Internet connection problem

old codger · 04-13-2003, 11:04 AM

I have been battling with a SuSE 8.1 installation for some weeks. I have OpenOffice WP working OK - albeit s-l-o-w-l-y, but am stuck with my internet connection.

After a great deal of trial/error/taking advice, I finally managed to configure the system to accept my PnP ISA modem by changing the IRQ, and dialled-up successfully, connecting to the internet. However, when I try to use Netscape (I get the same result with the Konqueror browser), I get the error message:

'Netscape unable to locate the server www...
Please check the server name and try again.'

I thought I had found the solution when I found an article on the SuSE Support Database which purports to explicitly address this problem. However, it is rather badly written and I do not fully understand it.

It says that the 'Cause' is that I need to configure at least one accessible nameserver (DNS) and suggests that I use the www.suse.de IP number 194.112.123.200, and enter this in Netscape after establishing the internet connection.

It also says that the 'Solution' is to configure YaST2 by logging in as 'root' and filling in the IP number(s) of my ISP nameserver. So I click NETWORK ADVANCED-->HOST NAME AND DNS, and enter the SuSE IP number as HOST NAME, and 'suse.de' as DOMAIN NAME. I later tried it with my ISP number(s) with the same result. (It goes on to say that: 'If your provider gave you more than one ISP number, insert all numbers separated by blanks.' I try this but it will not accept a blank (space key). It also says: 'Confirm your changes and leave YaST by typing several times'[sic]. This is the bit I do not understand: How do I 'confirm my changes'? And what do I 'type several times'?

Then I connect to the internet (using the 'plug' icon on the desktop), open Netscape and enter the '194.112... number. I then get the same error message as above, followed by a second error message:

'Warning: The following hosts are unknown:

194112123200
home.netscape.com
home6.netscape.com
internic.net

This means that some or all hosts will be unreachable. Perhaps there is a problem with your nameserver. If your site must use a non-root nameserver, you will need to set the $SOCKS_NS environment variable to point at the appropriate nameserver...' [more like this]

As I do not understand a word of this, I give up.

Can anyone help, please? If you know the solution, please spell it out in words of one syllable as I am a very new newbie and very Linux illiterate!

Second question: how do I import fonts from my C:\Windows\Fonts folder into OpenOffice?

Thanks

old codger

fancypiper · 04-13-2003, 11:16 AM

If you know your ISP's nameserver numbers, try doing it manually.

In your user account, open an x terminal and become root

Code:

[phil@tinwhistle phil]$ su -
Password: 
[root@tinwhistle root]# pico -w /etc/resolv.conf

I have pine installed, so I have the pico editor. You can use your favorite console editor or the midnight commander's editor (command is mc, navigate to file, press F4).

Place your nameserver numbers in that file similar to mine:

Code:

nameserver 206.74.254.2
nameserver 204.116.57.2

Change to your ISPs numbers.

old codger · 04-14-2003, 10:26 AM

Thanks, fancypiper, for your prompt response. I'm not sure that I fully understand it, but shall give it a whirl as soon as I get a free moment and can give it my full attention.

Thanks also for your very instructive reading list, which I shall also get to grips with.

Best

old codger

fancypiper · 04-14-2003, 10:45 AM

I forgot to mention that some ISPs require another line in /etc/resolv.conf, so edit the file to read similar to mine, changing names and numbers to your ISP.

Code:

domain infoave.net
nameserver 206.74.254.2
nameserver 204.116.57.2

I'm 63, how old a codger are you?

old codger · 04-14-2003, 10:56 AM

Thanks, fancypiper.

I'll be 75 in June.

Any thoughts on the 'importing fonts' question?

Best

old codger

fancypiper · 04-14-2003, 11:03 AM

I haven't used open office, but I'm sure a search of the board or google using terms like linux open office windows fonts or various combos will turn up something.

I think I may have seen something on the gentoo forum recently about that.

old codger · 04-16-2003, 12:35 AM

Good morning, fancypiper. Thanks your last.
I've had a look at your suggested solution this morning:
logged-in as root, typed command: 'pico -w /etc/resolv.conf'
Got response: '/etc/resolv.conf is a directory'

Where do I go from here?

Best

old codger

old codger · 04-16-2003, 12:42 AM

also: searched SuSE database for anything on 'NAMESERVER'.
Found one article concerning use of more than one nameserver where only the first one is addressed.
'Solution' is to change the file /sbin/SuSEconfig by replacing a section containing:
if test -n "$SEARCHLIST" -a -n "$NAMESERVER"...[etc, etc].

However, stymied on this as my file '/sbin/SuSEconfig' does not contain such a section!

Any ideas?

old codger

starcrzr · 04-17-2003, 11:46 PM

I have never used Suse linux but I have used Redhat , Slacware and LFS distrobutions and they all had a resolv.conf file in /etc with the DNS servers in it. If your using ppp to connect to your ISP you should have a /etc/ppp directory inside it there will be a resolv.conf file ,if you have connected to your ISP. Move your resolv.conf directory to resolv.conf.old with the " mv /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf.old " command as root. then ' cp /etc/ppp/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf " then try connecting to the internet and see if you can surf the net with your browser. if it doesn't work you can move the resolv.conf.old directory back to resolv.conf and try something else

old codger · 04-18-2003, 06:42 AM

Starcrzr - you are BRILLIANT!! Thank you VERY much. It worked!

Using Netscape, I can now surf the net - and send emails (if you're reading this, it's being sent via Linux/Netscape).

Only trouble is that I've done all this when logged in as 'root'. When I try it logged in with my username, the 'plug' icon still has the red disc superimposed with an exclamation mark in white on it, and when I try to connect with kppp, I still get the dreaded 'The pppd daemon died unexpectedly...' error message.

Any further, brilliant ideas?

Best

Fred

fancypiper · 04-18-2003, 09:57 AM

The kppp Handbook
Dial-up Networking Configuration Using KDE's Kppp

old codger · 04-21-2003, 11:03 AM

Thanks, fancypiper. Most useful stuff. I'm making progress but, as it always seems to me to be the case with Linux, I take two steps forward and one back.

I reset kppp using an excellent guide 'Connecting to the Web' (http://www.preggers.easynet.be/internete.html) from 'Linux for Beginners (http://www.preggers.easynet.be/index3e.html).
I also got involved with a lot of 'permissions', 'ownership' and stuff, but finally came out the other side with an internet connection/surfing when logged-on as 'user' (the object!).

However, not everything in the garden is rosy, as I then got an error message:

'Default Inbox does not exist. You will not be able to get
new messages!'

The only button in the dialogue box is 'OK'. It is not OK!
I've been all over Google, Netscape Help, etc, with no luck.

Can anyone help, please?

old codger

fancypiper · 04-21-2003, 11:37 AM

You didn't mention your e-mail stuff you are using!

Evolution was easy to setup to do everything (fetch, send, and sort sets up similar to Outlook Express and I believe even will import from OE) for a single user, but I still love my trained dog, mutt.

I use sendmail, fetchmail procmail and mutt with Evolution using my mutt setup. I set it up 3 years ago when I determined to really use GNU/Linux as it was designed to be used.

Since you didn't bother to mention your email system, again with the links.

# Common e-mail tools
sendmail - postfix - sends mail to local users (and internet when configured correctly)
fetchmail - gets mail from internet accounts (non-Hotmail type)
procmail - sorts and delivers into separate mailboxes
mutt - mail client that sucks less than all the others
Email the Linux Way
Suresh Ramasubramanian's email guide
The Linux Mail User HOWTO
The Linux Electronic Mail Administrator HOWTO
Gotmail, a utility to download mail from Hotmail type accounts

old codger · 04-21-2003, 01:16 PM

Thanks, fancypiper.

Yes, I'm sorry, how silly of me. I'm using Netscape. Thing is: it's quite OK when logged-on as 'root', but not as 'user'.

Sackcloth & ashes.

old codger

fancypiper · 04-21-2003, 05:27 PM

Aha! Root is for administering your system, the users account(s) are for using stuff for that user. Each user should set up his individual e-mail in his user's account. Root's e-mail should consist of system messages, not your personal mail.

Try this: as root, copy the Netscape mail folder from root's directory to the user's directory, then command

Code:

chown -R <user>.<user> /home/<user>/<netscape's-mail-folder>

Replace the stuff inside the <> with your actual names.

IIRC, netscape uses standard mail formats, so this should work for you and you can re-do the mail when you decide to use a real e-mail client.

In your user's account, see if you can read/use the mail. If it works, get your new mail.

The Linux philosophy is (or used to be) one small tool to do one job well. I see more monolithic stuff being used in Linux, probably because of the great migration of Windows users. That's what they are used to, so it is getting developed.

I still prefer a lot of the command line tools I have learned because the command line is so much harder to break than the GUI. Mutt seems so much more flexible than any other e-mail client that I have tried and works faster and easier than any gui clickey thing I have used. The procmail spam filters are great as well.