Name resolution in small network

[Chris G]

On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 01:42:45PM -0700, don fisher wrote:
> I have a bunch of laptops currently running a mix of Linux and
> Windoz. I have recently tried to bring up Samba so that I could
> share files easily. With the Linux systems, I have always used
> /etc/hosts to resolve names. But with the addition of Samba and the
> Microsoft products, this does not work (at least as far as I know).
> 
> I have a router that provides DHCP name resolution. If I use DHCP
> with my Linux hosts, Windoz reads the router and resolved their IP
> address. But I do not know how to make Linux read the router and
> resolve the Windoz DHCP addresses.
> 
> I have tried to purchase and read the literature, but every volume
> appears to be around 400 pages long:-( I cannot read that fast. I
> see references to broadcasts, WINS servers etc., all suggesting that
> I purchase another book to discover how they work:-)
> 
> Is there a simple DNS that I can set up that can be loaded with my
> /etc/hosts data, read the data in the DHCP router, handle a NAS
> device, and whatever else may be required.
> 
dnsmasq?

-- 
Chris Green