I have a coda client on my laptop and 
have no problem connecting to the 
testserver at cmu.

However when i set up a codaserver on
my local network i found that I am not able to connect.
my venus.conf file contain only two uncommented lines

rootservers="strange.langhorst.com"
cacheblocks="20000"

the console file in the /usr/coda/etc looks like this

Coda Venus, version 5.3.8

Date: Sun 07/23/2000

21:30:14 /usr/coda/LOG setup for size 0x88008
21:30:14 /usr/coda/DATA initialized at size 0x220020
21:30:15 brain-wiping recoverable store
21:30:15 loading recoverable store
21:30:15 starting VSGDB scan
21:30:15 	0 vsg entries in table
21:30:15 	0 vsg entries on free-list
21:30:15 starting VDB scan
21:30:15 	1 vol entries in table (0 MLEs)
21:30:15 	0 vol entries on free-list (0 MLEs)
21:30:15 starting FSDB scan (833, 20000) (25, 75, 4)
21:30:15 	0 cache files in table (0 blocks)
21:30:15 	833 cache files on free-list
21:30:15 starting HDB scan
21:30:15 	0 hdb entries in table
21:30:15 	0 hdb entries on free-list
21:30:15 Kernel version ioctl failed.
21:30:15 Initial LRDB allocation
21:30:15 Getting Root Volume information...
21:30:16 Venus starting...

This looks fine to me 
the venus.log file also looks okay to me

[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:14 ] Coda Venus, version 5.3.8
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:14 ] Logfile initialized with LogLevel = 0 at Sun
Jul 23 21:30:14 2000

[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:14 ] E StatsInit()
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:14 ] L StatsInit()
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:14 ] RecovDataSizes: Log = 0x88008, Data =
0x220020
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] Recov_AllocateVM: allocated 1000 bytes at
20000000
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] Recov_AllocateVM: allocated 21b000 bytes at
21000000
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmTruncate (1, 4312, I)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] cache::EndRvmTruncate
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] Recov_DeallocateVM: deallocated 1000 bytes
at 20000000
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] Recov_DeallocateVM: deallocated 21b000 bytes
at 21000000
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmFlush (1, 1332, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] EndRvmFlush
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmTruncate (2, 1492, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] cache::EndRvmTruncate
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmFlush (1, 5516, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] EndRvmFlush
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmTruncate (3, 5676, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] cache::EndRvmTruncate
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmFlush (1, 430448, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] EndRvmFlush
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmTruncate (837, 430608, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] cache::EndRvmTruncate
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmFlush (1, 16808, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] EndRvmFlush
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] BeginRvmTruncate (1, 16968, F)
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] cache::EndRvmTruncate
[ X(00) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] E adviceserver::adviceserver:
AdviceServer    

[ A(18) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] adviceserver::main()

[ H(07) : 0000 : 21:30:15 ] HDBDaemon about to sleep on hdbdaemon_sync

[ T(01) : 0000 : 21:30:21 ] BeginRvmFlush (1, 2352, T)
[ T(01) : 0000 : 21:30:21 ] EndRvmFlush

[ D(21) : 0000 : 21:30:21 ] WAITING(SRVRQ):

[ W(20) : 0000 : 21:30:31 ] NotifyUserOfServerDownEvent
[ W(20) : 0000 : 21:30:31 ] DiscoRef= 1

[ D(21) : 0000 : 21:30:31 ] WAIT OVER, elapsed = 10018.6

On the server side  the SrvLog file contains:

21:06:08 New SrvLog started at Sun Jul 23 21:06:08 2000

21:06:08 Resource limit on data size are set to 2147483647

21:06:08 Server etext 0x80c09ce, edata 0x80ed108
21:06:08 RvmType is Rvm
21:06:08 Main process doing a LWP_Init()
21:06:08 Main thread just did a RVM_SET_THREAD_DATA

21:06:08 Setting Rvm Truncate threshhold to 5.

Partition /vicepa: inodes in use: 0, total: 2097152.
21:10:26 Partition /vicepa: 4013118K available (minfree=5%), 4003102K
free.
21:10:26 The server (pid 577) can be controlled using volutil commands
21:10:26 "volutil -help" will give you a list of these commands
21:10:26 If desperate,
		"kill -SIGWINCH 577" will increase debugging level
21:10:26 	"kill -SIGUSR2 577" will set debugging level to zero
21:10:26 	"kill -9 577" will kill a runaway server
21:10:26 Vice file system salvager, version 3.0.
21:10:26 SanityCheckFreeLists: Checking RVM Vnode Free lists.
21:10:26 DestroyBadVolumes: Checking for destroyed volumes.
21:10:26 Salvaging file system partition /vicepa
21:10:26 Force salvage of all volumes on this partition
21:10:26 Scanning inodes in directory /vicepa...
21:10:26 SFS: There are some volumes without any inodes in them
21:10:26 SalvageFileSys:  unclaimed volume header file or no Inodes in
volume 1000001
21:10:26 SalvageFileSys: Therefore only resetting inUse flag
21:10:26 SalvageFileSys completed on /vicepa
21:10:26 VAttachVolumeById: vol 1000001 (LanghorstHomeCoda.root.0)
attached and online
21:10:26 Attached 1 volumes; 0 volumes not attached
lqman: Creating LockQueue Manager.....LockQueue Manager starting .....
21:10:26 LockQueue Manager just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

done
21:10:26 CallBackCheckLWP just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 CheckLWP just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ServerLWP 0 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ServerLWP 1 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ServerLWP 2 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ServerLWP 3 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ServerLWP 4 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ServerLWP 5 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ResLWP-0 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 ResLWP-1 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 VolUtilLWP 0 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 VolUtilLWP 1 just did a rvmlib_set_thread_data()

21:10:26 Starting SmonDaemon timer
21:10:26 File Server started Sun Jul 23 21:10:26 2000

21:13:47 client_GetVenusId: got new host 192.168.0.3:2430
21:13:47 Building callback conn.
21:13:47 No idle WriteBack conns, building new one
21:13:47 Writeback message to 192.168.0.3 port 2430 on conn 1ab64e8c
succeeded
21:23:11 Callback failed RPC2_DEAD (F) for ws 192.168.0.3:2430
21:23:11 Unbinding RPC2 connection 695625109
21:28:53 client_GetVenusId: got new host 192.168.0.3:2430
21:28:53 Building callback conn.
21:28:53 No idle WriteBack conns, building new one
21:28:53 Writeback message to 192.168.0.3 port 2430 on conn 3ea178c
succeeded
21:30:16 Building callback conn.
21:30:16 RevokeWBPermit on conn 3ea178c returned -2016
21:30:16 No idle WriteBack conns, building new one
21:30:16 Writeback message to 192.168.0.3 port 2430 on conn 1fc18f85
succeeded
21:32:05 client_GetVenusId: got new host 192.168.0.3:1140
21:36:08 Callback failed RPC2_DEAD (F) for ws 192.168.0.3:2430
21:36:08 Unbinding RPC2 connection 1042832716
21:36:08 Unbinding RPC2 connection 737764587
21:49:23 Unbinding RPC2 connection 1016332604
22:10:53 SmonDaemon timer expired
22:10:53 Entered CheckRVMResStat
22:10:53 Starting SmonDaemon timer

SrvErr is 0 length
AuthLog contains only server startup messages
UpdateClntLog contains only update startup messages
UpdateSrvLog contains only startup messages

I don't know where to look for more error messages.

I should mention that the /vicepa is an ext3 partion
and i've tried running with it mounted as ext2 with no obvious changes.

Both client and server were installed from RPMs from cmu's website.

Both systems are running Redhat 6.2

Please let me know if other information is necessary to understand the
nature of my troubles.

many thanks!

brad
-- 
Bradley W. Langhorst
Scientific Programmer
Whitehead Institute - Center for Genome Research
email: bwlang_at_genome.wi.mit.edu
tel:   617-252-1918