Create a DNS Handler that will load a couple of configuration parameters:
* Subnet (could default to local machine subnet?)
* DNS record format, (i.e. MAC*.domain.local, where the * is replaced by the MAC address)
* Scan delay (delay between requests)
* Scan Frequency (How often to rescan)
This Handler would create a background thread on the Initialize function that would handle the scanning and create a set of records to reply with.
The background thread would currently hang the server on shutdown however as the IDNSDispatch interface has no dispose/shutdown/etc member, will create one to accomodate this, as this is unlikely to be the only situation that would benefit from it.
Created from discussion on Configuration with sleclercq:
Actually, I needed a very simple way to connect to network devices, when they are plugged to a network with a DHCP server that I don't control (at my customer's site). These devices don't even have a screen to show me their IP address, and they don't have any way to register to a name server.
The simplest thing I found was to scan the network and write into the (LM)HOSTS file every time I find a network host with a known MAC address. Doing so allows me to address the device by name, even if the IP address changes later. It works just fine for me the way it is, and I did not want to change it in any way. When I saw your project, It just occurred to me that MAC-to-IP mapping would be quite easy to add as an extension to your server; basically writing a plugin to your framework, that does the scanning and writes to an in-memory structure instead of the LMHOSTS file.
But that would be an alternative for me only if the DNS server installs in 2 minutes maximum, as my current tool does, if possible without rebooting the PC :-)
Unfortunately I don't have much time, nor the need, right now to investigate further... but it's definitely a way I will try to explore in the future. In the mean time, feel free to incorporate my code (it's really not rocket science - just a loop on every IP address of the subnet, and a call to GetARP)
Thanks for your reply.
Comments:
* Subnet (could default to local machine subnet?)
* DNS record format, (i.e. MAC*.domain.local, where the * is replaced by the MAC address)
* Scan delay (delay between requests)
* Scan Frequency (How often to rescan)
This Handler would create a background thread on the Initialize function that would handle the scanning and create a set of records to reply with.
The background thread would currently hang the server on shutdown however as the IDNSDispatch interface has no dispose/shutdown/etc member, will create one to accomodate this, as this is unlikely to be the only situation that would benefit from it.
Created from discussion on Configuration with sleclercq:
Actually, I needed a very simple way to connect to network devices, when they are plugged to a network with a DHCP server that I don't control (at my customer's site). These devices don't even have a screen to show me their IP address, and they don't have any way to register to a name server.
The simplest thing I found was to scan the network and write into the (LM)HOSTS file every time I find a network host with a known MAC address. Doing so allows me to address the device by name, even if the IP address changes later. It works just fine for me the way it is, and I did not want to change it in any way. When I saw your project, It just occurred to me that MAC-to-IP mapping would be quite easy to add as an extension to your server; basically writing a plugin to your framework, that does the scanning and writes to an in-memory structure instead of the LMHOSTS file.
But that would be an alternative for me only if the DNS server installs in 2 minutes maximum, as my current tool does, if possible without rebooting the PC :-)
Unfortunately I don't have much time, nor the need, right now to investigate further... but it's definitely a way I will try to explore in the future. In the mean time, feel free to incorporate my code (it's really not rocket science - just a loop on every IP address of the subnet, and a call to GetARP)
Thanks for your reply.
Comments:
Basic mac handler created.