[X4U] 3 network questions

[Colt Freeman]

> 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.
> 
> 
Ok, that seems to be the general consensus here, thanks for all the help.
Armed with this generous knowledge I'll look into some different was to get
around this if possible.
-Colt