Proxy issues with Linux installation

Im trying to install Gentoo Linux on a box at work here and I cant get it to resolve Internet domain names because of the proxy. I have set my http_proxy variable as it suggests i should do (and ive also used this variable on my laptop for updates on a different distro, which worked fine) and i dont know what can be causing me problems. It can resolve domain names on the WAN no problem and the webcache server is pingable.

any suggestions?

Do you really need a proxy?

Is this not able to resolve domain names at all, or just the update feature? How do you know its a name resolution issue? Is the proxy on the local machine, on the local lan, or located at the ISP? Can you perhaps post the command the gives the error message as well as the error message itself? What does it say in resolv.conf? Have you tried specifying the proxys IP address rather than name? Are you behind a firewall that disallows everything except web traffic through the proxy? It could also be a routing issue, if you have a WAN plus a lan plus the net.

yes. we have proxies. i need to use one of them to get the packages to compile.

I'd check DNS first... Then Proxy Config

not at all. links doesnt work and nor does a ping etc. its not really a dns issue, it just cant access outside of the WAN.

resolv.conf:

livecd ~ # more /etc/resolv.conf
# Generated by dhcpcd for interface eth4
domain Germany.Sun.COM
nameserver 129.157.128.5

havnt tried the IP of the proxy yet but it resolves the webcache name no problem so i dont think its the issue but ill try it. We have a proxy in every country and theres one here on the local LAN although ive tried several. i am behind a proxy that filters http traffic and ftp too i think etc. i have set a default route etc.

Make it easy on yourself and contat your local network admin Dept.

theyre not local and if i did ask any of them they will tell me nothing coz first it goes to outsourced guys in india who are useless and then to the guys in the UK who will tell me its not supported. If i wanna use linux i have to use the shitty JDS Linux. Just thought someone might be able to shed some light on it. worth a try.

Im sure it would be pretty straightforward if i was sitting in front of the machine but im still not even sure what the actual problem is. What exactly works and what doesnt? I think knowing something about the network topologie etc would help too, i.e. info about the lan and the wan and where the internet gateway etc is located (i take it this is about internet access is it?) and what services are provided on each etc.

i just cant access servers outside the WAN eg. google or Toytown and i need to be able to access gentoo's servers to get the source code for the packages to install because its a live cd. its an issue with the proxy im sure. There is a gateway here in the office through the local proxy. the proxy is on a different subnet to the one my machines on but i have tried it on the local one too with the same results. the proxy is perfectly accessable from both. at the moment i am on the 129.157.150.255/24 subnet and the proxy is on the 129.157.128.255/23 subnet. i have plugged mine into the same subnet as the proxy though as ive said with the same results.

what services are provided on what? any more info needed?

I guess if you are specifying the proxy by IP, then it wont be a DNS issue.. And if it doesnt work on the same subnet, and you still have access to the WAN etc then the routing is probably working ok. So it happens when you try and access the proxy. My next step would be to analyze the network with a sniffer like ethereal and see if its connecting to the proxy ok and if it isnt then it may well be a routing issue, otherwise if it does then I would read the proxy responses. It maybe something that IT has to set up on the proxy itself. Although if machines can usually use it ok with a dhcp supplied IP address and a correctly configured gateway / default route then it should work in this case too.

In any case an ethereal trace should provide more diagnostic info.

Just a suggestion:

http://forums.gentoo.org/

You never know someone on there might know something about Gentoo Linux

ok i got it working. the firewall was stopping pings from working and links doesnt use the http_proxy variable but the install program does.

cheers n e ways.