Is this a problem with my router or print server?

Question

Ok, Belkin says it's somthing with the Linksys print-server; Linksys says it's something with the Belkin router...both recommend I replace all my hardware with their own brand (duh, they want money) but it shouldn't matter.

At my parents house, I can print wirelessly via a print-server, and use it's "friendly" hostname so the dynamic IP doesn't matter. That's what I expected to happen at college (living with relatives)...

I just got my Belkin router re-connected to Cox's modem and went to set up my print server...I can't access the print server (or any other computer) by it's friendly name. If I use nslookup it says DNS Lookup timeout whether I type the IP or friendly-name for ANY DEVICE.

So is the local-network DNS something with the router or how the devices register to the router? I know the LAN (192.168.2.*) is seperate from the internet DNS servers so I don't think it has anything to do with NAT/Firewall or Cox blocking things...

Who's support staff should I be "yelling" at on this?

Answer 1

Don't be too quick on a Firewall (local computer or on the router) not being a source of the issue!

NSLookup will have to be allowed by local firewalls for UDP to port 53. So it could well be a firewall issue. Try an nslookup for say yahoo.com, what comes back?  If you still timeout, it is a firewall issue!

What happens if  you PING by IP the print server, or any other local device?  That actually is a better test for communication within the local network. If you can't ping,  then the router is the issue. If you can ping but still can't communicate with the device check the firewalls (router and computers) to assure the LOCAL network is allowed!

Let me know what happens.

Add: check the TCP/IP advanced settings see if NetBios and LMHosts are checked?  (I guess if you wanted to you could enable NetBuei just to see if the local names showed up at that point! I would not leave it on but you can use it.)  XP does have a built in firewall and will indeed block local networks unless allowed!