How to use an Lmhosts file for name resolution issues

The Lmhosts file is a local text file that maps Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to NetBIOS names of remote servers with which you want to communicate over the TCP/IP protocol.

The Lmhosts file is located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\Etc folder on a Windows computer. The file is named LMHOSTS.SAM, and must be renamed to LMHOSTS before it can be used. Since an LMHOSTS file contains a static computer name to IP address mapping, it may cause conflicts if you are also using DHCP to dynamically assign IP addresses or the computer IP changed.

You experience name resolution issues on your TCP/IP network, especially for a small business with WINS server, you may want to use Lmhosts files to resolve NetBIOS names

Sample Lmhosts File

192.168.0.11 Bob #PRE
192.168.0.25 ms-mvps #PRE

Sample lmhosts file for pointing to a domain

10.0.0.1 PDCNAME #PRE #DOM:DOMAIN-NAME

10.0.0.1 "DOMAIN-NAME \0x1b" #PRE

10.0.0.1 MS-MVP #PRE #DOM:CHICAGOTECH

10.0.0.1 "CHICAGOTECH \0x1b" #PRE

Note The domain name in this entry is case sensitive. Make sure that you use uppercase characters for the domain name. If you use lowercase characters for the domain name, NetBT does not recognize the name.

To reload of the NBT Remote Cache Name Table, use this command: nbtstat -R. To display of the NBT Remote Cache Name Table nbtstat -C.

Troubleshooting NetBIOS and WINS Issues