[X4U] 3 network questions

[Stroller]

On Dec 2, 2005, at 12:06 am, Colt Freeman wrote:
>
> Right, I'm familier with the commands and how to use Terminal, the 
> problem
> is with the way I'm using the ping command. For a host that isn't in 
> /hosts
> how do I figure out the ip for it? I can't just type 'ping host' as I 
> can in
> the command window of windows box.
>
> I understand that ipconfig will tell me my ip address, what I want to 
> know
> is why another students computer is resolving/giving me my host name, 
> why am
> I not simply 'Ideal' which is the name for my computer...

My intuitive answer to this is that there's some proprietary Windoze 
going on on the network. I wouldn't be surprised if the campus runs a 
Windows domain, and I believe that Windows boxes can do name resolution 
as part of Windows file & printer sharing (as Macs can do name 
resolution with Rendevous / Bonjour); there's something called WINS 
(name resolution?) that I know nothing about.

If this / these guesses are correct then I doubt there's an easy way to 
resolve (boom! boom!) your issues. I had the dubious pleasure of 
installing Windows SBS Server 2003 last week - it's very easy to set 
up, but it does try & do everything for you, refusing to run the 
Internet Setup Wizard because I refused to turn off my router's DHCP 
server. When I asked for advice on one of the microsoft.* newsgroups I 
got lambasted my an MVP for not doing things "properly". To my mind my 
attempts to run as little on this server as possible - or at least, 
only the services that I've considered & chosen - is far more proper!

As I say, my answers are intuitive, not definitive, but if your campus 
is very much a "Mircosoft shop" then I'd expect problems like those 
you're experiencing, and little help from the IT services department in 
fixing them.

Stroller.