Need explanation on how DNS works on home LAN

If my home router (Netgear) is supplying DHCP to the network, and
ipconfig /all reveals the DNS servers from my provider, but not the
address of the router itself, how do the names of the nodes on my LAN
get resolved? Also, if I add a new system to the network, it cannot
resolve names for quite a while after being connected, so I must
connect to shares by IP number. Is there a way to speed this process
up?

-Jim

On Aug 19, 4:18*pm, jtpr <jtpr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> If my home router (Netgear) is supplying DHCP to the network, and
> ipconfig /all reveals the DNS servers from my provider, but not the
> address of the router itself, how do the names of the nodes on my LAN
> get resolved? *Also, if I add a new system to the network, it cannot
> resolve names for quite a while after being connected, so I must
> connect to shares by IP number. *Is there a way to speed this process
> up?
>
> -Jim

Since you have a DHCP service assigning IP addresses from the router,
the router is supplying the DNS servers IP addresses. Some routers
allow your to use different DNS servers than the one it detect from
your Internet service provider. I also now of some routers that will
act like the DNS servers and will "copy" the DNS resolution from the
DNSes of your provider.

As for the name resolution problem, check the anti-virus software for
any / all Internet worm virus protection settings. This is almost a
firewall and it is blocking the NetBIOS name resolution requests.
Most Internet worm viruses tend to request a name resolution in order
to attempt to spread itself.

jtpr <jtpryan@gmail.com> wrote in news:9396d75d-0b9e-492b-9f0c-
6e254ca947a6@m36g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

> If my home router (Netgear) is supplying DHCP to the network, and
> ipconfig /all reveals the DNS servers from my provider, but not the
> address of the router itself, how do the names of the nodes on my LAN
> get resolved?

You are confusing normal IP with Microsoft File Sharing (NetBT).
A DNS server (and your 'Hosts' file) will resolve IP addresses.
For File sharing, NetBT will not traverse a router unless you specify a
WINS server. On your local network, NetBT usually uses Broadcasts (and
your 'lmhosts' file) to resolve names, sometimes falling back on a DNS
server as a last resort.

> Also, if I add a new system to the network, it cannot
> resolve names for quite a while after being connected, so I must
> connect to shares by IP number. Is there a way to speed this process
> up?

On each subnet, one computer is elected as a Browse Master. It will
hold the list of available computers and responds when asked. Try
bringing up a command prompt and enter the command:
net view
You should see a list of computers on the subnet. If you don't, then
you most likely have a browse master issue on your subnet. Almost
always this is caused by just one computer on the subnet that has a
firewall enabled and is not properly configured to work with MS File
Sharing.

HTH,
John

jtpr wrote:
> If my home router (Netgear) is supplying DHCP to the network, and
> ipconfig /all reveals the DNS servers from my provider, but not the
> address of the router itself, how do the names of the nodes on my LAN
> get resolved? Also, if I add a new system to the network, it cannot
> resolve names for quite a while after being connected, so I must
> connect to shares by IP number. Is there a way to speed this process
> up?
>
> -Jim

Actually, ipconfig /all *should* reveal the address of the router itself
(as the "default gateway") or your LAN computers won't get to the
Internet. The IP address of the router also should show up as the DHCP
Server.

--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm

jtpr - some confusion here - the gateway ip is the address of the router.

Name recognition of the local network will not be instantaneous.

"Resolution" of local "nodes" (Computers) is a function of the router


"jtpr" <jtpryan@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9396d75d-0b9e-492b-9f0c-6e254ca947a6@m36g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
> If my home router (Netgear) is supplying DHCP to the network, and
> ipconfig /all reveals the DNS servers from my provider, but not the
> address of the router itself, how do the names of the nodes on my LAN
> get resolved? Also, if I add a new system to the network, it cannot
> resolve names for quite a while after being connected, so I must
> connect to shares by IP number. Is there a way to speed this process
> up?
>
> -Jim

"AJR" <ajrjdr@comcast.net> wrote in
news:u0rZABkAJHA.1628@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl:

> jtpr - some confusion here - the gateway ip is the address of the
> router.

Yes.

> Name recognition of the local network will not be instantaneous.

For Microsoft Networking on a single local subnet (ie no WINS server),
name resolution is accomplished by broadcast and should be almost
instantaneous so long as the subnet's Browse Master is operational.

> "Resolution" of local "nodes" (Computers) is a function of the
> router

No. The router only acts as a dumb switch when communicating within
the local subnet. Identification of local machines is broadcast in the
local network and the list is maintained by one PC machine elected as
the Browse Master.

-- John

On Aug 19, 5:59*pm, John Wunderlich <jwunderl...@lycos.com> wrote:
> "AJR" <ajr...@comcast.net> wrote innews:u0rZABkAJHA.1628@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx..gbl:
>
> > jtpr - some confusion here - the gateway ip is the address of the
> > router.
>
> Yes.
>
> > Name recognition of the local network will not be instantaneous.
>
> For Microsoft Networking on a single local subnet (ie no WINS server),
> name resolution is accomplished by broadcast and should be almost
> instantaneous so long as the subnet's Browse Master is operational.
>
> > "Resolution" of local "nodes" (Computers) *is *a function of the
> > router
>
> No. *The router only acts as a dumb switch when communicating within
> the local subnet. *Identification of local machines is broadcast in the
> local network and the list is maintained by one PC machine elected as
> the Browse Master.
>
> -- John

I see. So how do I find out who is the browse master. It has been 24
hours now and the new machine still can no longer either be pinged by
name nor can it ping others by name. IP number works both ways.

-Jim

jtpr <jtpryan@gmail.com> wrote in news:b2f0a8b2-b88b-485a-b44a-980d0b8fe1e7@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com:

> So how do I find out who is the browse master. It has been 24
> hours now and the new machine still can no longer either be pinged by
> name nor can it ping others by name. IP number works both ways.
>

A couple of things to check first...

1) Make sure your computer name is 15 characters or less and only
uses the characters a-z, 0-9, and '-'.

2) Bring up a command prompt and enter the command:
ipconfig /all

One of the output lines is "Node Type". Make sure that the node
type is *not* P-Type or Peer-to-Peer. For name resolution to
work, it should be either "Broadcast", "Mixed", or "Hybrid". If
it is Peer-to-Peer, then try this link to change it:

<http://www.chicagotech.net/netbios&wins.htm#How%20to%20modify%20Node%20Type>
[There is also some good troubleshooting info there]

3) The simplest way to find the browse master is using the
"browstat.exe" application. But since that application is not
usually on your machine, the next best thing is to type the
following line for each machine on your network:

nbtstat -A <IP address>
or
nbtstat -a <computername>

If the resulting output has the line:
..__MSBROWSE__.
in it, then that node is the browse master. There should be only one
Browse Master per workgroup/domain per subnet.

HTH,
John

On Aug 20, 2:45*pm, John Wunderlich <jwunderl...@lycos.com> wrote:
> jtpr <jtpr...@gmail.com> wrote innews:b2f0a8b2-b88b-485a-b44a-980d0b8fe1e7@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com:
>
> > So how do I find out who is the browse master. *It has been 24
> > hours now and the new machine still can no longer either be pinged by
> > name nor can it ping others by name. *IP number works both ways.
>
> A couple of things to check first...
>
> 1) Make sure your computer name is 15 characters or less and only
> uses the characters a-z, 0-9, and '-'.
>
> 2) Bring up a command prompt and enter the command:
> * *ipconfig /all
>
> * *One of the output lines is "Node Type". *Make sure that the node
> * *type is *not* P-Type or Peer-to-Peer. *For name resolution to
> * *work, it should be either "Broadcast", "Mixed", or "Hybrid". *If
> * *it is Peer-to-Peer, then try this link to change it:
>
> * *<http://www.chicagotech.net/netbios&wins.htm#How%20to%20modify%20Node%...>
> * [There is also some good troubleshooting info there]
>
> 3) The simplest way to find the browse master is using the
> "browstat.exe" application. But since that application is not
> usually on your machine, the next best thing is to type the
> following line for each machine on your network:
>
> * *nbtstat -A <IP address>
> or
> * *nbtstat -a <computername>
>
> If the resulting output has the line:
> * *..__MSBROWSE__.
> in it, then that node is the browse master. There should be only one
> Browse Master per workgroup/domain per subnet.
>
> HTH,
> * John

John,

Thank you for all your help. That did fix it, going from P2P to
Hybrid. Why does a system end up as one or the other?

-Jim

jtpr <jtpryan@gmail.com> wrote in
news:7283f343-49bb-4c4c-a912-b59f8fdae0be@b2g2000prf.googlegroups.com
:

>> A couple of things to check first...
>> 2) Bring up a command prompt and enter the command:
>> * *ipconfig /all
>>
>> * *One of the output lines is "Node Type". *Make sure that the
>> node type is *not* P-Type or Peer-to-Peer. *For name
>> resolution to work, it should be either "Broadcast", "Mixed",
>> or "Hybrid". *If it is Peer-to-Peer, then try this link to
>> change it:
>>
>> * *<http://www.chicagotech.net/netbios&w...20to%20modify%
>> 20N ode%...> * [There is also some good troubleshooting info
>> there]
>>
>>

> John,
>
> Thank you for all your help. That did fix it, going from P2P to
> Hybrid. Why does a system end up as one or the other?
>
> -Jim
>

According to what I've read, if a WINS server is not configured in the
network setup, then the node type default is Broadcast. If a WINS
server is configured, then the default is Hybrid.

What I think often happens (i.e. this is a guess) is that you plug your
machine into a network with a DHCP server and that DHCP server somehow
configures your computer to use a specific Node type (eg Peer-to-Peer)
which is probably correct for that network. This setting is then
retained and when you connect to a different network with a DHCP server
that does not specify a Node Type, the computer uses the last specified
type. Otherwise, I have no idea how a P-P would actually get set as it
is not trivial to change back to something reasonable...

Glad it worked. Thanks for the feedback.

-- John