Host naming within a LAN

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I have a mixed set of various devices on my home LAN, and I am trying to remember back too many years, but is the only way to have laptops, desktops, printers, routers, etc. populate their hostnames to everyone is to clobber each device's /etc/hosts (and I'll be damned if I know how to do that with Winders), or run an internal DNS or NIS?

DHCP does wonders with IP addresses, but I'm running out of fingers to remember all of the IP addresses on my network. I thought that the ZxTel router might have an option, but I can't find it.

Appreciate any help that I can get.

Thanks,
Steve

[polpo]

Some routers do this automatically. When a host requests an IP via DHCP, if it includes its hostname, it automatically gets registered into the router's local DNS server. Pretty handy. You can also set static addresses/hostnames for devices that you always want on the same IP, and they will get added to the local DNS as well. DD-WRT custom firmware does this, as well as the stock firmware on recent ASUS routers (which are quite good, BTW). Both use a combined DNS/DHCP server called dnsmasq to do the job. Unfortunately the Zyxel router doesn't use dnsmasq, so you'll have to use a different router, also possibly putting your Zyxel into bridge mode. That's what I do.

Sonic's Pace router does this too, AFAIK.