Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5: How to look up ".local" hostnames via both Bonjour and standard DNS
Summary
The Multicast DNS feature of Bonjour allows devices on a local network to connect to each other without a separate DNS server by using the ".local" domain, as described in this article. However, some private networks also use ".local" domains for hosts registered with their internal DNS server, even though it is not a valid top-level domain on the public Internet. This overlapping namespace can sometimes make it difficult for Mac OS X to reliably connect using hostnames ending in ".local".
Learn how to look up ".local" hostnames via both Bonjour and standard DNS, below.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.4, Bonjour, Mac OS X 10.5
Mac OS X 10.5
In Mac OS X 10.5.5 and later, host names that contain two or more labels in addition to local, for example "host.domain.local", are resolved using DNS. Hostnames that contain one label in addition to local, for example "MyComputer.local", are resolved using Bonjour by default.
To use DNS to look up names like "MyComputer.local", or to use DNS to look up any ".local" names in 10.5-10.5.4, add local to the list of search domains in the Network pane of System Preferences. For Ethernet interfaces, add local to the text box labeled "Search Domains", using a comma to separate it from any other search domain names. For other network interfaces, such as AirPort, click the Advanced button, select the DNS tab, click the + button under the Search Domains list, and add local.
Mac OS X 10.4
In Mac OS X 10.4, all host names that end in local are resolved using Bonjour by default. To use DNS to look up ".local" names in, add local to the list of search domains in the Network pane of System Preferences. Select the desired network interface and click Configure. Add local to the Search Domains field. If you have multiple entries in this field, be sure that "local" is first, and separate them with commas. For example:
local, apple.com