I am using a Zoom 2949 Ext. Modem. The Distro is Vector Linux 3.2 The modem connects but the web pages don't load. Please help. Thanks.

Vijay

It sounds like that you cannot resolve domain names. Did you give
Vector Linux 3.2 the information necessary for it to resolve domain names? I have never used Vector Linux 3.2 but during the setup for the Internet you have to give Vector Linux 3.2 the domain name for your DNS in both letter and number format. Then Vector Linux 3.2 will set up /etc/resolv.conf to look something like the following:

search auth.myisp.net
nameserver 198.46.103.7

Look at /etc/resolve.conf and if it does not contain valid data then you need to go through the Internet configuration again, however Vector Linux 3.2 does that.

What is the DNS in letter format ? I have never heard of that. My ISP just gave me numbers.

Also, where exactly or how are these numbers provided to Vector Linux ? Thanks.

Vijay

Here is a More detailed exact description. Reading this perhaps someone can assist me.

I got all info. from my ISP and setup the PPP file using BOTH programs in VASM. But still when I went to connect, it said no ppp files found and asked me to open an Xter and press gkdial. When I did that all I got were error messages after error messages. So, I quit this part and setup a connection directly in the xterm open modem program. This helped me to connect online. However, the web pages would not load. Moreover, when I disconnected, several windows of the connection program kept on opening. This would not stop. So I pressed Ctrl + Alt +BckSpc
then even in text mode all these open connections, kept on disconnecting one after another.

Vijay

"What is the DNS in letter format ? I have never heard of that. My ISP just gave me numbers. "

In that case the DNS is probably the same as you ISP name:
search myisp.com
You could call your ISP and ask what the DNS name is.

" where exactly or how are these numbers provided to Vector Linux ?"

I don't know. You could just bypass the Vector Linux setup program and set up /etc/resolv.conf by hand.

Yesterday I also installed FreeBSD and tried to connect. However, when I opened the /etc/resolv.conf file it was COMPLETELY empty. No wonder the web pages didn't load in this case also.

How to setup this file and what info. needs to be entered in this file /etc/resolv.conf ? Please explain/Help. Eagerly looking forward to your response.

Vijay

Also I would appreciate a sample copy of the file: /etc/resolv.conf

This will perhaps make it easy for me to edit it, enter my own values in it and use. Thanks in advance.

Vijay

"Also I would appreciate a sample copy of the file: /etc/resolv.conf"

search auth.myisp.net
nameserver 198.46.103.7

"How to setup this file and what info. needs to be entered in this file /etc/resolv.conf ? Please explain/Help. Eagerly looking forward to your response."

You can create /etc/resolve.conf with any text editor.

Thank you very much for this info.:

search auth.myisp.net

if my user name is rvijay07 and the site of my provider www.sprint.com how will the above line be set ?

I also went to www.linuxhelp.com there they say 7 files are needed to setup a PPP connection. How do you set all those other 6 files or do you just skip them ? Thanks.

Vijay

Here is the correct site in this regard:
http://www.linuxhelp.net/guides/ppp/

"if my user name is rvijay07 and the site of my provider www.sprint.com how will the above line be set ?"

Your user name and provider name are irrelevant to the problem.

The Internet computers do all of their communication by using the four number addresses. You can also use number addresses in your web browser if you happen to know them. Number addressing will work even if /etc/resolv.conf is not set correctly. For example you can give your web browser the address:
http://216.164.86.134:8000/html/geaclogin.html
and you should be able to reach the Falls Church, Virginia, USA public library. This could be very handy if you want to check out a book from the Falls Church library.

But you rarely know the number address of a web site. You would probably know the Falls Church library as www.falls-church.lib.va.us When you type that address into your web browser your web browser contacts a Domain Name Server and the DNS replies that the Falls Church library is at 216.164.86.134 Some web servers put a message at the bottom of the screen that they are resolving the address while they are doing so. Then the web browser connects to the number address and asks for the page that you want displayed.

Any program that uses the Internet such as an email client uses similar logic to translate letter addresses to number addresses.

All across the Internet there are specialized servers that do domain name translation. ppp needs to know what DNS is used by your ISP. ppp needs to know both the letter name and the number name of the DNS that your ISP uses. Some ISP have their DNS sitting on the same computer that you dial into. Some do not. So if you have to guess the DNS, guess that it is your ISP name (something like search sprint.com)

But rather than guess, call your ISP and ask him for both names of the DNS he uses. Then put the letter name of the DNS in the search field and the number name in the nameserver field.

"How do you set all those other 6 files or do you just skip them ? Thanks."

Rather than get into a big complicated explanation of each of those 6 files let's get the DNS problem fixed and then see if your Internet connection works completely or if there are further troubles.

My ISP said that they don't have any letter DNS. Hence, I tried to connect again with all the info. they gave me. It worked.

The program that worked this time is called PPP and the command used is PPP-GO. So, I am glad to be online indeed.

However, the other Dialin Program GKDial in Vector with the nice interphase still doesn't work.

Vijay