: If a client machine can "ping" a PDM server's IP address but cannot find it by name, the hosts file can manually map the name to the IP.
Think of your Windows Hosts file as a private address book for your computer. Before your PC asks a DNS server (the internet's phone book) where a website or server is, it checks this local file first. If you put an entry in there, your computer takes it as gospel. Why "Block" or Redirect for SolidWorks? Solidworks Host File Block
A: SolidWorks does not run natively on Mac (only via Bootcamp or Parallels). On a Mac with Windows VM, the hosts file is inside the VM, not the Mac OS. : If a client machine can "ping" a