DNS Issue?

[Octimon]

Hi

I wonder if someone might be able to assist with what seems to be a DNS issue.

I have a Belkin N1 router into which I have plugged my PC, printer, Home Server. Various other laptops also connect into it wirelessly.

Because of the server and printer I prefer to have everyting on a fixed IP address (would cause mighty confusion if the server or printer kept changing address). The router is configured to issue IP addresses up to 192.168.2.25 and all home machines are set with Ip addresses from 30 upwards.

However, this seems to cause problems. The router can see all the machines by IP address but not by name (but as soon as I unset the fixed IP addresses and let the router DHCP issue addresses it recognises everything by name). So any of my home machines are identified by IP address but if I connect my work laptop it is recognised as "work laptop"

This is now causing network problems as machines have stopped seeing each other within windows. I can ping the server or a machine by address e.g 192.168.X.Y but I can't ping them by name.

The IP addresses are set up as follows

IP address 192.168.2.X
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway 192.168.2.1

Pref DNS server 192.168.2.1
Alt DNS server 192.168.2.1

Does anyone know what might be the problem.

Cheers

Octy

[mrmistoffelees]

on each machine In tcp/ip properties enable netbios over tcp/ip then reboot

[kpanchev]

Netbios is a very noisy protocol, better put records in your hosts files, if your IP addresses are static.

[mrmistoffelees]

Originally Posted by kpanchev

Netbios is a very noisy protocol, better put records in your hosts files, if your IP addresses are static.

True, although shouldnt be to noisy on a home LAN Depending on of course traffic levels. hosts would be a bit of a chew on

[Octimon]

Originally Posted by kpanchev

Netbios is a very noisy protocol, better put records in your hosts files, if your IP addresses are static.

Hi kpanchev

Getting outside my comfort zone here. I know what the hosts file is but what do you mean by put records in it. What records do I put in each machine's hosts file and what do the records look like?

---------- Post added at 08:43 ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 ----------

Originally Posted by mrmistoffelees

on each machine In tcp/ip properties enable netbios over tcp/ip then reboot

The machines are set to default so that "if a fixed IP address is used or the DHCP server does not provide netbios setting, enable netbios over TCP/ICP". Is that not good enough?

[mrmistoffelees]

If it's ticked already then it should be enabled.

Kpanchevs idea is very valid too.

To edit your hosts file (Windows XP)

browse to c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc

In there you will see the hosts file

Open it with notepad

It looks like this

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost


Add an entry for each machine as follows

192.168.x.x COMPUTERNAME


(Where x.x is the IP used by the machine and computername is it's NETBIOS name)

You need to put the same entries into each hostfile on every machine

On the machine you are editing the host file on you dont need to enter it's own host and IP

e.g if you editiing the hosts file on COMPUTER1 for example then you dont need a line for COMPUTER1 Just every other computer on the network (not the router)