Mac OS X 10.2: Expected, User-Defined Windows (SMB) Computer Name Does Not Appear in Connect to Server Dialog
Because SMB (Windows File Sharing) prefers DNS service to the user-defined computer (host) name in Mac OS X 10.2 or later, you may not see the expected computer name.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.0
Symptom
In the Connect to Server dialog, computers are listed with names that look like:
The name that you entered for the computer, such as "Melindas-Computer", does not appear.
Solution
If DNS reverse lookup is available on your network, computer names are derived from it when using the Connect To Server command to browse the network neighborhood (SMB workgroup). Your computer's DNS name is listed as the Network Address in the Sharing preference pane.
The format these names take depends on how your DNS administrator has set up the DNS naming structure. They may be generic port names or IP addresses, as in the examples above. Alternatively, they may be actual names similar to what you might choose for yourself, such as "melindas-computer.example.com". You may ask your DNS administrator to assign more desirable host names, rather than generic names.
If DNS reverse lookup is not available for the sharing computers, Mac OS X will find the user-defined SMB workgroup name for the computer.
You cannot set Mac OS X 10.2 to prefer user-defined names to DNS names.
In the Connect to Server dialog, computers are listed with names that look like:
- dhcp192.168.10.12
- h2n1079p2
The name that you entered for the computer, such as "Melindas-Computer", does not appear.
Solution
If DNS reverse lookup is available on your network, computer names are derived from it when using the Connect To Server command to browse the network neighborhood (SMB workgroup). Your computer's DNS name is listed as the Network Address in the Sharing preference pane.
The format these names take depends on how your DNS administrator has set up the DNS naming structure. They may be generic port names or IP addresses, as in the examples above. Alternatively, they may be actual names similar to what you might choose for yourself, such as "melindas-computer.example.com". You may ask your DNS administrator to assign more desirable host names, rather than generic names.
If DNS reverse lookup is not available for the sharing computers, Mac OS X will find the user-defined SMB workgroup name for the computer.
You cannot set Mac OS X 10.2 to prefer user-defined names to DNS names.