[nzlug] no dns with wvdial + paradise.net.nz in edubuntu 6.06

[Simon Bridge]

I've been asked to help out an older gentleman set up his dialup account
in Edubuntu 6.06 (User has been informed that this LTR will expire soon
- wants to await the next LTR and would like internet access until then,
thanks.)

As it stands, "sudo wvdial" successfully connects and logs in to
paradise.net.nz ... I can see the server information (seems to be
telstra-clear name-servers) come up.

However - cannot ping anything via url. Can ping by IP. Can ping the
nameservers by IP.

Has something happened to the way wvdial uses DNS since I last
configured dialup?

.....................
Here's what I've tried, in detail:
The modem is a (very expensive) D-Link external serial HW modem -
sitting nice and accessible on /dev/ttyS0 (verified by writing to that
device directly.) This should be easy right?

/dev/modem exists and is a symlink to /dev/ttyS0 with permissive
settings to everybody.

system > administration > network
set the modem connection as the default route to the internet
set the phone number and so forth
even manually added the name server IPs

"enable" does nothing.

(I didn't really expect anything - I've never had any luck with this
method. Possibly there is supposed to be an external dialer?)

sudo wvdial reports that the modem is busy. Disable the modem connection
in the configuration above and retry - says the phone number is wrong.

cat /etc/wvdial.conf shows that, contrary to earlier report, user has
not added phone and password to this file. I added those, switched
stupid mode on, and retried.

Modem dials, I hear the handshake, authentication messages scroll by,
pppd tells me there is a connection, which is verified by pinging the
servers by IP.

Cannot raise anything by url.

Tonight I am including Check DNS = on, as well as explicitly setting
Auto DNS = on despite that being the default. (User may have changed
something I havn't noticed yet.)

Prior to my efforts, user has been attempting to use gnome-ppp to
configure the modem. Unsuccessfully. And getting very confused. Possibly
this has altered something?

I have noticed that others have had trouble with paradise.net.nz eg.
http://lists.naos.co.nz/pipermail/wellylug/2006-August/015918.html
... but these people had trouble getting a connection. Here, I have one,
but cannot get name resolution.

Support calls to paradise just gets "We do not support linux now go
away!" replies. Any request, including a request for name-server IPs.
(Requesting as a windows user, to be sneaky, just has me directed to a
setup wizard or something and I have to use IE.)

A phone call got me to someone more senior who was more polite - but the
upshot was that everything is fine on their end so it's my problem...
have a nice day. Specific questions still get general responses though.

Me: "Can you confirm the following dns server IPs for me?"
Support: "We sent you the correct ones."

If this was my account, I'd change supplier.