how can I be half connected? really interesting tragedy

[LinuxZealot]

so I'm having severe problems with my internet connection and I'm a noob so hopefully this is a simple fix. Here's the lowdown:

Distro: Ubuntu 7.10
Box: Geforce 6100SM-M chipset with AMD-64
Problem: in the command line ifconfig shows that I am connected to the internet, when I ping various websites I receive the correct IP and domain name in the response, Limewire connects and can share files all day long without a problem, and the network manager says I'm connected at a steady 100 Mbps, also, my the DSL modem and router are functional, and my roommates computer (hooked to the same router and running XP) works perfectly now the downside; Firefox doesn't think there's a connection, neither does APT, the update manager, Add/Remove Programs, basically everything that's important. what's going on and how can this be fixed?
I thank you in advance for any possible solutions to this dilemma as I do not know when I'll be able to check any responses to this post.

[gogul2k]

Was it working OK before?

If so then it suggests that a change has been has been made somewhere.

Have you recently made any changes to your system?

Does your computer connect to the internet via a network card with a DCHP connection?

[Lordshooter]

Hi.
Sounds like the problem is your computer/system, and not a possible bad connection.

So takt a closer look at your system. It might not be able to cope with all the tasks you want to do, and for all the resource hungry applications, etc.

A upgrade, might be the solution. Some more memory RAM. Another card into the slot.

You could then go from there. Adding more memory, is never wrong, because you will need it anyway, sooner or later. No waste of money, therefor.


Alexander

[LinuxZealot]

I'm pretty sure that that's not the problem, I've got 1024 MB of ram, which is more that sufficient to run the programs that I commonly operate, also the internet connected fine up until a few days ago, when it inexplicably ceaced functioning. this is quite a puzzle, I may just have to rack my noodler for a couple more days, or there is the slight possibility that it'll magically fix itself

[gogul2k]

Well I hope you do get it fixed.

I think replacing the network card might be an idea though, since it can be possible to damage it by simply unplugging/plugging a cable in when you have things switched on (though that shouldn't happen in theory, it has happened with me).

Try borrowing network card from another machine to see what happens would be my suggestion.

[anomie]

I'm pretty sure this is an application-level issue. (And I wouldn't assume otherwise given the symptoms, unless ifconfig is reporting lots of error packets.) Ping is able to resolve names (perhaps through a NAT device's nameservers, if you're using one). So the trick is getting firefox to do the same.

What nameservers do you see here?

cat /etc/resolv.conf

[rcgreen]

It is also conceivable that your router is blocking some
ports so that some programs can connect but others cannot.

[anomie]

That's a good point. In addition to answering my earlier question, could you install nmap and post the results of:

nmap 64.233.167.147 -p 80

That's a simple TCP SYN scan for the http port of one of google's web servers. If it shows open, it'll help eliminate that as an issue.

---------------------

edit: That's right - you can't install packages.

Instead, try this:
nc 64.233.167.147 80 && echo 'Connected OK'

Give it a few seconds to do its job. It'll either echo that message or simply return you to the command line.

Netcat (nc) should be part of your base system, I believe.

[LinuxZealot]

so I tried your advice and for the resolv.conf I got my IP address and the name of my router, for the netcat command I got "connected OK!" echo, so I've decided to try more drastic measures and switch to a different distro, Arch has always sounded appealing hopefully this solves my problem and doubles as a good learning experience!

thanks for all of the help! I just really don't think I'll be able to solve this problem though

[anomie]

so I tried your advice and for the resolv.conf I got my IP address and the name of my router

While I have a lot of respect for Arch, I don't think that's much of a 'solution' to this problem.

Specify your ISP's nameservers directly in /etc/resolv.conf, following the same syntax you see there now. Remove the router/NAT device address.

example:

nameserver w.x.y.z

And see if the problem is corrected. It can be a crapshoot to rely on your router/NAT device for name lookups. Some devices are better than others.

If you go to Arch, do it because you want to. Not over a problem that can be easily corrected.