Computer name question

Quite often I overhear my co-workers in the midst of their helpdesk calls ask
users for the IP address of their PCs. Shouldn't the network (DNS?) resolve the
computer name? I would think it to be easier to get a user to find the
computer's name, as opposed to the IP it's using.

Yes but what if the problem is DNS name resolution? The tcp/ip
address takes name resolution of the equation.

"Tcs" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:
> Quite often I overhear my co-workers in the midst of their helpdesk calls
> ask
> users for the IP address of their PCs. Shouldn't the network (DNS?)
> resolve the
> computer name? I would think it to be easier to get a user to find the
> computer's name, as opposed to the IP it's using.

Take a look at BGInfo
www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/BgInfo.html

It will put this and many other pieces of information right into the desktop
background that the user can just read off to the help desk person.


--
Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com



"Tcs" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Quite often I overhear my co-workers in the midst of their helpdesk calls
ask
> users for the IP address of their PCs. Shouldn't the network (DNS?)
resolve the
> computer name? I would think it to be easier to get a user to find the
> computer's name, as opposed to the IP it's using.

It *should* - but it's possible that name resolution is not working
properly, so connecting using the IP Address might actually be much easier.
If DNS or NetBIOS name resolution are not functioning properly, you wouldn't
be able to connect. But if you know the underlying IP address, you would be
able to.

-ds

"Tcs" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Quite often I overhear my co-workers in the midst of their helpdesk calls
> ask
> users for the IP address of their PCs. Shouldn't the network (DNS?)
> resolve the
> computer name? I would think it to be easier to get a user to find the
> computer's name, as opposed to the IP it's using.