Resolve PreXion 3D hostname connection failures with DNS A record

draft · network dnsdhcp-dns

Generated by docuprocessor (prompt article/v3) · 2026-04-22 13:12

Source thread

thread_id: spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/9BuiB4iGi14 · 21 msgs · first 2024-09-10 · participants: Tech ATech BTech CTech D

Tech A 2024-09-10 17:25

Hey guys, I'm working with Avenue Z Dental they use Prexion3d viewer - the tool is hosted on the pan-pc (PX-SERV) When trying to open the tool it has to connect to the DB - I can access with the IP address but with the hostname it fails to reach, they use it on multiple computers and they're having the issue only with 2 devices I tried changing the DNS on the adapter options to see if it works, I checked the network and sharing center options and replicated with the working ones, but no luck, any idea why the DNS is not resolving? thanks

Tech A 2024-09-10 17:25

Server here shows as hostname but it fails to connect, if I use the IP 192.168.3.117 it connects without issues

image/png image.png

**PreXion 3D Software Login Screen — Version 3.1.2.0** The login dialog displays three fields: **User Name** populated with `shared`, **Password** masked with asterisks (`******`), and **Server** set to `bx-serv` (dropdown selector). Available action buttons are **Login**, **Exit**, and **Options**. No error messages or warning indicators are visible.

Tech A 2024-09-10 17:26

I called support, they told me we have to check why DNS is not resolving All computers can access to the server without issues as well, they're all in the same network

Tech B 2024-09-10 17:31

have you tried entering manual entry in hosts file for the server and testing it afterwards?

Tech A 2024-09-10 17:34

Jesus Christ, it worked 😵😵 Thank you!

Tech A 2024-09-10 17:34

It was already there, it was matter of updating with the right IP address

Tech C 2024-09-10 17:46

@Juan Zappa what do you mean - it was already there?

Tech C 2024-09-10 17:47

does it mean that the PAN PC has dynamic IP address?

Tech A 2024-09-10 17:55

this is the settings under that computer

image/png image.png

**Windows TCP/IPv4 Properties Dialog — DNS Configuration** The "Obtain an IP address automatically" radio button is selected, while "Use the following DNS server addresses" is manually configured with a **Preferred DNS server of 192.168.3.200**; the Alternate DNS server field is blank. The IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway fields are grayed out, and the "Validate settings upon exit" checkbox is unchecked.

Tech C 2024-09-10 17:59

i'd recommend removing the hosts file entry then. because the next time that PC gets turned off, the IP would change and you would get a call again. or setup the static IP on that PC outside of the DHCP range

Tech C 2024-09-10 17:59

also i would add the secondary DNS pointed to 1.1.1.1

Tech A 2024-09-10 18:05

My bad, that was the snip for the affected computer - this is the snip of the computer where is hosted - Can I leave it like this and better to remove the host entry from the affected devices?

image/png image.png

**Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties** dialog box is open in Windows, showing the **General** tab. Both **"Obtain an IP address automatically"** and **"Obtain DNS server address automatically"** radio buttons are selected, meaning DHCP is enabled; all manual IP, Subnet mask, Default gateway, Preferred DNS, and Alternate DNS fields are grayed out and unpopulated. The **"Validate settings upon exit"** checkbox is unchecked; the **Advanced...** button is visible in the lower right.

Tech D 2024-09-10 18:15

is this a domain environment?

Tech A 2024-09-10 18:17

All of them (Besides the PAN-PC which is where the Prexion tool is hosted on) are on domain

image/png image.png

The image shows a computer management console displaying search results for "PESSIN" across 8 computers on a dental.local domain. Health indicators show one green checkmark (PESSIN-FD-1, FD1.dental.local), one red error circle (PESSIN-SVR19, SVR19.dental.local), and six yellow warning triangles (FD-2, MARINA, OP-1, OP-2, OP-3, PAN-PC). All entries display a blue monitor icon under the Status column, and PESSIN-PAN-PC has a non-standard hostname "PX-SERV" rather than following the dental.local naming convention.

Tech D 2024-09-10 18:18

then instead of editing host files you can add DNS (A) record on the server https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/identity/ad-fs/deployment/add-a-host--a--resource-record-to-corporate-dns-for-a-federation-server#to-add-a-host-a-resource-record-to-corporate-dns-for-a-federation-server

Tech C 2024-09-10 18:27

that PC is not joined to the domain for whatever reason

Tech D 2024-09-10 18:29

hence the reason to create DNS manually. workstations that are on domain, resolve dns on the ad sever, so the server has to have this "outsider" DNS record to point its IP

Tech C 2024-09-10 18:30

@Juan Zappa by adding the A record on the server's DNS, you will tell the other PCs the correct IP of that PC even though its not a part of the domian. But again, since its a dynamically assigned IP, the next time you reboot (or shut down) the PC, it might change. So, any records (hosts file or the DNS A recond) would become obsolete leading to the same error you have have today

Tech C 2024-09-10 18:30

(no text)

Tech C 2024-09-10 18:31

but we still would need to have static IP on that "outsider" or the DHCP reservation on the router/DHCP server

Tech A 2024-09-10 19:41

Done, I added the static IP outside of the DHCP scope, I added the DNS A Record on the server and deleted the entry on the host file, it's working now on all computers without issues - Thank you guys

---
title: "Resolve PreXion 3D hostname connection failures with DNS A record"
category: network
tags: ["dns", "dhcp-dns"]
source_thread_id: "spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/9BuiB4iGi14"
source_space: "spaces/AAAA05BdS6s"
generated_at: "2026-04-22T13:12:56"
participants: ["Tech A", "Tech B", "Tech C", "Tech D"]
---

# Resolve PreXion 3D hostname connection failures with DNS A record

## Problem

PreXion 3D viewer software failed to connect to its database server when using the hostname `bx-serv`, but connected successfully when using the IP address 192.168.3.117. The issue affected only 2 out of multiple workstations at a dental office. The PreXion software was hosted on a panoramic PC (PAN-PC) with hostname `PX-SERV` that was not joined to the office's dental.local domain, while the affected workstations were domain-joined and using the domain controller at 192.168.3.200 for DNS resolution.

## Resolution

1. Configure the PreXion host PC with a static IP address outside the DHCP scope to prevent IP changes on reboot
2. On the domain controller (192.168.3.200), add a DNS A record mapping the hostname `bx-serv` to the static IP address 192.168.3.117
3. Remove any temporary hosts file entries that were added to affected workstations during troubleshooting
4. Test connectivity from all workstations using the hostname

This approach allows domain-joined workstations to resolve the hostname of the non-domain PreXion server through the corporate DNS infrastructure, eliminating the need for individual hosts file modifications on each workstation.

## References
- Source discussion: `spaces/AAAA05BdS6s/threads/9BuiB4iGi14`
- Attachments:
  - ![image.png](../attachments/9BuiB4iGi14.-nVb3dgRe4g/image.png) — **PreXion 3D Software Login Screen — Version 3.1.2.0**

The login dialog displays three fields: **User Name** populated with `shared`, **Password** masked with asterisks (`******`), and **Server** set to `bx-serv` (dropdown selector). Available action buttons are **Login**, **Exit**, and **Options**. No error messages or warning indicators are visible.
  - ![image.png](../attachments/9BuiB4iGi14.DBMoEsC1A2c/image.png) — **Windows TCP/IPv4 Properties Dialog — DNS Configuration**

The "Obtain an IP address automatically" radio button is selected, while "Use the following DNS server addresses" is manually configured with a **Preferred DNS server of 192.168.3.200**; the Alternate DNS server field is blank. The IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway fields are grayed out, and the "Validate settings upon exit" checkbox is unchecked.
  - ![image.png](../attachments/9BuiB4iGi14.JDYZNEEVl-w/image.png) — **Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties** dialog box is open in Windows, showing the **General** tab. Both **"Obtain an IP address automatically"** and **"Obtain DNS server address automatically"** radio buttons are selected, meaning DHCP is enabled; all manual IP, Subnet mask, Default gateway, Preferred DNS, and Alternate DNS fields are grayed out and unpopulated. The **"Validate settings upon exit"** checkbox is unchecked; the **Advanced...** button is visible in the lower right.
  - ![image.png](../attachments/9BuiB4iGi14.L1xf5c-5cx4/image.png) — The image shows a computer management console displaying search results for "PESSIN" across 8 computers on a dental.local domain. Health indicators show one green checkmark (PESSIN-FD-1, FD1.dental.local), one red error circle (PESSIN-SVR19, SVR19.dental.local), and six yellow warning triangles (FD-2, MARINA, OP-1, OP-2, OP-3, PAN-PC). All entries display a blue monitor icon under the Status column, and PESSIN-PAN-PC has a non-standard hostname "PX-SERV" rather than following the dental.local naming convention.

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