RE: [TCLUG:7430] Netscape unable to resolve host names

[Mandar Vaze <mandar_v@yahoo.com>]

Eric,
First of all, thanks for your suggestions.

As per your suggestion, I started netscape from
cmdline, and noticed that, when started as root,
netscape works fine, but non-root doesn't. (since 
earlier I was always starting it from icon, I thought
it never worked)

As it turns out, my /etc/resolv.conf had read 
permission only to root. For non-root, nslookup worked
only for cached entries. (which I didn't realize 
earlier)

Giving read permission to everyone solved the problem.

-Mandar

--- Eric Hillman <ehillman@cccu.com> wrote:
> > The problem is nslookup works fine from command
> line.
> > I'm using 'direct connection to internet' setting,
> in
> > netscape preferences.
> > But for some reason, netscape is unable to resolve
> the
> > host names. If I give IP address, then netscape
> can
> > access the page correctly.
> >
> > Earlier when I was using ppp, I remeber reading
> > somewhere (faqs/how-to) that if netscape is
> running
> > before ppp connection is made, then netscape runs
> into
> > similar problem. Does this has anything to do with
> my
> > current problem ?
> 
> 
>   For reasons which are unclear to me, Netscape uses
> an app called "dns
> helper" instead of just using nslookup.  If that app
> is missing, unable to
> start, dying on startup, or crashing, then that's
> probably your problem.
> 
>   If, in fact, you're running netscape before you
> get connected to a valid
> DNS server, then that might cause this problem.  The
> first thing I'd do to
> debug this is, with nothing in particular running:
> 
> 1   do a 'ps aux' and examine the output, looking
> for a line that says "(dns
> helper)".  If it appears, kill it, and do another
> 'ps aux' to make sure it
> went away.  While you're at it, make sure there
> aren't any zombie netscapes
> floating around.
> 
> 2   Get connected to the internet and do an
> nslookup, to make sure that
> works.
> 
> 3   Start netscape from a terminal (as opposed to a
> menu) -- that way if
> there are startup errors, they'll show up on your
> terminal.
> 
> 4   Do another 'ps aux', or better yet, 'ps aux |
> grep dns' to check to see
> if that "(dns helper)" program started.
> 
> 5   Try opening a page in netscape.  Make it the one
> you nslookup'ed in step
> 2.
> 
> 6   If you couldn't open the page, and the dns
> helper thing was working in
> 4, see if it's still up now.
> 
>   Hopefully, this will give you some more
> information as to what part of
> this process is breaking down.  Unfortunately, I
> can't tell you exactly what
> to do to fix it, but I'm hoping that somewhere along
> the line a useful error
> message might pop up.
> 
> [I'm not sure where that "direct connection to the
> Internet" setting you're
> talking about is, but I'm guessing you're talking
> about the one under
> "proxies".  Unless you're behind a proxying firewall
> (one which brokers http
> requests for you instead of doing masquerading),
> then this shouldn't affect
> anything.]
> 
> 
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