IP Networking

Hi,

I have a PC running Solaris 10 (hostname MARKUNIX) and a laptop running WinXP (hostname MARK-LAPTOP).

Both are connected to broadband via a router. IP addresses for each are determined via DHCP (192.168.1.nn) and I do not leave either on, 24x7.

I am running Oracle on MARKUNIX and want to be able to refer to it by hostname when using Oracle tools on my laptop.

Each machine can ping each other ok by ip address and curiously the Solaris PC can ping MARK-LAPTOP (I'm not sure how it resolves that?) - importantly the laptop cannot ping MARKUNIX.

Now I could add MARKUNIX to my laptops hosts file but that would mean changing the file each time I boot up as the ip address for MARKUNIX will keep changing (DHCP).

Is there a way to refer to MARKUNIX without having to keep changing ip addresses and use DHCP? As I understand it the 192.168 address is private and is not really the 'real' ip address and as such can be manipulated(fixed?) even whilst using DHCP?

Am I right in thinking that a static ip from my broadband supplier is the ip of my connection (router) and I'll still have the same private network referencing issues?

Any help appreciated.

cheers

Your home router should be able to assign a static address to your Unix box so it gets the same IP every time it boots. My home printer is network enabled and that's what I had to do in order that the PCs could find the printer address every time. I simply assigned 192.168.1.150 to my printer on the Linksys router then configured the PCs to see that address when I print.