[SOLVED] Assistance please with /etc/hosts

[broadstairs]

Now I dont often have to mess with my local network but I have an application which needs to use dns lookup to find another PC on my local lan (it assumes anything in its config to be a name and not an IP address!)) so what I thought I could do was to add the relevant name and IP address to my /etc/hosts file and after a restart any request for the defined host name would be returned the IP address from the hosts file. However this is not working. I have added a line in hosts :-

192.168.0.8 weather.com

which I thought should work.

Can some one please help? What have I done wrong?

Stuart

[jpollard]

Should work as long as you have a system identified with the IP number 192.168.0.8.

Can you ping it?

One note: the /etc/nsswitch.conf file must have a line like: "hosts: files dns".

[broadstairs]

Yes that system does exist and I can ping it.

Stuart

[lightman47]

did you try a reboot after editing it's hosts? I don't believe that's the problem but shouldn't hurt anything.

[broadstairs]

Yup, rebooted as well and still no luck.....

Stuart

[lightman47]

First two lines should have NO hard coded references to it's own (or any other) machine name. For instance, mine (correctly) reads:

127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost
::1 localhost6.localdomain6 localhost6


- just shots in the dark; thngs that have raised he** with me.

[trigpoint]

I think there should be a tab between the ip and the name. Another stab in the dark.

[lightman47]

I can't speak to latest versions, but tab/space used to be both ok ...

---------- Post added at 03:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:53 PM ----------

Wait a sec - you can PING via IP, but not name - which is in your hosts.

- wonder if you're not running something that needs to be running.

What happens (on that machine) when you ping:
127.0.0.1
localhost
{that same machines' name - the one with the hosts that don't work}
{you're pinging the "inside" of the card (twice), then the "ouside"}
?
Am trying to see if it resolves ANY names (i.e. - it's OWN)

<Still stabs in the dark>.

---------- Post added at 04:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:56 PM ----------

You haven't 'adjusted' any firewall settings?

If SELinux is running, I might try turning it off & rebooting - then try your pings by name.

{Really scratching here - betcha someone pops on here with the REAL answer}

---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:14 PM ----------

/etc/resolv.conf - what's in that?

Mine contains (in order), my SERVER(gateway) IP, my DSL modem IP, their DNS server IP. (See below). It's probably not correct; I'm not fantastic at this - but it works.

# Generated by NetworkManager
nameserver 192.168.0.253
nameserver 192.168.1.254
nameserver 166.102.165.13
# NOTE: the libc resolver may not support more than 3 nameservers.

[Doug G]

Another thing, if you need to resolve any subdomains like www. you need to add another line in your hosts file.

[broadstairs]

OK now I have gotten my act together I can report after booting up this morning that I can ping the relevant PC by both its IP address and name so the hosts file IS resolving it OK.

This means I have an application problem.

Thanks for all the suggestions...

Stuart