DNS problem, nslookup works, ping doesn't

Question

I am setting up a development server in my flat. I have set up an Ubuntu DNS server on it and have added the zone weddinglist (just weddinglist - no TLD. It\'s just an internal

Answer 1

It's possible that the Windows internal resolver is adding '.local' to the domain name because there's no dots in it. nslookup wouldn't do that.

To verify this possiblity, install 'Wireshark' (previously aka Ethereal) on your client machine and observe any DNS request packets leaving it when you run the ping command.

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OK, further investigation on my own XP machine at home reveals that for single label names (i.e. "foo", or "foo.") the system doesn't use DNS at all, and instead uses NBNS (NetBios Name Service).

Using a hint found at http://www.chicagotech.net/netforums/viewtopic.php?t=1476, I found that I was able to force DNS lookups for single label domains by putting a single entry reading "." in the "Append these DNS suffixes (in order)" in the "Advanced TCP/IP settings" dialog