Assuming you have "files" in nsswitch.conf or its equivalent, it sounds like a
broken getaddrinfo.  Try adding "#define BROKEN_GETADDRINFO 1" to config.h
*after* running configure, then build and test.

I'm sorry your Correction ist not effective.

In that case, it looks like your local resolver is somehow broken. ssh doesn't
do anything special with regards to name lookups, when BROKEN_GETADDRINFO is
defined it just uses gethostbyname()

I don't think that we have a broken local resolver. Because nslookup works fine 
and the /etc/hosts is o.k. A recompilation of the Version 3.7.1p2 with the same 
configure paramaters as in 3.8xx works with no errors. While testing the 
openssh, we could see that the libssh was linked as static library (3.8) and in 
3.7.1p2 it was linked dynamic.

nslookup is not a good test, usually it does not normally use gethostbyname or
getaddrinfo, but rather sends DNS requests itself (bypassing the local
resolver).  Try some other programs, eg ping, telnet (and if possible one that
uses getaddrinfo and one that uses gethostbyname). 

Is BROKEN_GETADDRINFO defined in config.h for either of 3.7.1p2 or 3.8.1p1?

You can also try this test program,, which I wrote last time we had reports of
problems with getaddrinfo:
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=openssh-unix-dev&m=108675611705663

this is in all versions of  config.h:
/* getaddrinfo is broken (if present) */
/* #undef BROKEN_GETADDRINFO */

testing: 
$ telnet mhpadkuc 23
Trying 123.123.123.23 ...
telnet: connect: Connection refused
telnet>quit

ssh -v Veiel_U@mhpadkuc
OpenSSH_3.8.1p1, OpenSSL 0.9.7d 17 Mar 2004
debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/openssh/ssh_config
debug1: Applying options for *
ssh: mhpadkuc: no address associated with name

your test-programm "getaddrinfospeed.c" cannot be compiled on Reliant-Unix

Does Reliant have getaddrinfo?  If so, is it #defined to something else in in
/usr/include someplace?  (I think Tru64 does that, and it actually has 2
versions with different semantics).

You can also try manually editing Makefile after running configure and removing
"-ldl" from LIBS (that was added between 3.7.1p2 and 3.8p1).

We have found a solution for our problem: 
we made the follwing change in the Makefile after configure:

original:
LIBS=-lresolv -lcrypto -lz -lsocket -lnsl -ldl  -lgen -lucb

after our change:
LIBS=-lcrypto -lz -lsocket -lnsl -ldl  -lgen -lresolv åucb

Result: move "åresolv" a few positions backward at LIBS variable.

make 
make install

ssh -v Veiel_U@RECHNERX
OpenSSH_3.8.1p1, OpenSSL 0.9.7d 17 Mar 2004
debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/openssh/ssh_config
debug1: Applying options for *
debug1: Connecting to RECHNERX [003.002.001.007] port 22.
debug1: Connection established.
debug1: identity file /.ssh/identity type -1
debug1: identity file /.ssh/id_rsa type -1
debug1: identity file /.ssh/id_dsa type -1
debug1: Remote protocol version 1.99, remote software version OpenSSH_3.8.1p1
debug1: match: OpenSSH_3.8.1p1 pat OpenSSH*
debug1: Enabling compatibility mode for protocol 2.0
debug1: Local version string SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_3.8.1p1
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT sent
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT received
debug1: kex: server->client aes128-cbc hmac-md5 none
debug1: kex: client->server aes128-cbc hmac-md5 none
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEX_DH_GEX_REQUEST(1024<1024<8192) sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_KEX_DH_GEX_GROUP
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEX_DH_GEX_INIT sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_KEX_DH_GEX_REPLY
debug1: Host 'RECHNERX' is known and matches the RSA host key.
debug1: Found key in /.ssh/known_hosts:42
debug1: ssh_rsa_verify: signature correct
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS received
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_REQUEST sent
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_ACCEPT received
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey,password,keyboard-
interactive
debug1: Next authentication method: publickey
debug1: Trying private key: /.ssh/identity
debug1: Trying private key: /.ssh/id_rsa
debug1: read PEM private key done: type RSA
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey,password,keyboard-
interactive
debug1: Trying private key: /.ssh/id_dsa
debug1: Next authentication method: password
Veiel_U@RECHNERX's password:
debug1: Authentication succeeded (password).
debug1: channel 0: new [client-session]
debug1: Entering interactive session.
Last login: Tue Jul  6 14:10:34 2004 from terminal
Veiel_U@RECHNERX:~ >exit

thanks for your help

Created attachment 814 [details]
Append -lresolv to LIBS early on Reliant Unix

libresolv isn't checked until late in configure, and if it's needed the it's
*prepended* to LIBS.  Reliant Unix apparently doesn't like that.

This patch does it early on Reliant.  I think the root cause is probably a
linker bug, but I think this should work around it.

I will also attach a configure rebuilt with this patch.  Could you please
replace the configure that comes with OpenSSH 3.9p1 with this new one and
confirm whether or not it resolves the problem?

Created attachment 815 [details]
configure.gz: from 3.9p1 rebuilt with patch 814

Target next release.

BTW if you have a working autoconf (v2.59) then you could also just apply the
patch and rebuild configure yourself with "autoreconf".

Since the patch affects only Reliant (which appears to be problematic anyway),
I've applied it.  It will be in tomorrow's snapshot.

If it turns out to not resolve it then please reopen this bug.

With the release of OpenSSH 4.0, these bugs are now closed. For details, see:
http://www.openssh.com/txt/release-4.0