I've purchased a ReadyNAS 312 and was wondering if it is capable of assingning names to my home network devices such that I don't have to use their IP but a name. For example:
Instead of a share like this: \\192.168.1.10\share
Be able to use something like this: \\mydevice\share
If this can't be done out of the box, is there a ReadyNAS app or Netgear device that would allow this without having to setup a separate PC with Windows Server?
For me using Windows (7 SP1 64 bit) I added an entry to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file and rebooted, and this did the trick. i.e. 192.168.1.2 XNAS # Downstairs Garage - 11/01/15. I am not certain what the equivalent would be on a MAC, if that is what you have.
Well, first I didn't see any indication that the OP is using a static address.
The hosts file goes back to the original arpanet. All internet addresses and names were maintained manually by Stanford University in a single hosts file, which was then distributed/updated through file sharing. That was before DNS existed, and when the every device connected to the "internet" could be listed in one small file. So it is certainly archaic.
Ideally names and IP addresses are managed so they are consistent across the entire network. Having a hosts file on each PC which defines the names used by that PC (potentially different from other PCs), and using static IP addresses manually configured on each device (which perhaps doesn't match the IP address in some device's hosts file) doesn't accomplish that goal at all. If you use the hosts file much, it's a very easy way to create a broken network. It's also a target for malware attacks.
If I were Microsoft or Apple, I'd have removed it years ago.
The hosts file goes back to the original arpanet. All internet addresses and names were maintained manually by Stanford University in a single hosts file, which was then distributed/updated through file sharing. That was before DNS existed, and when the every device connected to the "internet" could be listed in one small file. So it is certainly archaic.
Ideally names and IP addresses are managed so they are consistent across the entire network. Having a hosts file on each PC which defines the names used by that PC (potentially different from other PCs), and using static IP addresses manually configured on each device (which perhaps doesn't match the IP address in some device's hosts file) doesn't accomplish that goal at all. If you use the hosts file much, it's a very easy way to create a broken network. It's also a target for malware attacks.
Thanks StephenB ... filling the hole as usual. I just thought that with a small home network it would run quicker using the hosts file, on those machines that need it. (Not all).
