pinging linux hostname

[wosie]

Hi

We running a windows 2003 server setup but have a few linux clients.

the problem with the linux clients is that when you ping their hostname it does not resolve.

which file would you change so that it would talk to either the windows server or a unix server to give it's hostname details?

Thanks for help.

 

[danomac]

It's very possible that the dhcp client on the linux boxes aren't setting the hostname supplied from the dhcp server.

I do know you have to set this with dhcpcd (a dhcp client), but I don't remember if dhclient can even do this.

The only alternative is to set up the linux boxes as static IPs (out of the Windows dhcp address range) and manually enter DNS information in the Windows DNS Server.

 

[wosie]

oh that is one solution cheers.

generally in windows we would register the mac address and it would pick up the hostname automatically, was seeing if there's anything similar with linux, to minimise administration of pcs.

 

[danomac]

What distro are you using? It will provide some insight to what client is being used. It's very possible it's not configured to get the hostname from the dhcp server.

 

[wosie]

It is fedora,

I am not sure if we are wanting to get a hostname from the dhcp server,

but more so that the hostname of the fedora linux pc registers it's name onto the dhcp server.

so other windows pcs can connect via it's computer name.

 

[danomac]

It is the DHCP server that registers and returns the hostname and fqdn in DNS. Under normal circumstances this information is ignored unless you explicitly tell it to request and use the information.

Failing that, winbind could also provide netbios names to ping.