Windows clients cannot connect using the fully qualified domain name when testing the connectivity of a newly created cluster. What connection test identifies the problem?

The problem describes a classic name resolution issue. The ability to connect to a resource by its IP address but not by its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) points directly to a problem with the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS is responsible for translating human-readable FQDNs into machine-readable IP addresses. A DNS test, such as using nslookup or ping with the FQDN from a client machine, would directly verify if the name is being resolved to the correct IP address and is the first step in diagnosing this specific problem.

B. NFS is a different protocol not typically used by Windows clients for this type of connection and is irrelevant to an FQDN issue.
C. Mapping a Windows drive is the action that is failing; it is the symptom of the problem, not the diagnostic test to identify the cause.
D. Testing the WebUI with an IP address would likely succeed, confirming the cluster is online, but it does not test the failing component (DNS).

1. PowerScale OneFS 9.5.0.0 Network Administration Guide, "DNS and network name resolution in OneFS," Page 10: "OneFS requires a forward-lookup zone with address (A) records and a reverse-lookup zone with pointer (PTR) records... for clients to connect to the cluster."

2. Dell PowerScale: Network Design Considerations, White Paper, April 2023, Page 11: "Proper DNS resolution, both forward and reverse, is critical for a PowerScale cluster to function properly."