You can find the hostname of any computer with a public IP address by passing the address to any Domain Name System (DNS) server. However, since the computers on a small business network have private IP addresses, you can only discover their hostnames if the network has a local DNS server. To discover the hostname of a computer with a private IP address and no local DNS server, you need to use a Windows utility to query the host itself.

Querying DNS

  1. Click the Windows Start button, then "All Programs" and "Accessories." Right-click on "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as Administrator."

  2. Type "nslookup %ipaddress%" in the black box that appears on the screen, substituting %ipaddress% with the IP address for which you want to find the hostname.

  3. Find the line labeled "Name" underneath the line with the IP address you entered and record the value next to "Name" as the hostname of the computer.

Without DNS

  1. Click the Windows Start button, then "All Programs" and "Accessories." Right-click on "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as Administrator."

  2. Type "nbtstat -A %ipaddress%" at the command prompt in the black window that opens, substituting the IP address for "%ipaddress%."

  3. Review the results and find the NETBIOS table. Locate a row where the type is "UNIQUE" and find the hostname of the computer in the "Name" column for that row.

  4. Tip

    The Group entry from the "nbtstat" approach tells you the name of the computer's workgroup.

    Warning

    The "nbtstat" utility requires NETBIOS on the local network.