DNS on a Windows network.

Ok, I know that too many things changed at once, but here it goes:

Old setup:
WinXP on one box, Mandrake on another, Linksys wireless router and a
DSL modem to Verizon.

Under this system I was able to use DHCP (on the Linksys) and all boxes
could ping one another by name.

New setup:
WinXP, Fedora. Dlink-604 router connected directly to Verizon via FiOS.

Under this system I am able to use DHCP (on the Dlink) and the DHCP
server sees all the boxes with their names, but I cannot ping WinXP box
from Fedora and vice versa.

I guess the Linksys was also running a local DNS server(?!?).

I'm thinking that since my network is pretty static (five boxes tops),
why not just put a hosts file on all boxes and be done with it.

Comments?

On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 19:03:30 -0700, mpersico wrote:

> Under this system I am able to use DHCP (on the Dlink) and the DHCP
> server sees all the boxes with their names, but I cannot ping WinXP box
> from Fedora and vice versa.
>
> I guess the Linksys was also running a local DNS server(?!?).
>
> I'm thinking that since my network is pretty static (five boxes tops),
> why not just put a hosts file on all boxes and be done with it.

Sure, you could do that.

> Comments?

Any box you plug in (such as a laptop) would need to be added to all hosts
files for it to intergrade ... But you could use NBNS (NetBIOS Name
Service) instead.

On Linux you'd need Samba installed and the "nmbd" service running for
others to resolf it's name that way. And maybe to /etc/samba/smb.conf add:

lm annouce = yes

For Linux to resolf names itself that way, edit /etc/nsswitch.conf to:

hosts: files dns wins

--
-Menno.

mpersico wrote:
> Ok, I know that too many things changed at once, but here it goes:
> ...
> Under this system I am able to use DHCP (on the Dlink) and the DHCP
> server sees all the boxes with their names, but I cannot ping WinXP box
> from Fedora and vice versa.

Can you ping using IP addresses? If so you have a DNS problem, if not,
it's a routing problem.

> I guess the Linksys was also running a local DNS server(?!?).

Actually the linksys is running dnsmasq (check out their website for GPL
code.) You could run that on your Linux system if it's always on. Just
give the router and the Linux machine static IPs and turn the DHCP off
on the Dlink router. Everything is now automatic again.

Mike

Michael Surette wrote:
> mpersico wrote:
> > Ok, I know that too many things changed at once, but here it goes:
> > ...
> > Under this system I am able to use DHCP (on the Dlink) and the DHCP
> > server sees all the boxes with their names, but I cannot ping WinXP box
> > from Fedora and vice versa.
>
> Can you ping using IP addresses? If so you have a DNS problem, if not,
> it's a routing problem.

ok by ip - DNS problem.

>
> > I guess the Linksys was also running a local DNS server(?!?).
>
> Actually the linksys is running dnsmasq (check out their website for GPL
> code.) You could run that on your Linux system if it's always on. Just
> give the router and the Linux machine static IPs and turn the DHCP off
> on the Dlink router. Everything is now automatic again.

Linux box is not always on. I'll probably just give it a static address
and put its entry in hosts for machines I want to talk to it.
>
> Mike