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I've tried researching this, but none of the documentation I've found states how this is done, or if it is possible.

I can refer to a domain user like so:

domain\user

Even when the domain is actually ad.domain.com because the NetBIOS name of the domain is just domain and that ultimately resolves to a Domain Controller for said domain which the user exists on as an Active Directory Object.

However, I can't find how to do the same for a computer. I realize users do not have NetBIOS names, so when I ask "How do I do this with a computer?" I'm really asking "How do I use two NetBIOS names in conjunction to refer to a computer?" which may not be possible.

Rather than referring to a computer as computer.ad.domain.com, I'd rather just do domain\computer, but none of my attempts to refer to a computer in this way resolve to that computer. The simplest form being in PowerShell:

ping domain\computer

When doing this, the Domain Controller responds, which makes sense:

ping domain

The computers in a Domain exist as Active Directory Objects, and when running these two scripts (?) in PowerShell, the returned attributes are mostly the same:

Get-ADComputer -Filter *
Get-ADUser -Filter *

So, I am uncertain why what I am attempting isn't working as expected.

Is there a more correct way to essentially use the shorthand for the domain when on a local network with its Domain Controllers when referring to computers rather than users? Or is this simply not possible?

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    In what context are you trying to refer to a computer this way? Ping uses name resolution, which even if you're using NetBIOS name resolution you would not be able to resolve "DOMAIN\COMPUTER", you would just be able to resolve "COMPUTER". When you use DOMAIN\USER you are specifying a security context, not a portion of a network. Windows Domains are not network objects.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Dec 5, 2017 at 20:18
  • The context was "for local network resolution" meaning I would use it when referring to computers in a different domain. Say I have domain A and domain B but both are part of the same Forest and in a trust relationship. Referring to a computer in domain B from a member of domain A, for example. But I believe the latter part of your comment is my answer. Those are not network objects, but security contexts.
    – Payden K. Pringle
    Dec 5, 2017 at 20:35
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    For network resolution you either have to specify the FQDN and have an appropriate DNS server with DNS entries available, or you have to configure NetBIOS name resolution to specify just the NetBIOS computer name, or you have to use a hosts or lmhosts file.
    – Todd Wilcox
    Dec 5, 2017 at 20:38
  • Thanks. That answers my question then, or at least resolves it in that I realize now that I was coming at the problem from the wrong angle.
    – Payden K. Pringle
    Dec 5, 2017 at 20:52

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