🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <jenr95.849066742@octarine>,
JENKINS ROBERT <jenr95@octarine.adfa.oz.au> wrote:
>Hi,
>	I'm having a bit of trouble with ftp and host name
>look-ups. Specifically, while root has no trouble, any user
>gets the message:
>
>	ftp: sunsite.unc.edu: Host name lookup failure
>
>(using sunsite as an example). Presumably something somewhere
>hasn't been given the right permissions. What is it? I'm assuming
>that making ftp setuid root is *not* what I want. My set up
>is Debian Linux 1.1 using kernel 2.0.0. I can use ftp fine if I use
>the IP address (ie ftp 152.2.254.81 in this instance), and also if
>the name I give is in my own /etc/hosts file. It doesn't seem to be
>specific to ftp; telnet, for instance, also won't work if it needs
>to look the name up.

Your problem is that users other than root cannot access the
nameserver host. If this problem results from permissions, using su
and then giving the root password should allow ordinary users to get
around the problem.

My solution to all problems with Debian is first to uninstall and
reinstall the package using dselect or dpkg. Often reinstalling
with dpkg alone works. Be vary careful that you supply correct
responses to all the questions the netbase and netstd packages ask. 

To check out all the configuration files and programs is too
difficult. If you want to try this for networking, start by reading
"The Linux Network Administrators' Guide" in The Linux Bible or the
/pub/linux/doc/LDP directory at linux mirrors.

>P.S. The file /etc/ftpusers is meant to be a list of users who cannot
>use the ftp command. Why then, if root is listed in this file, can I
>use ftp as root? In fact, now that I've checked, it doesn't seem to
>do anything. Any ideas?

Your system has both an ftp server (ftpd) and an ftp client.
/etc/ftpusers is a list of users who cannot use the server for
security reasons. Your ftp command is the client and is usually used
for accessing other hosts.

>P.P.S. All this started from me looking for a update version of libvga
>(ELF). What is the latest version, and where can I find it?

The latest Debian (ELF) package I know of is svgalib1_1.210-2.deb. 
One URL:
ftp://ctan.unsw.edu.au/pub/linux/debian/rex/binary/graphics

Warning: libvga does not work with some clone video cards the way it
should. Your console may lock up with some programs e.g., dvgt.
Upgrading to a new libvga version will not necessarily fix this
because it is basically a hardware emulation problem. For example, my
ET4000W32 chipset, PCI clone card.
 
-- 
Regards,
Ian Maclaine-cross (ian@ilm.mech.unsw.edu.au)