Login using IP vs host name

[New2NAS]

Hi,
I am having an issue logging in to shares using the host name. I don't know if I'm using the proper terminology, I apologize if I'm not.

Using this works:
\\192.168.0.250\Content\

Using this doesn't
\\FREENAS\Content\

My user name and password works with the ip address but not the host name directory. The issue is that windows uses the host name over the ip address by default.

Any thoughts?

 

[aufalien]

Well, do you have freenas defined in DNS? BTW, names are case irrelevant so to speak. I have upper/lower case in my DNS records in making it easier to read 1000's of hosts which I do often but that's all it really accomplishes.

I wouldn't use freenas as a host name.

 

[New2NAS]

Thanks for responding, I'm not even going to try and pretend like I know what's going on. :(

Would you mind explaining what you mean by having Freenas defined in DNS. How would I go about doing that?

When I set things up I didn't put much care into the name. I think freenas was already in the field and I just left it. Would there be a benefit to changing the name now?

 

[aufalien]

Well, when you have \\freenas\Content, that means freenas must be defined in DNS (domain name server) as your computer doesn't know that name. If you don't have control over DNS, then you can define it locally. Or keep accessing it via IP addy.

So resolve order in most Oses is 1) local, 2) DNS, 3) whatever... Meaning local is a file that has a name to IP mapping. In Winblowz its something like C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts.

If you are unfamiliar with any of this, keep on accessing via its IP as I won't continue posting on the basics of host resolution, its too much for me to deal with. No offense to you or anything, its just that this forum is FreeNAS centric, not computer basics centric.

 

[xcom]

If you don't have a dns server you can edit your hosts file and add an entry on your hosts file that will resolve the name to the ip. This will only work on the pc that you edit the hosts file on.

 

[no_connection]

FreeNAS should be plug and play when it comes to name.

You should point FreeNAS to your router/gateway for DNS if you have not done that.
I use google 8.8.8.8 for secondary DNS.

 

[New2NAS]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I think I resolved it without editing files in the System32 folder. I noticed the windows was referring to the NAS as FREENAS (as described above). By navigating to Network Settings -> Global configuration I noticed that the hostname was typed in as freenas (lower case). Even though I knew it wouldn't make much of a difference I changed the hostname in the global settings to reflect windows and made it all upper case. That seems to have done the trick. I can now log in to FREENAS and do not have to type in the IP address to do it.

For the DNS stuff, no_connection, from day one my NAS is configured the way you suggested . I'm glad you mentioned your preferences because I now feel like I was on the right track.

I'll look into the computer basics of editing the host files found in the System32 folder another day. Cheers!

 

[aufalien]

Thanks for your initial post as it got me to read up on the release notes;

New with 9.2;

Avahi (multicast DNS, aka Bonjour) registration of all services, include
the web service, means you no longer need to have a head on the box to know
its IP address, even for initial configuration, if the system your browser
is running on supports mDNS (e.g. a Mac or mDNS-enabled Windows/Unix box).
The default address will be freenas.local (or freenas-n.local, where n is
the # of freenas.local instances already on the local network). This can be
changed by changing the hostname in the FreeNAS system or network configuration
screens.

So it looks like I learned something from you so thanks for that.

However this is a service that I absolutely abhor but then again I'm a dinosaur.

 

[New2NAS]

aufalien thanks for all the help. I'm glad you took the time to try and help. I really do appreciate it. Cheers.

 

[aufalien]

Thanks for the kind thoughst, much appreciated.