additional info - daemon log shows the following

nsrexecd: Warning, cannot resolve host 'backupserver.mydomain
' to '128.xxx.xxx.xx', name server may be misconfigured

But nslookup on Redhat resolves the backup host fine and backup server name is in /res/servers file and well as in the hosts file.

- nslookup server.domain
- nslookup server.hostname.only
- nslookup IP.backup.server

should give you the same on Windows client as on backup server. I think there is a problem in back or forward name resolution on backup server on the client.

This is results. som-dev.ucsd.edu is RHEL server client, sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu is Windows server backup server. All look correct.

nslookup som-dev.ucsd.edu (server.domain)
Server: 132.239.1.52
Address: 132.239.1.52#53

Name: som-dev.ucsd.edu
Address: 132.239.221.56

nslookup som-dev (server.hostname.only)
Server: 132.239.1.52
Address: 132.239.1.52#53

Name: som-dev.ucsd.edu
Address: 132.239.221.56

nslookup 132.239.104.151 (IP.backup.server)
Server: 132.239.1.52
Address: 132.239.1.52#53

151.104.239.132.in-addr.arpa name = sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu.

Sorry, perhaps I was not very clear. What you have sent is only on server side, right? Do you get the same when executed on the client?

On server:
nslookup som-dev.ucsd.edu should give 132.239.221.56
nslookup som-dev should give 132.239.221.56
nslookup 132.239.221.56 should give som-dev.ucsd.edu
nslookup sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu should give 132.239.104.151
nslookup sombackuplj2 should give 132.239.104.151
nslookup 132.239.104.151 should give sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu

That would be server (check it out). Then do the same on client - there should be difference which is causing the issue (also check hosts table in case that DNS seems to be fine - there might be faulty entry too).

Can you post /etc/hosts from client and last few lines from /nsr/logs/daemon.log from client.

Also, what is the output of following command (from client):
save -s sombackuplj2 -v /etc/hosts

The client I'm trying to backup is a Redhat 9 server. The backup server is a Windows 2003 server. All nslookup checks out fine on both client and backup server. host table also has correct entries in it - client and backup server.

save -s sombackuplj2 -v /etc/hosts
save: got prototype for /
save: got prototype for /proc/bus/
save: got prototype for /
save: got prototype for /dev/
save: got prototype for /
save: got prototype for /dev/
save: RPC warning: RPC cannot make a procedure call: Create failed: Program not registered

save: Cannot open save session with sombackuplj2

Hosts file:

# Do not remove the following line, or various programs
# that require network functionality will fail.
127.0.0.1 localhost
132.239.221.56 som-dev.ucsd.edu som-dev
132.239.104.51 sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu sombackuplj2

/nsr/logs/daemon.log:

08/03/06 15:53:56 nsrexecd: Warning, cannot resolve host 'sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu
' to '132.239.104.151', name server may be misconfigured.
08/03/06 15:53:56 nsrexecd: Warning, cannot resolve host 'sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu
' to '132.239.104.151', name server may be misconfigured.
08/03/06 15:53:56 nsrexecd: Warning, cannot resolve host 'sombackuplj2.ucsd.edu
' to '132.239.104.151', name server may be misconfigured.

yep, can't believe I've struggled with this for so long and it was a stupid typo. arghhhh. thanks for your persistance.