Can't use hostnames on Linux-WinXP LAN?

[angryswede]

Basically I have a home LAN that needs DHCP. However, I can't use Linux hostnames to access WinXP boxes and vice versa. How would I set this up?

 

[nweaver]

netbios is a (imho) broken protocol, that works sometimes, and not others. You have to define the linux "hostname" (netbios name) in your samba conf file, not your hostname.

 

[spyordie007]

Or you could always run DNS...

 

[angryswede]

Originally posted by: spyordie007
Or you could always run DNS...

I've never set up a DNS server before, can you point me in the right direction?

 

[spyordie007]

Basically on one of your linux boxes you'd run BIND; for the clients you would set it as the primary DNS server and whatever you use now as the secondary (so if the Linux box is off the others would still have connectivity).

Lots of docs on BIND available here:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=linux+bind+howto&btnG=Search

 

[kylef]

... OR if you've got a really small network, you could manually configure your IP address to hostname mappings in your HOSTS file.

%systemroot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts

This is the old, old way to configure host names, but it's a ton simpler than running a DNS server IMHO. The problem is when anything changes, you have to update this file on all of the machines on your network. But if it's a small network, it's not really that big of a deal.

 

[gsellis]

I always thought this was a sort of lame solution, but does the device you are serving DHCP from support either MAC filter or host name assignments of addresses? You can get 'static' dynamic addresses that way. It will help with your names resolution and still be a dynamic address to the client.