If you're unable to resolve or bind to domains that end in .local

Bonjour uses the ".local" suffix to identify nearby devices. Use the suggestions in this article if your internal network domain already uses the ".local" suffix.

You might be unable to resolve unicast DNS names or bind to Active Directory domains that end in .local in OS X Yosemite. Bonjour's Multicast Domain Name Service (mDNS) uses the ".local" suffix to identify Bonjour-accessible devices. Consider changing your private network to use a domain-name suffix other than ".local" to avoid domain resolution issues.

If you're building out a new network

When planning for internal corporate network naming, instead of ".local", use a domain suffix such as the following:

.private

.intranet

.internal

.lan

If your network already exists

You can use a two-label name, such as “.example.local” to make your network compatible with OS X Yosemite and Bonjour. Two-label names are compliant with the IANA assignment of the local domain to Bonjour.

You can also configure names with three or more labels (“host.example.local”) to use unicast DNS:

• Make sure the Domain Name Server has a SOA (Start of Authority) record ".local".

• Or use a subdomain of ".local", such as "example.local". In this case, you can add a two-label search domain in Network preferences like "example.local" and either have an SOA record for "example.local" or one for ".local". You can set the search domain to use on your Mac in System Preferences.

Learn More

If you're using iOS devices on your network, see "Unable to resolve unicast DNS names that end in .local in iOS" for more information.