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Can't ping machine by name, even though the names are explicitly defined in Hosts file

Dear Experts,

Sorry for throwing out this question, but I just can't quite understand why my computer cannot resolve computer names, even though I set them in the hosts file. I am setting up a monitoring tools on a server, to perform different kinds of tests (ping, url check, crc, memory available ...etc) on selected servers. Along those tests, I make the monitoring machine to test other servers by using computer name. I made a list of computer names along with their IPs in the C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts table, But for some reasons, some Windows computers can be ping by using computer name. But for linux machines, URLs (eg. ns1.yahoo.com), windows machines on the other geograpic location could not be resolved.

As I understand (please correct me if I am wrong), when I send a command like "Ping Server1", it will try to lookup the name "server1" by hosts table, then if that doesnt' resolve, it'll check the DNS... is there any other that would take precedence of the hosts table?

any thing that I might did wrong? thanks.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Kaddict

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wingkchan

ASKER

Kaddict, thank you for the lightening reply. Most computers are within the network, and previously we have another monitoring machine that can do those ping tests... so I think that might not be the firewall issue.

When I execute: "ping server-anme", it returns the following:
Ping request could not find host server-name, please check the name and try again

wingkchan

ASKER

Got it to work again. I think the reason that the hosts file was not put to use might have because it was corrupted somehow. I renamed the original hosts file, and then create another one, add the entries in, and now, I can connect to other machines by names.

Kaddict

That "corruption" may have been bad permissions too.

Hope I helped at least a little =)

-kaddict

wingkchan

ASKER

Thanks Kaddict... sometimes to find the answer requires lots of trials and error...