Mac on the Subnet: Why no Pings?

[mcs37]

OK, I give up. I've crawled the Net, but of course there is too much information and my answer cannot be found even with the help of the Almighty Google.

Here's the problem: I have a hybrid network, with one PowerBook, three Windows machines, and two Linux boxes. The NetGear RT314 router we use can now see all the machines on the subnet in its DHCP table (I had to hack up Samba on the Linux box to get it to show itself), and on the subnet the Windows machines can ping everyone else.

The same is not true with the Mac nor the Linux box. I can browse the workgroup and SEE the Linux machines and even interact with them, but I can't ping their hostnames. Oh, I can ping their IP's, but when I ping their DHCP-granted names, it just says "unknown host". Can anyone help me out here? Do I really need to set up a DNS server on my subnet or is there a way to get around this? Windows found a way with NetBIOS! How can I do the same on my Mac?

BTW, Kudos to Apple on their DVI->VGA interface. I hooked up my 17" LCD to my 12" PowerBook since my XP desktop is dead right now, and it immediately synced up and gave me two monitors of delight. Although Konfabulator slowed my box down like a mofo, so I had to kill it. But kudos to Apple for making it so simple!

Thanks!

Mike

 

[saabmp3]

To use DNS host names, you need a DNS server. Simple as that. As to why you needed to hack samba to get a linux box to show up in DHCP is mind boggling. I suspect you did something else while mucking around with the samba config and that's what got it on there. Samba is basically like making a mountable drive in windows.

NETbios is window's own protocol which has liknesses to DNS. That's why you can do it with the windows machines. They use a protocol called WINS (Windows Internet Naming Service) to throw out host names. In large windows networks there is a WINS server to give out these reservations, akin to a DNS server. I think this was discontinued with Windows server 2003 in which MS decided DNS was a good technology.

When you say DHCP granted host name, are these the host names you setup during Linux setup (or if you know the host file, in there).

So, through all of this, to do DNS name resolution, you need to have a resolution start location. Try a DNS server . This is very easy to setup on a linux box.

BEN

 

[mcs37]

So, through all of this, to do DNS name resolution, you need to have a resolution start location. Try a DNS server . This is very easy to setup on a linux box.

Yeah, I figured that was my only option. Can Mac support the WINS protocol? I hate the idea of needing to maintain a DNS server for like 6 machines, but I guess it's the only option.

 

[jeremy.king]

You don't have to. Just modify the appropriate hosts file on each system and map whatever hostname you want to an IP address (assuming these are fixed).

 

[saabmp3]

Yeah, I figured that was my only option. Can Mac support the WINS protocol? I hate the idea of needing to maintain a DNS server for like 6 machines, but I guess it's the only option.

I don't think that a mac can support WINS.

You can map all the hosts in a static file. That defeats the purpose of basically the rest of your network tho. It's your choice. I'd look into setting up a DNS server on one of your linux boxes instead.

BEN