A user can ping a server by IP but not by FQDN. After flushing DNS, what should be checked NEXT?

When a user is able to ping a server by IP address but not by its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN), this indicates a potential issue with name resolution. After flushing the DNS cache, the next logical step is to examine the hosts file.

The hosts file is a local file that maps hostnames to IP addresses, and it is checked before querying DNS servers. If an incorrect entry exists in the hosts file or if there is no entry for the FQDN in question, the system will fail to resolve the name to an IP address. Checking this file can reveal whether a conflict exists or if the relevant entry is missing, providing a direct explanation for the inability to resolve the FQDN.

In this situation, examining the lmhosts file, flushing the DNS server cache, or flushing the WINS server cache may not address the immediate issue with local name resolution. The lmhosts file is primarily used for NetBIOS name resolution in Windows environments, while WINS relates to NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Both are less likely to affect the ability to resolve a FQDN directly compared to the local hosts file, making it the most pertinent step following a DNS cache flush.