I'd like to pretend I'm a newbie on this one... I've got two linux machines connected to an SMC cable router (unfortunately the network is at home and I'm at work, so all of this is from memory). In /etc/hosts I've got entries for localhost, the smc router, and the two linux computers. The first computer works perfectly. It can ping machines internally and externally, ssh to the 2nd machine, browsers work fine. Absolutely no problems. The 2nd machine works perfectly with everything outside of the local network. Anything destined for the internal network is unfortunately also routed to the internet. For example, if I try to traceroute the smc router (which I've cleverly named 'smc' in /etc/hosts), I get something like this: (note that this is a made up traceroute)... family> traceroute smc traceroute to smc (192.168.2.1), 30 hops max, 38 byte packets 1 smc (192.168.2.1) 168.005 ms 159.410 ms 159.816 ms 2 gv-gw01.skypoint.net (199.86.33.1) 159.773 ms 149.653 ms 149.831 ms 3 mrnet-skypoint-2.msc.mr.net (137.192.27.145) 159.818 ms 199.638 ms 169.832 ms 4 core1-ge1-1-0.msc.mr.net (137.192.3.254) 269.805 ms 169.638 ms 159.840 ms 5 p4-0.chcgil1-cr1.bbnplanet.net (4.24.149.97) 209.788 ms 159.637 ms 179.798 ms 6 p5-0.chcgil1-br1.bbnplanet.net (4.24.5.241) 169.803 ms 169.632 ms 169.863 ms 7 so-3-0-0.chcgil2-br1.bbnplanet.net (4.24.9.69) 189.773 ms 199.638 ms 169.811 ms 8 p13-0.iplvin1-br1.bbnplanet.net (4.24.9.58) 189.803 ms 199.647 ms 189.834 ms 9 p15-0.iplvin1-br2.bbnplanet.net (4.24.10.154) 169.810 ms 199.639 ms 179.817 ms It actually shows that it traverses 'smc' during the traceroute. I'm not sure that it prints the name though when it traverses it... arp shows the mac addresses of the machines on the network, but does not show the names associated with the mac address when arp is run on the 2nd machine. ifconfig on the 2nd is identical with the 1st (with the exception of the hardware and ip addresses). netstat -rn is the same route is the same /etc/resolv.conf is the same Actually while typing this, it occurs to me that the 2nd machine looks like it can do a name to ip lookup, but fails doing an ip to name. That rings a faint bell, but not loud enough for me to follow. Help...