Setup pi with dynamic DNS on private network only

Question

I'm looking for a solution that allows me to set a dynamic dns on my Pi only for local network, without the need to make configurations on router.

In other words I want to set up a pi in a way that I only need to choose the wifi enter the password and from any end point on the network if I it for example "myPi.local" it will resolve to the right IP on the PI.

Is this possible?

If yes is there any good tutorial on how to?

Answer 1

You have two possible solutions (using 2 different implementations)

1. Using AVAHI daemon, it is like an auto-DNS ( a Zeroconf implementation).Using it you can broadcast in your network (using its own protocol) the name of your machine you want to connect. All the system that have to reach (or to be reached) with this software, have to install this service to work [example guide https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/avahi for archlinuxARM]
2. Using a standard DNS server on RPI (like DNSMASQ or BIND9).This is a standard and generic DNS, so you have to configure it and to make a DHCP server also (already included if using DNSMASQ), or simply adding your RPI local IP to the router DNS server [example guide https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/dnsmasq or https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/BIND

Answer 2

This is not possible, at least not as you've stated the problem. There's no magic way that all of the computers on your network are going to know where you put the DNS that does the resolution. Many (but not all) home routers now do this automatically for you, but that's a feature of the router that yours may or may not have. If your router does not have it and you want your own DNS, you will need to configure that on the router.

An alternative to a proper DNS that does this would be to modify the "hosts" file on each machine on your network. If you have a small network, this can be a good option, but it can spiral into a maintenance problem if you have a lot of machines or your network changes frequently.