Redhat 9, static ip, & inability to connect to 'net

okay, here is the problem. i am setting up a replacement for a primary dns server. i have a static ip configured in Redhat 9. however, i am unable to connect to anything outside the LAN. i am running out of options. any ideas? im beginning to believe it has something to do with the firewall. i know for a fact that the ip, netmask, & gateway are all correct. i also know that the nic does work. i have also contacted the isp and registered the MAC address with the static ip. however, it is still unoperational. no pings to the machine and no pings out. any suggestions, comments, or ideas will be greatly appreciated. thanks. (ps. if anyone has a question about the setup, i will promptly reply!)

If you run a trace to the outside world, how far does it get? If it hits your firewall and stops there then you know what the problem is. Also, have you tried configuring a laptop or a PC with identical IP settings to make sure that it's not a problem with the new box.

Chris.