 	ethers:		files
> 	netmasks:       files
> 	netgroup:       files
> 	publickey:	files
> 	bootparams:     files
> 	automount:      files nis
> 	aliases:        files
> 
> 
> The output of netstat -nr
> 
> Kernel IP routing table
> Destination  Gateway      Genmask       Flags   MSS Window  irtt face
> 192.168.1.0  0.0.0.0      255.255.255.0 U       0 0          0 eth0
> 0.0.0.0      192.168.1.1  0.0.0.0       UG      0 0          0 eth0
> 
> Can anyone help me figure out what is going on?

Sounds like the Internet DNS is not resolving on Bob.  Can you ping the
nameservers in /etc/resolv.conf from Bob?

--Tom Wilson