Name Server problem

[Bill Silvert]

I've set up a name server on my PI for a local ethernet of about half a
dozen PC's while waiting for our connection to Internet, with help from
the net.  I've run into a problem.  The server works OK in that the PC's
can get addresses from it.  But the PI itself can no longer recognize
aliases and requires the fully qualified name, and when I run the
networking tool I get a warning that "your machine may be in an
inconsistent state".  I can't find out were I went wrong.

In more detail, when I set up the system with PC's named ben and jerry,
corresponding to ben.bio.ca and jerry.bio.ca (not real addresses these),
the PI had no problem finding either "ben" or "jerry" after I set up the
network with the system tools.  But then I set up the BIND name-server,
so that ben can execute the command "ftp jerry" and vice versa --
however, now when I execute the command "ftp ben" on the PI I get an
error message "Host name lookup failure", and I have to use the fully
qualified namd "ftp ben.bio.ca".  The PI can answer external queries but
cannot answer the same queries if they come from the PI.  What gives?

By the end of the month I hope to have an Internet connection, and will
need to run as a local nameserver talking to an external one, so I am
really trying to iron out these mysteries.  Help greatly appreciated.
-- 
William Silvert, Habitat Ecology Division, Bedford Inst. of Oceanography
P. O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CANADA B2Y 4A2.  Tel. (902)426-1577
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