Name Resolution

Network data is transported via various alphanumeric addressing systems that are often too long or complicated to remember, such as the physical hardware address 00:16:CE:6E:8B:24. Name resolution (also called name lookup) is the process a protocol uses to convert one identifying address into another. For example, while a computer might have the physical MAC address 00:16:CE:6E:8B:24, the DNS and ARP protocols allow us to see its name as Marketing-2.domain.com. By associating easy-to-read names with these cryptic addresses, we make them easier to remember and identify.

Enabling Name Resolution

To enable name resolution, open the Capture Options dialog by choosing Capture ▸ Options. As shown in Figure 5-7, three types of name resolution ...

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