SOLUTION: ssh not resolving host names on HP-UX 11i

[Tom Orban]

Just in case anyone else runs across this problem, maybe someone on
this list can pass this along.

Install HP Patch PHNE_27796
Patch Description:  s700_800 11.11 libnss_dns DNS backend patch

The preceding patch (PHNE_23574) was on some of the boxes that
exhibited the problem, so 23574 is not enough.  If the box showed the
problem, it could only be fixed by installing PHNE_27796.

Just a bit more background here, it turns out that the problem did
*not* manifest itself on all of our 11i boxes, only the newer ones
(rp8400's, B2600's).  Can't figure any rhyme or reason as to why.  The
11i boxes that ssh did work without the patch were L2000's, that were
configured years ago.  

Needless to say, HP support was *useless* in this -- they said they
don't support openssh-3.7.1p2.  I kind of stumbled onto that patch,
(since libnss_dns.1 is not a shared object for the ssh binary).  But
this is another story...

Oh well, hope this helps someone in the future.

-Tom

>>> Tom Orban 10/28/03 11:09AM >>>

I posted a message about this problem late last week, never heard
anything back, so I have to assume other folks did get a working ssh
(3.7.1p2) binary built on HP-UX 11i. Just to refresh, my ssh package
that I built on HP-UX 11i works fine, except that the ssh binary doesn't
seem to go to DNS to resolve host names.  So the only way I can ssh to
other machines is to put their host entries in my /etc/hosts file, or
type their IP address instead of the hostname on the command line. 
Since that's a really unsustainable workaround, I've grabbed the 3.7.1p2
ssh binary that I built on an hp-ux 11.00 box and use it with the rest
of the package that I build on 11i.  Ugly, but it seems to work.

Stripping down didn't make any difference, I still get the "ssh:
hostname: host nor service provided, or not known" error message.

FYI, I'm using the HP KRNG* package for /dev/*random, and build
everything with the HP Ansi C compiler.