On a Ubuntu 16.04 computer on the local network I can ping any other computer on the network by using "ping hostname" or by using "ping hostname.local". However, on another computer I just installed Ubuntu 18.04 on, "ping hostname" yields "Name or service not known" yet "ping hostname.local" still works. 

Both computers need to be configured with static IPs.

In this specific circumstance I need "ping hostname" to work. I do not know what is so special about the 16.04 machine that makes it able to resolve local hostnames without the .local. 

Does anyone have any ideas?

Here is my netplan file on the device. It may shed some light on the situation.

```
# Let NetworkManager manage all devices on this system
network:
 version: 2
 renderer: NetworkManager
 ethernets:
 enp3s0:
 dhcp4: no
 addresses: [192.168.1.19/24]
 gateway4: 192.168.1.1
 nameservers:
 addresses: [192.168.1.1, 8.8.8.8]
```

Below are results of ```systemd-resolve --status``` on the 18.04 machine

```
Global
 DNSSEC NTA: 10.in-addr.arpa
 16.172.in-addr.arpa
 168.192.in-addr.arpa
 17.172.in-addr.arpa
 18.172.in-addr.arpa
 19.172.in-addr.arpa
 20.172.in-addr.arpa
 21.172.in-addr.arpa
 22.172.in-addr.arpa
 23.172.in-addr.arpa
 24.172.in-addr.arpa
 25.172.in-addr.arpa
 26.172.in-addr.arpa
 27.172.in-addr.arpa
 28.172.in-addr.arpa
 29.172.in-addr.arpa
 30.172.in-addr.arpa
 31.172.in-addr.arpa
 corp
 d.f.ip6.arpa
 home
 internal
 intranet
 lan
 local
 private
 test

Link 3 (enp4s0)
 Current Scopes: none
 LLMNR setting: yes
MulticastDNS setting: no
 DNSSEC setting: no
 DNSSEC supported: no

Link 2 (enp3s0)
 Current Scopes: DNS
 LLMNR setting: yes
MulticastDNS setting: no
 DNSSEC setting: no
 DNSSEC supported: no
 DNS Servers: 192.168.1.1
 8.8.8.8
 DNS Domain: ~.
```

I tried adding a local search domain but it did not help

Hostnames are not defined in the 16.04 /etc/hosts. It is resolving the hostnames through my router somehow. If I connect a brand new device to my network the 16.04 machine can access it immediately via its hostname and the 18.04 machine can access it through hostname.local

Any suggestions?