How can one determine the IP address of a machine using a given hostname?

Using the nslookup command is one of the primary methods for determining the IP address associated with a given hostname. This command queries the Domain Name System (DNS) to resolve the hostname into its corresponding IP address. When you run nslookup followed by the hostname, it sends a query to the configured DNS server and retrieves the associated IP address or addresses.

This process is essential in network troubleshooting and configuration, as it helps ensure that domain names resolve correctly to their intended IP addresses. It is particularly useful in scenarios where you need to confirm that a hostname has been registered correctly or is reachable over the network.

While other options like the ping command can also provide the IP address indirectly (by sending echo requests to the hostname and displaying the resolved IP in the output), nslookup is specifically designed for querying DNS records directly. On the other hand, commands like traceroute are primarily used to track the path packets take to reach a destination, and ifconfig is used for configuring or displaying network interfaces and does not resolve hostnames.

Thus, employing nslookup directly addresses the need to find out the IP address of a machine based on its hostname effectively.