[Yum] Weird: IOError: <urlopen error (-2 Name.. but yumex works!!!

[Alan Robert Clark]

Hi All

I have been tearing my hair out. yum simply doesn't work:


[root at NeedleNardleNoo ~]# yum update
Loading "installonlyn" plugin
Running "config" handler for "installonlyn" plugin
Yum Version: 3.0.1
COMMAND: yum
Installroot: /
Setting up Update Process
Setting up repositories
Could not retrieve mirrorlist 
http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/mirrorlist?repo=updates-released-fc6&arch=i386 
error was
[Errno 4] IOError: <urlopen error (-2, 'Name or service not known')>

Scanning through the yum archives, there are hint of DNS's and liburl 
problems, Its a FC6 out the box. Using Wireshark, the above command does 
not even generate a DNS lookup, either on my local LAN (home) or my 
GPRS+ link to the outside world (ppp0).

In final desperation (I have all things pointy-clicky) I downloaded 
yumex. IT WORKED! with my exact yum setup. Added repo's, everything 
marvellous. Audacity,kino,wine,pcb all became friends again. But yum 
still gives the above!

I guess its no longer critical, but I am a terminal guy... Any solutions?

(Yes, I did uninstall and re-install yum, and rpm -V)
New Year's greetings from Sunny South Africa.
Alan
-- 
Alan Robert Clark, Pr Eng     Computational Electromagnetics
Associate Professor                 Wits University
School of Electrical and Information Engineering
Wits; Gauteng              ``Bugs are later known as features''
2050 South Africa                 Ps 111:10; Ps 37/150
Fax (+27 11)403-1929             a.clark at ee.wits.ac.za
Tel (+27 11)717-7223(24hr)  <http://YingTongDiddleiPo.ee.wits.ac.za/>
   GPG Public Key at <http://YingTongDiddleiPo.ee.wits.ac.za/arc.gpg>
           **Linux ---the choice of a GNU generation.**