ABSTRACT
Throughout the earlier chapters we have stressed the fact that the two naming conventions (Fully Qualified Domain Names) and NetBIOS names have, eventually, to be converted to MAC addresses. Where FQDN names are concerned this is a two-stage process. Firstly, the FQDN is converted to the associated IP address by DNS (as we have seen earlier); this IP address is then converted to the MAC address using another program called ARP (Address Resolution Protocol). In the case of NetBIOS names the resolution is often done through a broadcast on the local network although other, more subtle, methods are available. To complete the jigsaw we may well want to convert our NetBIOS names into the associated IP addresses to allow us the simplicity of NetBIOS on a local network yet with all of the functionality of an IP based system for use on larger networks. By combining both name translation schemes together in all permutations we can have the best (and often the worst!) of all worlds.
