Fix: Ping request could not find host “FQDN of Host Name”. Please check the name and try again.

So you created an static DNS entry (or dynamically created) for new host/server. Now if we try to ping using the host name, ping throws an nasty error.

Ping request could not find host “HostName”. Please check the name and try again

Funny thing is you can ping by IP Address. You may ping using NetBIOS name if you have WINS setup. So What’s wrong with DNS? NO, it is not the DNS server. Do a NSLookup “HostName” and it will return correct IP address. So What the heck is wrong?

Is your hostname ends with number? Yes? Damn. That is the issue. According to this Microsoft KB Article:

By default DNS client service rejects resolution of DNS records in top level domain (TLD) that has a purely numeric suffix.

Solution is in the KB article above and also see below.

1. Click Start, and then click Run, type regedit in Open box, and then press ENTER.
2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters
3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type ScreenBadTlds, and then press ENTER.
5. Right-click ScreenBadTlds, and then click Modify.
6. In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
7. Exit Registry Editor.
8. Stop and then start the DNS client service. To do so:
   a. Click Start, and then click Run.
   b. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
   c. At the command prompt, type the following lines. Press ENTER after each line:
               net stop DNScache
               net start DNScache
   d. Type exit to quit Command Prompt.