DNS with d-link DI-524

Hello everybody,

I wonder if there is a possibility to access LAN connected PCs (linux &
XP) by their DNS names, without setting up a DNS server. I could do so
with one linux machine, but it's not always switched on.
In my LAN I use d-link DI-524 as a switch, wireless access point and
router to the internet. It acts as a DHCP server because some of the
workstations (the wireless ones) are mobile=Laptops and I don't want to
use fix IP addresses.
The strange thing is that in the web-configuration console of the
d-link router I can see the hostnames of all connected workstations,
but I can't access them between each other by their hostnames, only by
their IP addresses.
Is there any solution?

Thanks for you help.
Maros

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed). com> on 25 Apr 2006
05:43:31 -0700, "(E-Mail Removed)" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I wonder if there is a possibility to access LAN connected PCs (linux &
>XP) by their DNS names, without setting up a DNS server. I could do so
>with one linux machine, but it's not always switched on.
>In my LAN I use d-link DI-524 as a switch, wireless access point and
>router to the internet. It acts as a DHCP server because some of the
>workstations (the wireless ones) are mobile=Laptops and I don't want to
>use fix IP addresses.
>The strange thing is that in the web-configuration console of the
>d-link router I can see the hostnames of all connected workstations,
>but I can't access them between each other by their hostnames, only by
>their IP addresses.
>Is there any solution?

For Windows:
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/default.mspx>
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/default.mspx>
For Linux:
<http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Networking-Overview-HOWTO-5.html>

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Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

Thanks, of course I know SAMBA.
Ok, so you propose working with SAMBA client on linux boxes? Windows
boxes can see eachother by their names anyway.
My question was a littli bit different, more about the D-Link router
not about the Windows/Linux network HOWTOs.
The D-Link router (192.168.0.254) is the gateway and the first DNS
server for all boxes (this is set by DHCP information coming from
D-Link router). My question is:
1.) Is the D-Link a real DNS server or only passing through all
requests to the DNS server of my ISP?
2.) If it is a DNS server, why are the hostnames not resolved? Is there
maybe some bug known with a certain firmware version?
(FYI: I can see the hostnames and IP addresses of all connected boxes
in the D-Link web-based configuration console)
Many thanks,
Maros

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed) .com> on 25 Apr 2006
23:04:07 -0700, "(E-Mail Removed)" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>My question was a littli bit different, more about the D-Link router
>not about the Windows/Linux network HOWTOs.
>The D-Link router (192.168.0.254) is the gateway and the first DNS
>server for all boxes (this is set by DHCP information coming from
>D-Link router). My question is:
>1.) Is the D-Link a real DNS server or only passing through all
>requests to the DNS server of my ISP?
>2.) If it is a DNS server, why are the hostnames not resolved? Is there
>maybe some bug known with a certain firmware version?
>(FYI: I can see the hostnames and IP addresses of all connected boxes
>in the D-Link web-based configuration console)

What you're seeing in your D-Link is identification of clients from DHCP
registration of IP addresses. This has nothing to do with DNS.

Low-end consumer routers with DNS, probably D-Link included, are typically
just a DNS proxy/relay between your LAN and your provider's DNS servers, not a
real DNS resolver. For DNS to work for clients on your LAN, you would need a
real DNS server that supports either Dynamic DNS registration or static
configuration. You could do this by running your own DNS server (e.g., on a
Linux box).

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Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

ok, thanks.
I thought there would be an easy way to access the boxes by hostnames
without having one linux box always switched on.

now I will give them all static ip addresses and work with etc/hosts.

Maros

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed) .com> on 26 Apr 2006
11:56:51 -0700, "(E-Mail Removed)" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>ok, thanks.
>I thought there would be an easy way to access the boxes by hostnames
>without having one linux box always switched on.
>
>now I will give them all static ip addresses and work with etc/hosts.

Yuk! Windows networking can access computers by their hostnames, including
those running Linux+SAMBA.

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Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

Yes, but one might not forget that: Windows hostname != DNS hostname
.... and I really prefer DNS ...
At the moment in my LAN I have 3 Windows boxes, 2 Linux boxes, 1 Voip
ATA and the D-Link DI-524. I need to access most of them by TCP/IP and
not NetBIOS.
There is a possibility at the D-Link to configure the DHCP server to
give all boxes kind of static IP addresses. If doing so DHCP is working
and the IP addresses of all known boxes will never change.
I think this discussion is a little bit off-topic, but at the beginning
I thought my wireless router would be able to solve this problem. This
would be nice as beside of the voip ATA the router is the only box
always switched on.

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed) .com> on 26 Apr 2006
23:12:43 -0700, "(E-Mail Removed)" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Yes, but one might not forget that: Windows hostname != DNS hostname

You can make them the same.

>... and I really prefer DNS ...

Why? Windows hostnames work fine.

>At the moment in my LAN I have 3 Windows boxes, 2 Linux boxes, 1 Voip
>ATA and the D-Link DI-524. I need to access most of them by TCP/IP and
>not NetBIOS.

NetBIOS works over TCP/IP. Perhaps you're thinking of NetBEUI?

>There is a possibility at the D-Link to configure the DHCP server to
>give all boxes kind of static IP addresses. If doing so DHCP is working
>and the IP addresses of all known boxes will never change.

True.

>I think this discussion is a little bit off-topic, but at the beginning
>I thought my wireless router would be able to solve this problem. This
>would be nice as beside of the voip ATA the router is the only box
>always switched on.

Windows hostnames and SAMBA are all you really need.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>

Hi,

>Windows hostnames and SAMBA are all you really need.
I don't want to act as a wise guy, but I don't believe that SAMBA would
help me here ?!?

I mean, not even a simple ping by hostname will work between two Linux
boxes unless you have a DNS entry or a etc/hosts entry. Am I right?
If I setup SAMBA (I did so now), I can see the Linux boxes with their
NetBIOS hostnames and IP by e.g.: nmbstatus, but the hostname is not
resolved when trying to ping them between eachother. I think the IP is
only resolved when using SAMBA functions, like shared files, printers,
etc. Is this correct?

Maybe there is some trick/script to add all hostnames found by SAMBA
into the etc/hosts file? Would this be my solution?

Thank you for your help so far.
Best regards,
Maros

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <(E-Mail Removed) .com> on 1 May 2006
23:13:10 -0700, "(E-Mail Removed)" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>>Windows hostnames and SAMBA are all you really need.

>I don't want to act as a wise guy, but I don't believe that SAMBA would
>help me here ?!?
>
>I mean, not even a simple ping by hostname will work between two Linux
>boxes unless you have a DNS entry or a etc/hosts entry. Am I right?

No need to ping -- just use Windows hostname browsing.

>If I setup SAMBA (I did so now), I can see the Linux boxes with their
>NetBIOS hostnames and IP by e.g.: nmbstatus, but the hostname is not
>resolved when trying to ping them between eachother. I think the IP is
>only resolved when using SAMBA functions, like shared files, printers,
>etc. Is this correct?

Correct.

>Maybe there is some trick/script to add all hostnames found by SAMBA
>into the etc/hosts file? Would this be my solution?

Why do you care so much about pinging them? I thought you just wanted to
"access" them.

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR ALT.INTERNET.WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for_alt.internet.wireless>