Using computer name/DNS rather than IP address

mosfet · 25 Jun 2008 at 18:22

My workplace already has 3 windows/linux servers up and running which can be connected to within our LAN (for telnet, http admin and ftp) simply using their computer names.

I've just added an old Power Mac G4 running as a basic fileserver but so far can only connect to it using its IP address. The server.local name established in system preferences doesn't work on any other machines on the local network.

Is there a way to do what I'm looking for on Mac OS X?

HarryPainful · 25 Jun 2008 at 18:36

You need to add it to DNS.

mosfet · 25 Jun 2008 at 18:45

How do I go about doing that? My router/dhcp server doesn't have any options regarding DNS, is it a local machine setting?

Thanks!

ringo747 · 2 Jul 2008 at 10:59

I'd be interesting in knowing this as well. In my router I have ip addresses mapped to individual machines on the LAN but I still cannot remote desktop from mac to pc using pc name.

JUMPURS · 2 Jul 2008 at 11:21

See in your work, are you running a DNS server? Does the Mac machine need to use a fixed IP address, can it not just use DHCP?

LordSplodge · 2 Jul 2008 at 14:25

ringo747 said:
I'd be interesting in knowing this as well. In my router I have ip addresses mapped to individual machines on the LAN but I still cannot remote desktop from mac to pc using pc name.

Add the PCs name to your Macs Hosts table and vice versa!

LordSplodge · 2 Jul 2008 at 14:30

mosfet said:
How do I go about doing that? My router/dhcp server doesn't have any options regarding DNS, is it a local machine setting?

Thanks!

Of course your router doesn't have DNS options*. You need to add the machine to your DNS Server which will more than likely be running on one of the servers as a service.

Once you have found where it is you just need to add a host that points to your G4**

* Assuming your router isn't a software router (one of the linux machines?) and is also a DHCP/DNS server!

** Static IP address only.

ringo747 · 2 Jul 2008 at 14:52

LordSplodge said:
Add the PCs name to your Macs Hosts table and vice versa!

I added the pc name to the hosts file but i still cannot remote desktop from mac using machine name

Deleted member 651465 · 2 Jul 2008 at 19:24

Go to System Preferences > Network

Choose advanced..

Then add it in, in this window..

mosfet · 3 Jul 2008 at 01:20

I've done it the hosts file way, which works great since only one machine really needs it. We don't have a dedicated DNS server (a software router/firewall/DNS server is on the cards next), just a rack-mount router.

Thanks!

LordSplodge · 3 Jul 2008 at 16:21

ringo747 said:
I added the pc name to the hosts file but i still cannot remote desktop from mac using machine name

Is the PC DHCP assigned? To use the hosts it would need to be static.

mosfet said:
I've done it the hosts file way, which works great since only one machine really needs it. We don't have a dedicated DNS server (a software router/firewall/DNS server is on the cards next), just a rack-mount router.

Thanks!

You don't have DNS? Any reason why not? You have some Linux servers so setting up DNS wouldn't be too difficult and would make life a little easier...

ringo747 · 3 Jul 2008 at 16:32

LordSplodge said:
Is the PC DHCP assigned? To use the hosts it would need to be static.

Yeah its has a static ip address on LAN. Added it to the hosts file last night and it works well.

Thanks

mosfet · 3 Jul 2008 at 16:49

LordSplodge said:
You don't have DNS? Any reason why not? You have some Linux servers so setting up DNS wouldn't be too difficult and would make life a little easier...

It certainly would, but they're Aspera delivery machines in constant use, I don't have root details nor do I really want to start mucking around with them.

Using computer name/DNS rather than IP address

Deleted member 651465

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