Cannot Resolve Machine Name From Mac OS X

After resolving the Windows Server 2003 file share access problem I turned my attention to fixing the DNS issue I'm having. I'm able to ping the IP address of machines on my Local Area Network but I'm not able to resolve the machine names. I have a local DNS running on Windows Server 2003 but for some odd reason OS X is not using it to resolve names. So I decided to use a stop-gap approach for the time being.

I modified the /etc/hosts file to include the address of the machines with a static IP address. After all, these are the only machines I need access to from OS X. Here are the steps I followed:

Launch a terminal shell (Applications > Utilities > Terminal if you are using Finder or type terminal in Spotlight)

Run the command sudo vi /etc/hosts

Scroll to the end of the file

Type i to enter insert mode

Press the enter key to start a new line (my vi skills are weak as it has been years since I have used it - there is probably a better way to append to the end of a file)

Enter the IP address, press the tab key, then enter the name machine

Press the esc key to get out of insert mode

Press :wq to save the changes and quit vi

That's is. The machine name will now resolve to the IP.

posted by Kirby | 29-Jul-2007 10:45 AM | comments (1)

To add info to end of a file, you could:
echo "info....">>filename.

posted by Danny | October 16 06:28 PM

Add Your Comment

Comment: (No HTML)
Name:
E-mail/Web site:	Your e-mail/web site will not be published on this site. It is optional and will only be used by me should I need to contact you directly.
	Remember me? By checking this option, this site will remember your name and e-mail/web site on future visits. Uncheck this option to have the site not remember who you are on future visits.
	Enter the code shown above: