Re: network Q.: host name gets ".local" added after sometime

["H.S." <hs.samix@gmail.com>]

Osamu Aoki wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 05, 2009 at 12:48:16PM -0400, H.S. wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a Debian Unstable machine connected to an old machine running as
>> a router. The router is running dnsmasq and my local network is
>> configured as home.pvt.
>>
>> This Unstable machine is given the name of Blue by the dnsmasq server on
>> on the router using dhcp (based on Blue's mac address). However, I have
>> noticed that after some days, Blue's name on the network changes to
>> Blue.local. The relevant syslog line in Blue appears to be:
>> May 31 20:04:47 blue avahi-daemon[3514]: Server startup complete. Host
>> name is blue.local. Local service cookie is 3941174068.
>>
>> I have to run dhclient on blue again to get the IP address again and to
>> update its name in dnsmasq as blue.
>>
>> Anybody know what I should look for to prevent this addition of ".local"
>> to the hostname? Or can somebody explain what is going on here?
> 
> The hostname resolution via Multicast DNS (using Zeroconf, aka Apple
> Bonjour / Apple Rendezvous) which effectively allows name resolution by
> common Unix/Linux programs in the ad-hoc mDNS domain "local", can be
> provided by installing the libnss-mdns package. The "/etc/nsswitch.conf"
> file should have stanza like "hosts: files mdns4_minimal
> [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4" to enable this functionality.
> 
> See:
> http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch05.en.html#_the_hostname_resolution

Spot on! Nice.

I have the file with these contents:
----------------------------------------------
$> cat /etc/nsswitch.conf
# /etc/nsswitch.conf
#
# Example configuration of GNU Name Service Switch functionality.
# If you have the `glibc-doc' and `info' packages installed, try:
# `info libc "Name Service Switch"' for information about this file.

passwd:         compat
group:          compat
shadow:         compat

hosts:          files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4
networks:       files

protocols:      db files
services:       db files
ethers:         db files
rpc:            db files

netgroup:       nis
----------------------------------------------


So I supposed I just need to recorder the 'hosts' line to:
hosts:          files dns mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] mdns4

I hope I am on the right track.

BTW, I wonder what is the purpose of the default order of this line to
being with? Why is mdns4_minimal before dns?

Regards.





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