Resolving Host Names To IP Address

[crokett]

At work we run DHCP. hostnames have the format: computername.city.mycompany.com

I have a laptop runing Fedora 13 and a desktop I use for backups, etc. My laptop is named copernicus. Desktop is named galileo. If ping either hostname from itself I get back the localhost IP address. If I ping the fully resolved hostname it tells me unknown host. The desktop is exporting an NFS share I use for backing up work data. I need the laptop to be able to resolve host names to mount the share since we use DHCP. The desktop is dual boot and if it is booted into windows my laptop can resolve the hostname properly. What do I need to do in Fedora to get it to register a hostname with the DNS and/or DHCP server? Should the domain and the search path below both say the same thing?

Here is resolv.conf on the laptop (I am at home). The desktop looks the same, except for a different nameserver. Both computers can resolve other hostnames, just not each other.

nameserver 192.168.1.1
# Generated by NetworkManager
domain <mycompany>.com
search raleigh.<mycompany>.com

[SlowJet]

The other is the intenernet and the dns is on the isp's server.
You need a local dns or at the least the hot and ip in the /etc/host file

The local dns called named (name dee) is package bind and can be set up to handle things while online and fall back to local lan when off line using the conf files of bind, resolver, and so on.

Maybe you could find a specific setup with google searches.
Or the bind documentation.

SJ

[nimnull22]

What DHCP client do you use?
If it is dhclient it can send hostname (which one HAVE to specify in configuration file) to DHCP server (I hope it is router or GW as well), read "man dhclient"

[SlowJet]

He means to find the other computer by hostname and get the ip resolved on his lan.
A lan needs a local set of hostname ip to reference.
dhclient ip could change and screw up any transfer programs by RSA signature, but that is another issue.

SJ

[stevea]

The OP question is very confusing.
Are you having problems resolving hostnames on the work Lan where there is a DNS server or at home ?
Perhaps you are connected to the work LAN from home ? How ? VPN ?

WIndows uses an SMB name resolution technique while Linux and the IETF standard call for DNS protocol.

You can mount nfs using just IP addresses.
You can create a simple name<=>IP mapping using the /etc/hosts file.
You can setup a DNS server ,but it needs to be up all the time and it needs to be integrated with your dhcp service - so unless your router supports it, (see dd-wrt and open-wrt firmware for many routers) then it's a little project

The Apple mDNS is supported on Linux, and doesn't requoire a central server, but all the config changes from F12 to F13 - so I can't provide a method.

[crokett]

Originally Posted by SlowJet

He means to find the other computer by hostname and get the ip resolved on his lan.

SJ

Work uses DHCP. The IP addresses change, on average twice a week. I guess they like to prune stale leases or something. So I can't use hosts file. I also can't use just the IP address since they change.

When I have my work desktop booted to Windows, from itself or my laptop I can ping the desktop's fully resolved hostname and get back the IP address on my company's intranet. If the desktop is booted into Linux, I can't. So Windows is somehow registering its hostname with the DCHP server. I need to be able to resolve the hostname as I use the desktop to export an NFS share and want to script and schedule a backup on the laptop.

This isn't an SMB issue. If the desktop is booted to Windows, my laptop running Linux can resolve the hostname with a simple ping. I am not running SMB on the desktop anyway, my company doesn't allow it.

I will check on which client I am using and see what options there are.

---------- Post added at 09:55 AM CDT ---------- Previous post was at 09:43 AM CDT ----------

Ok this looks like what I want:

http://linux.die.net/man/5/dhclient.conf

I am working remotely today but will try this tomorrow and see what happens.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[jpollard]

If you are using windows anywhere, you are using SMB.

If you are using Windows shares anywhere you HAVE to be using SMB, or
the shares won't work...