Resolving DNS Hostnames on LAN

Introduction

NEMS Linux uses two main Linux components to resolve *.local hostnames:

  1. avahi-daemon - This allows other computers to see the nems.local host on the LAN.

  2. libnss-mdns - This allows NEMS Linux to see other *.local computers on the LAN.

Enabling Multicast Name Resolution

In order for NEMS Linux to be able to resolve a DNS hostname to its IP address, multicast must be enabled on the client system.

Most modern systems will already provide multicast in one shape or another, so you only need to take action if a host is not replying to its hostname.

  • Microsoft Windows Target - Multicast is provided by the Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution (LLMNR) service which can be enabled or disabled using the computer’s group policy (Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Network -> DNS Client). Otherwise, it is also included with a local installation of iTunes, or alternatively you can install Apple’s Bonjour service.

  • Linux Target - Simply install avahi-daemon. It will automatically enable itself during installation. avahi-daemon is in your distro’s official repositories, so can be installed via any package manager.

  • macOS Target - No need to install anything; it’s already included.

Note

If the target computer has a firewall enabled, you’ll also need to allow UDP traffic through ports 5353 and 53791.