Use Nameserver for local hostnames?

Cottsay · 01-14-2009, 05:01 PM

Hi all. I'll be brief; is there a way to use named to resolve the hostnames on my network? ie..."ping computername" properly resolves through the server? I tried adding the name as a normal zone, but that didn't work right. On the windows machines, I had to "ping computername." with the period at the end for it to resolve. Any ideas?

Thanks,

--scott

pentode · 01-14-2009, 09:43 PM

Are these Windows machines or Linux? Are you running DNS on a machine in your sub-net? Are you using DHCP to assign addresses? You'll need to tell us a little more about your system.

Also, read up on nsswitch.conf.

Cottsay · 01-14-2009, 09:55 PM

Of course, my fault.

--We use a mixture of OSs, as powerful as linux is, we need windows machines, too.
--The key machines (servers, etc) are on a static IP, while most are DHCP.
--We use a Fedora server running named with caching enabled.

I can, of course, use the hosts file to manually set the hostname/IP mappings, but I'm looking for a dynamic method. I figured, with a caching nameserver running, there would be a way to make this happen. Thanks for the response!

--scott

billymayday · 01-14-2009, 09:56 PM

Are you using a FQDN, because what you are trying to do should work?

Cottsay · 01-14-2009, 10:02 PM

It does, its a subdomin with a class A record. All of the computers are behind the same router, which has DNS forwarded to the nameserver.

Every client has the local nameserver as the first nameserver on their list; that means both static and DHCP clients.

The linux clients work correctly

The windows clients do not, but if I attempt to ping the hostnames with a "." (period) at the end, it resolves correctly.

Thanks again,

--scott

billymayday · 01-14-2009, 10:14 PM

Under TCP/IP settings in Windows, if you go to Advanced->DNS, it gives the option to append a suffix, so if your server is server.example.com, you'd set this to example.com

See if that helps

Cottsay · 01-14-2009, 10:18 PM

Okay, I understand. So, I need to setup each computer with a suffix and when I setup the nameserver to resolve the hostnames, set them up as a subdomain?

This would work, but is there a way to do it without the subdomain? Can I use any bogus domain?

billymayday · 01-14-2009, 10:34 PM

Well if your server's name is server.example.com, you need to use example.com. If it's server.subdomain.example.com, use subdomain.example.com

Basically what you are saying is: assume I need to add example.com to non FQDNs

I don't quite follow your bogus domain comment.

Cottsay · 01-14-2009, 10:39 PM

You answered that for me - now, if I'm understanding you, in order to resolve using the linux nameserver, the hostnames need a suffix. That suffix should be whatever the suffix is on the FQDN of the nameserver.

I just wondered whether I could setup any suffix just to be used internally, but I'll use the suffix of the nameserver. No worries.

Thanks all

--scott

billymayday · 01-14-2009, 10:51 PM

You could use whatever, but if you want to use mylan.local as a suffix, you need your nameserver to resolve server.mylan.local.

Cottsay · 01-14-2009, 10:52 PM

Understood, thanks much!

billymayday · 01-14-2009, 11:49 PM

Hopefully that works. You should be able to try it on one Windows box first.