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#1
Cannot access LAN computer using computer name
All,
I have a LAN in my house. The LAN comprises about six computers, one of which serves as a local server. For experimental purposes, I run a web server on the local server. For years, literally, I have been able to access the web server by typing //LocalServer into the browser's address bar.
A few months back, my desktop computer started behaving strangely: typing //LocalServer in the browser's address bar would return an error. Today, I tried to access my Tortoise SVN server on the local server and it reported that the server could not be found.
But, I know it is there. There is a shared drive, to which I connect without issue. Ping also works. Remote Desktop Connection doesn't - I can only connect when I use the server's local IP address. Also, every other computer in the network can access the server without problems. And no, this is not a virus/malware issue.
Today, I fired up Wireshark to try to get a handle on what's happening. I then typed //LocalServer in the address bar of my browser. What I saw in Wireshark is quite odd, but hopefully diagnostic.
The first packet was a Name Query with protocol type NEtBIOS Name Service call, often called WINS, on 192.168.1.255. This was then followed by s DNA query asking for the address of LocalServer.hsd1.mi.comcast.net. That the hostname was translated into a fully-qualified hostname seems to be the root cause of the problem (and thus does not return a LAN IP address).
Can anyone explain why this may have happened, i.e., what did I do to screw up my machine? More importantly, how can I undo the damage?
Thank you.