domain name services from unix?

[Kiran Pamnany kp@sasi.ernet.in]

and more problems... when the cd arrives and i start trying to set up a
*real* plan 9 system, i wonder...

this time, its network related. i cannot (not for lack of trying), get the
system to ask another machine on the network for domain name translations.
the plan 9 system is on the network, and i can telnet to any of the other
machines on the network if i specify the ip address but i can't make
/net/cs (?) ask another machine to translate a domain name,, everything
i've tried, it comes back and says cannot translate address. the system
administrator of the company asks me where resolv.conf is...

here's my /lib/ndb/local,, what's missing or wrong?

#
#  external internet domain service
#
dom=
#	i tried adding:
#	ns=sasi.ernet.in
	ns=ns.nic.ddn.mil
	ns=kava.nisc.sri.com
	ns=aos.brl.mil
	ns=c.nyser.net
	ns=terp.umd.edu
	ns=ns.nasa.gov
	ns=nic.nordu.net
# and:
#dom=sasi.ernet.in ip=202.21.147.10
# with this, it can translate 'sasi.ernet.in' but no other name
dom=ns.nic.ddn.mil ip=192.112.36.4
dom=kava.nisc.sri.com ip=192.33.33.24
dom=aos.brl.mil ip=192.5.25.82
dom=c.nyser.net ip=192.33.4.12ÐÌ
dom=terp.umd.edu ip=128.8.10.90
dom=ns.nasa.gov ip=128.102.16.10 ip=192.52.195.10
dom=nic.nordu.net ip=192.36.148.17

# i also tried:
#dom=sasi.ernet.in soa
#	ns=202.21.147.10
# and:
#dom=sasi.ernet.in ip=202.21.147.10
#	ns=202.21.147.10
# and various other combinations,, probably useless but out of sheer
#  frustration including *.sasi.ernet.in, etc.

#
#  your PC (edit to suit)
#
sys = orthanc
	dom=orthanc.sasi.ernet.in
	ip=202.21.147.59 ether=0020af751b60
	bootfile=/386/9pcdisk
	proto=il
# i tried planting in a 'ns=202.21.147.10' here

#
#  your ip networks and subnets (edit to suit)
#
#  should anything come here? i tried:
#ipnet=sasi ip=202.21.147.0
#	ns=202.21.147.10
#	ipgw=202.21.147.10
#  and various other combinations

i didn't touch any of the tcp=, il= or udp= entries.

and i've read all the related man pages -- ndb(8), ndb(6), ipconfig(1)... i
guess that means that i *really* need help. what seemed to be right didn't
work and hence all the probably weird things i tried...

next thing, is there any way i can make mothra use a proxy server? unless
there is, i can't use it here :-?


thanx in advance,

kiran