How to reach a computer by hostname on a LAN?
Kam Leo
kam.leo at gmail.com
Wed Dec 29 07:53:58 UTC 2004
On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 01:10:53 -0600, Christopher J. Bottaro
<cjbottaro at alumni.cs.utexas.edu> wrote:
> Jason Powers wrote:
>
> > Is your router also handing out the hostnames? In that case, can it be
> > activated as a DNS? I usually recommend the common cheesy blue linksys
> > routers to my users, and I know they can do that, I assume others can.
> >
> > The host map or host table (DNS) is like the White Pages, it's what your
> > computer uses to look up IPs for hostnames and hostnames for IPs.
> >
> > The DNS your ISP hands you is their copy of the public one, but you are
> > running a local domain (the 192.168.1.x subnet) which their server will
> > not have - your internal hostnames are not listed in their phone book,
> > and won't be.
> >
> > Normal DHCP config hands out DNS as well as IP, so the router gets it
> > from your ISP and gives it to the machines. Most routers will let you
> > use them as a DNS, so you can tell it to keep a table and then append
> > the router as one of the DNS it assigns to your linux boxes.
> >
> > You'll probably want to look up the configuration process in the
> > instruction manual BEFORE you try to set it, because if you make a
> > mistake you won't be able to see the internet until you fix it, so
> > download the documentation now if you don't have the booklet.
> >
> > Alternatively you can alter one of the machines to be a DNS but then you
> > have to assign it manually in the other machine or in the router, it's
> > easier if there are only 2 or 3 machines to use the router if it is
> > capable.
> >
> > While you're in the router, change its internal address to 192.168.1.100
> > and have it assign IPs starting with .101, .102, etc. leaving it at .1
> > is not as bad as keeping the factory default password, but it's still
> > asking for trouble.
> >
> > Jason
> >
> > Christopher J. Bottaro wrote:
> >> Simple setup. I have a router that assigns IP addresses by DHCP. I have
> >> two linux machines: compa and compb which get their IP addresses using
> >> DHCP with the router. From compa, I want to be able to say "ping compb"
> >> instead of having to use ifconfig on compb to figure out what its IP
> >> address is, then ping it (i.e. "ping 192.168.1.3").
> >>
> >> How is this possible? Manually editing the /etc/hosts file doesn't work
> >> because the IP addresses can change at boot (or whenever DHCP is used to
> >> get a new address).
> >>
> >> Thanks.
>
> Thanks for the great reply. I have a couple of problems though...
>
> It seems my router does what I want (I think). It it setup as a DHCP
> server. I have 3 computers:
> semaphore (linux)
> mutex (winxp)
> mobile (linux, wireless)
> When I go to "connected devices" in my router setup, I see 3 entries:
> --- 192.168.1.100
> SEMAPHORE 192.168.1.101
> --- 192.168.1.102
> Problem number 1: Why isn't mutex and mobile giving their hostnames to the
> router?
> Problem number 2: "ping semaphore" from mutex (the winxp machine) works,
> but "ping semaphore" from mobile gives me "unknown host". What is up with
> that? Why can the win32 machine resolve semaphore properly and the linux
> machine doesn't?
>
> Its a Netgear WGR614v5 router, btw.
>
> Thanks for the help, I can't wait to get this problem licked...I've been
> wanting to solve it for a long time.
>
Verify following are in /etc/sysconfig/network in each of your linux boxes:
# /etc/sysconfig/network
NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME=hostname_of_your_system
Get your router to refresh its status and see if the names appear.
-- Kam Leo
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