[rzzzt]

I'm wondering about one thing, now that I've read a few "may cause issues" and "is used for mDNS" replies: what the F is mDNS actually doing in the background?

Is it really going to assign "lancelot.roundtable.local" to my washing machine on a whim, which leaves the microwave unresolvable?

Can't I instruct the mDNS server running on my machine to respond to a particular name ending in .local?

Can't eg. dnsmasq insert itself into a conversation on 224.0.0.251 saying "Let me answer this question" for certain queries?

[hgomersall]

I'm a little fuzzy on this, but my understanding is that for mDNS to be reliable it is required that all .local hosts implement mDNS to allow for conflict resolution.

[jt2190]

If you’ve set up x.local in your DNS for your dryer but your laptop uses mDNS, it’s possible that your lapatop’s mDNS will get a response from your microwave that it’s reachable at x.local. The solution (not an expert, please check this) is to set up the dryer in DNS as x.domain-thar-you-own or x.home.arpa