How do I fix my ?DNS? network problem?

[rudy45]

I have been trying to print to a network printer, without success. Some more findings: - My computer is one of four on network (one ethernet attached, three wireless attached). My ip address is 192.168.0.101. - I can both ping and do a net view of another computer, 192.168.0.102. It gives me all the information I'm supposed to get - HOwever, I cannot ping or net view that same computer by referring to its computer name. The ping fails, and the net view gives me system error 53.

I think I have a problem with DNS? Isn't the DNS supposed to translate between computer name and IP address? How can I confirm that I have a DNS problem and how do I fix it? The computers all run XP Home with SP2.

How do I ensure that I have NETBIOS running on TCP/IP? I believe that also may be a factor. Thanks.

[NonValueAdded]

See FReepmail. Also look here: http://support.dlink.com/products/view.asp?productid=DI%2D614%2B

[rudy45]

It's a Dlink 614+.

I looked in the router configuration screens at DHCP, and find a dynamic DHCP client list. It contains the names of all the computers, plus their local 192.168 etc. IP address.

The thing that's still aggravating is that that table DOES recognize that "KITCHEN" is 192.168.0.100. Yes, KITCHEN has the printer I'm trying to print to, and it's USB connected.

Do you think my computer is having trouble reading the dynamic DHCP client list? I can ping 192.168.0.100 but I can't ping KITCHEN. Or, is my computer looking at some other table than DHCP client list, and that other table is messed up?

[rudy45]

Thanks, I ran nbtstat -rr, followed by nbtstat -n. I see only the name of MY computer (the one I'm using to access the printer on the remote system) and the name of the network. I see no references to any of the other computers.

[motohockey]

Check the following things:
do nbtstat -A 192.168.x.y where x.y is the ip of the kitchen computer.
check that both machines are in the same workgroup
this isn't a dns issue. since they are on the same network a broadcast should get a response.
check your dns suffix settings on both machines.
If none of these works post a screen shot of your settings.

[rudy45]

The computer I myself am using (in order to print from the kitchen computer) has a blank field associated with "DNS Suffix for this connection." The box "Use this connection's DNS suffix in DNS registration" is unchecked.

What should my suffix settings be?

Thanks.

[NonValueAdded]

Since the printer is attached to computer Kitchen, it will not have its own name or IP address and is not directly pingable. Therefore, you are relying on Windows to process the request from the Network Interface Card, fire up the print spooler and start your print job. What you need to accomplish is to tell computer Kitchen that the printer is sharable with or without password protection. You probably assigned a name to the printer when you installed it on kitchen, let's say scribe. On Kitchen, bring up the printer in control panel and look at it's properties. There should be a tab that says sharing. That is where you can assign the share name Kitchen_PRT or Kitchen_Scribe, etc. Next, on the other computers you need to install the printer as well but when asked, identify it as a network printer and browse to find it. Or have you done all that?

[rudy45]

Yes, thanks. I have defined the printer attached to the KITCHEN PC. It's set to share. THe problem is that when I try to browse for this kitchen PC, to attach it to my laptop, I don't see it when I do the add network printer wizard. I see KITCHEN, but when I double click on it to drill down, nothing happens, ie. it doesn't expand to a list of printers attached to KITCHEN.

[NonValueAdded]

Then if you see Kitchen, I suspect the setup problem is on Kitchen. I don't have an XP machine handy to bring up the various config options, but it seems likely that Kitchen is preventing the sharing somehow. I know in Windows 98 you had to have "client for microsoft networks" and "microsoft family logon" enabled in the network config panel accessed from control panel (add them to the stack). There was also a "file and print sharing" button on the network config panel. Double check to make sure sharing is enabled on Kitchen in both the network and printer setups. Also make sure kitchen's firewall is down while you test this out. The DI-614+ is handling the primary firewall duties for you anyway. That's about as far as I can get you. Good luck.

[Spruce]

Make sure the serving computer has "File and Printer sharing for Microsoft Windows" installed.

Double-check the workgroups of each computer. They must be in the same workgroup to share files/printers.

You might also need a user account on the serving computer with the same username and password as the computer you are trying to access the printer from.

[rudy45]

OK, I did nbtstat -a 192.168.0.100 (that's the address of KITCHEN, the PC that has the USB printer attached to it)

Here's what I get from the system:

KITCHEN <00> UNIQUE Registered
HOME_NET <00> GROUP Registered
KITCHEN <20> UNIQUE Registered

It seems that Netbios DOES know to associate KITCHEN with 192.168.0.100? But still I can neither ping KITCHEN, nor do a NET VIEW. Thanks.

[Doohickey]

You don't have a DNS problem, because you don't have DNS on your home network. The only way you'll resolve anything by name is by broadcast. Period. You could, if you wanted to, edit the text files in c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts and lmhosts. You would type in IP addresses and names for all the computers on your home network.

[rudy45]

thanks so much everyone. I fixed it. Here's what I had to do:

- add to the hosts file a line for each "local" ip address and associated host name
- add [workgroup name].NET as a domain name suffix

All these problems arose because of a switch in routers, from DLink 614+ to a Belkin Wireless G (because the latter supports 802.11g and WPA, and the former supports only WEP). Remote printing was working fine under the DLink, then stopped once I replaced it with the Belkin.

I thought the problems would disappear if I re-installed the DLink, but the problems remained. What's puzzling is that I didn't have to do all this stuff when I first put in the DLink. Is it possible that switching the router (which uses a different local address scheme, 192.168.2.1 instead of 192.168.0.1) could have clobbered the DNS suffix and hosts file (which maybe Windows DID put in automatically the first time I set up the network?)?

One final question: does an Apple MacBook have an counterpart for the hosts file. Also, will I have to tell it the domain name suffix? If so, where and how?

Thanks.

[freedumb2003]

I didn't want to admit it, but I had the very same problem.

I didn't have time to mess with it so I just transfer files to the main computer and print from there.

Thanks for getting back to us.

[HAL9000]

One final question: does an Apple MacBook have an counterpart for the hosts file. Also, will I have to tell it the domain name suffix? If so, where and how?

Mac OS X has that file at - /etc/hosts

You could add entries like -

DELL_COMPUTER 192.168.0.102

and

DELL_COMPUTER.mysuffix 192.168.0.102

- with a tab between the host name and the IP address.

I generally use the "vi" tool in terminal for editing files like 'host', but you may prefer to use a free editor like Text Wrangler instead.