I have a "rogue" server running Windows Server 2003. This machine cannot be a DHCP server. I can make it a DNS server, I can make it a WINS server, I can configure all of my workgroup's machines to point to any DNS/WINS server in the universe but the absolute, non-negotiable, no consideration possible.
The building's DHCP server assigns the following:
MASK : 255.255.255.0
GW : 192.168.1.249
DHCP : 192.168.1.253
DNS : 192.168.1.253
WINS : 192.168.1.253
NetBIOS over TCP/IP : Enabled
In my workgroup I have various machines with common names:
BILLING-1
BILLING-2
PRINTER-1
ADMIN-1
ADMIN-2
and so on
Plus my Windows 2003 server (which has a static IP)
MYSERVER
The problem is that I can't ping the machines by their local hostnames.
What I want to be able to do is to ping the other machines by local hostname - ping billing-1, ping admin-1, ping server and so on.
What happens is that I get
pinging billing-1.<some domain registered via the DHCP server> [public ip]
Request timed out.
When I ping by IP address I'm connecting just fine.
When I ping -a the ip address I get the machine's hostname just fine.
When I browse the network neighborhood the various machines and devices show up.
But the absolutely critical issue (because of one of the printers, actually) is that I have to be able to connect from every device to every other device by hostname (without a suffix) alone.
There is no working with the building admin, he will not let me make any changes (or suggestions) to his DHCP server or anything else.