ssh can't resolve hostnames thru WINS

[Denis Vlasenko]

On 15 February 2002 11:29, Frank Cusack wrote:
> > [Please CC me, I'm not on the list]
> >
> > My box is on a mostly Windows-populated network.
> > Naturally, I set up Samba and added WINS as a name resolution option.
> >
> > I found out that some programs now can use NetBIOS names, other can't.
> > openssh falls into latter category :-(
> >
> > I found that openssh use this snippet to convert hostname to ip:
> >
> > if((gaierr = getaddrinfo(host, strport, &hints, &aitop)) != 0)
> >     fatal("%s: %.100s: %s", __progname, host,
> >         gai_strerror(gaierr));
> >
> > and it fails for me exactly in this if() when I say "ssh <wins_name>".
> > OTOH, ping uses code similar to
> >
> > struct hostent *hp;
> > hp = gethostbyname(hostname);
> >
> > and this works for WINS names.
>
> You must have a 'wins' entry in your nsswitch.conf.

I do have it, or else ping (and many other programs) won't resolve
hostnames via WINS server.

> I guess getaddrinfo()
> doesn't support nsswitch correctly.  Judging by this email:
> <http://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-net/2000/02/15/0004.html> I'd say
> it doesn't.

I'm new to these things, where should I look to fix it? Glibc?


On 15 February 2002 11:32, Gert Doering wrote:
> > I found that openssh use this snippet to convert hostname to ip:
> >
> > if((gaierr = getaddrinfo(host, strport, &hints, &aitop)) != 0)
> >     fatal("%s: %.100s: %s", __progname, host,
> >         gai_strerror(gaierr));
>
> This is the "best" and *current* way to do hostname to IP resolution.
>
> > and it fails for me exactly in this if() when I say "ssh <wins_name>".
> > OTOH, ping uses code similar to
> >
> > struct hostent *hp;
> > hp = gethostbyname(hostname);
>
> This is "the old way", which can't do IPv6 (and has other limitations).
>
> > and this works for WINS names.
>
> Sounds like a microsoft weirdness to me...

!?  It has nothing to do with M$, it is a Linux box...
--
vda