Problem with NSLOOKUP

[David Dowdle]

Jason Armstrong wrote:
> 
> I posted this same message with the title:  nslookup Problem, but no one has
> responded (I think because it looks like a child to a parent post above it
> with the same title)
> 
> In advance, I want to sincerely thank whoever responds to this.
> 
> I just set up a DNS server using Redhat Linux 6.0 and BIND 8. It was my
> first experience and not so bad. Everything is working fine   (I can ping
> both names, aliases, and IP's inside and outside my companies intranet)
> EXCEPT I'm having a problem with nslookup or rather the results I get. This
> is what I'm entering (beginning with a query outside of my intranet and
> following that, a query on an address within) and the responses I am
> getting:                          (by the way, I have used X's inplace of
> our IP's to protect the innocent)
> 
> root#  nslookup slashdot.org
>   ***Can't find server name for address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx :Server failed
> 
> Server : rbru.br.rs.els-gms.att.net
> Address: 199.191.128.103
> 
> Non-Authoritative answer: Slashdot.org
> Address: 206.170.14.75
> 
> Then I will try the local address:
> 
> root# nslookup ascnet.mis.asco
> ***Can't find server name for address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx :Server failed
> 
> Server : rbru.br.rs.els-gms.att.net
> Address: 199.191.128.103
> 
> *** rbru.br.rs.els-gms.att.net  can't find ascnet.mis.asco: Non-existent
> host/domain
> 
> I have poured over the books DNS and BIND and Linux Network Administrator
> Guide (both from O'Reilly) as well as looking at this entire list, before
> posting. I'm definitely one who RTFM's it, but this really has me stumped.
> It appears that my server isn't named correctly somehow, but I can't find
> the problem. I'm sure it is something simple I'm overlooking. I can PING the
> server, and PING other servers using both their IP's and names. I can even
> PING my DNS server using it's name, which nslookup says it doesn't have.
> Any help offered would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Oddly, we don't have newsgroup access at work, so if you could email me at
> the link below, so I can get it at work, that would be fantastic.
> 
> Thanks much,
> Jason Armstrong
> jarmst at ameripol.com
> 
> or
> 
> armstrong99 at yahoo.com

O'Reillly's DNS and BIND (3rd edition)  covers this on page 279-280
(Troubleshooting nslookup problems)

Basically, there is no reverse dns (PTR) records for the IP address you
told it do go to, so the lookup to say what server it's on failed, and
it dies (stupid IMHO)

So get the reverse DNS setup, or contact whoever's doing it for you, and
get them to set it up, and this will go away