how to resolve IP address to hostname

I am a Linux newbie but frequently use "ping -a <IP address>" to
return the hostname or NetBIOS name of a remote computer when I am
using any Windows/DOS machine.
Does "ping" in Linux have a similar switch or is there any Linux tool
with similar function to the Windows/DOS "ping -a" ?
Thanks, arturo1957

"arturo1957" <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:

> I am a Linux newbie but frequently use "ping -a <IP address>" to
> return the hostname or NetBIOS name of a remote computer when I am
> using any Windows/DOS machine.
> Does "ping" in Linux have a similar switch or is there any Linux tool
> with similar function to the Windows/DOS "ping -a" ?

Try "host", comes with bind, sometimes packaged as bind-utils.

--
Måns Rullgård
(E-Mail Removed)

try the command "nslookup" instead of "ping"

nslookup <ip address> returns the resolved name.

"man nslookup" for details

JJ
"arturo1957" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
>I am a Linux newbie but frequently use "ping -a <IP address>" to
> return the hostname or NetBIOS name of a remote computer when I am
> using any Windows/DOS machine.
> Does "ping" in Linux have a similar switch or is there any Linux tool
> with similar function to the Windows/DOS "ping -a" ?
> Thanks, arturo1957
>

arturo1957 wrote:

> I am a Linux newbie but frequently use "ping -a <IP address>" to
> return the hostname or NetBIOS name of a remote computer when I am
> using any Windows/DOS machine.
> Does "ping" in Linux have a similar switch or is there any Linux
> tool with similar function to the Windows/DOS "ping -a" ?

You can use the "host" command:

foo@bar:~$ host 204.152.191.5
Name: zeus-pub1.kernel.org
Address: 204.152.191.5

--
znark

In article <quLIh.8689$(E-Mail Removed) et>,
02B12S <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>try the command "nslookup" instead of "ping"

Try something 21st century like host.

--
http://www.spinics.net/lists/

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> 02B12S <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> try the command "nslookup" instead of "ping"
>
> Try something 21st century like host.

If it's got to be new and cool, try dig.

Regards,


Björn

Xpost col.development.apps, col.networking

--
BOFH excuse #142:

new guy cross-connected phone lines with ac power bus.

(E-Mail Removed) () writes:

>In article <quLIh.8689$(E-Mail Removed) et>,
>02B12S <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>>try the command "nslookup" instead of "ping"

>Try something 21st century like host.

What exactly is bad about the 20th century? ls, ping, login, find,..... are
all 20th century commands. Are we to throw them all out and not use them
because of that?

On Sun, 11 Mar 2007, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.networking, in
article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Bjoern Schliessmann wrote:

>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>> 02B12S <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>>
>>> try the command "nslookup" instead of "ping"
>>
>> Try something 21st century like host.
>
>If it's got to be new and cool, try dig.

Ah, fellows - try to read what the O/P is looking for.

[compton ~]$ whatis dig dnsquery host nslookup
dig (1) - send domain name query packets to name servers
dnsquery (1) - query domain name servers using resolver
host (1) - look up host names using domain server
nslookup (8) - query Internet name servers interactively
[compton ~]$

If you google for 'ping windows+command+reference' you'll find the
windoze man page, where the -a option says

-a : Specifies that reverse name resolution is performed on the
destination IP address. If this is successful, ping displays the
corresponding host name.

The bind tools noted about query a name server. They don't look in the
/etc/hosts file, or at the Samba crap, or even look at using the
microsoft 'multicast-DNS' or the Apple based and therefore incompatible
'mdns' that some distributions include as avahi (both of which are massive
security holes - but what do you expect from microsoft or Apple).

Old guy