help with failure to connect over a network

Greetings,

1I )Recently changed  a machine from SuSE7.3 to SuSE8.0
2)I had  used pg_diump to backup a database and restored it after i made a new
(from source) postgres installation.
3) i edited pg-hba.conf to allow network use and postgresql.conf  and set
tcp_socket=true.
3) I made  starting script as i had before to start the database with the -i
option.
4) On the machine  with the server I connected with pgaccess (and evn
Openoffice via jdbc and odbc)  fine as before.

Also I had set relaxed firewall rules on the SuSE8 machine.

A few days later I tried connecting over a network (with linux clients)  which
I was able to do before)..  it refuses to budge with psql,. pgaccess, ODBC,
JDBC clients. It is connecting fine locally.  .  Suggestions on the possible
causes and fixes  are welcomed.

regards
sibu.