> |I thought if I created a bunch of threads that I could get around
> |the problem and would only hang when all threads (100) are hung.
> |But that doesn't seem to be the case.  Do I have my threading
> |wrong?
> 
> Sorry, resolving by gethostbyname(3) etc block whole process.  It's a
> pity of user level thread.
> 
> 							matz.

Ah, that is what I feared.  I guess the answer is to write
a ruby extension linked to a non blocking resolver such
as: http://limbo.ime.usp.br/qmail/cr.yp.to/dnscache/dns.html
or http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~ian/adns/

thanks,
-joe