hosts(4)               UNIX System V(Internet Utilities)               hosts(4)


NAME
      hosts - host name data base

SYNOPSIS
      /etc/hosts

DESCRIPTION
      The hosts file contains information regarding the known hosts on the
      DARPA Internet.  For each host a single line should be present with the
      following information:
            Internet-address official-host-name aliases

      Items are separated by any number of SPACE and/or TAB characters.  A `#'
      indicates the beginning of a comment; characters up to the end of the
      line are not interpreted by routines which search the file.  This file is
      normally created from the official host data base maintained at the
      Network Information Control Center (NIC), though local changes may be
      required to bring it up to date regarding unofficial aliases and/or
      unknown hosts.

      Network addresses are specified in the conventional `.'  notation using
      the inetaddr routine from the Internet address manipulation library,
      inet(3N).  Host names may contain any printable character other than a
      field delimiter, NEWLINE, or comment character.

EXAMPLE
      Here is a typical line from the /etc/hosts file:

            192.9.1.20        gaia                        # John Smith

FILES
      /etc/hosts

SEE ALSO
      gethostent(3N), inet(3N)



















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