[ale] DNS problems

[Jeffery Browning]

We have a network configuration with 5 RH5.2 servers and about 50 ncd
X-terminals on it.  One of the servers acts a the primary DNS with all
others acting a secondary servers.  The problem is when we lose our
internet connection (for whatever reason) our X-terminals will not boot,
and you cannot log into them.  If I turn off DNS and remove the
resolv.conf from the servers it will begin working again.  I believe
this problem is due to the timeout setting for a dns lookup, really it
is just a hunch.  There isn't any reason I can see that the X-terminals
should need DNS.  Is there a way to lower the timeout setting, or has
anyone else seen this behavior?  Any light you can shed on this subject
would be most appreciated.
-- 
Jeffery C. Browning,                           Enhanced Solutions
Computing
Systems Administrator                          2251 Old Cornelia Hwy
                                               Gainesville, Ga 30507