ftp: bind: can't assign requested address

[Ruth Milner, Systems Manager x2746]

This question was asked on sun-spots recently, and three replies suggested
that the client's /etc/hosts table was probably not correct.

We also are seeing this problem, on a diskless 3/110 served off a 3/180,
both running 3.4. The /etc/hosts table is complete and up-to-date on both
the server and the client (which has its own copy). Its own address is in
/etc/hosts and is correct, and has been that way since day 1. It has been
rebooted a number of times since it was installed, and ftp has *never*
worked. Whenever the "ls" or "get" commands are typed in, it always comes
back with the above error.

Does anybody have any other ideas? I'm stumped. It's not absolutely vital
for local purposes, since rcp will work as well (the 3/110 is not actually
diskless, but it does not have an OS on its disk, just user programs and
data, and swap), but it would be nice to know why it doesn't work.

For the record: we are not running YP; inetd starts up the usual services
(same as on some diskless 3/50's served off the same 3/180, on all of
which ftp works) , /etc/networks is up-to-date, it is an NFS server for
its local disk (could this, combined with ND, interfere with ftp
somehow?). We are on the Internet and use subnetting; the server and
clients are of course on the same subnet.

Thanks in advance.

Ruth Milner
Systems Manager
University of Toronto Physics