4.3BSD - /usr/man/cat5/hosts.0

HOSTS(5)                                                              HOSTS(5)


NAME
       hosts - host name data base

DESCRIPTION
       The  hosts  file  contains information regarding the known hosts on the
       network.  For each host a single line should be present with  the  fol‐
       lowing information:

       official host name
       Internet address
       aliases

       Items  are  separated by any number of blanks 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.

       When  using  the name server named(8), this file provides a backup when
       the name server is not running.  For the name server, it  is  suggested
       that  only  a  few  addresses  be included in this file.  These include
       address for the local interfaces that ifconfig(8C) needs at  boot  time
       and a few machines on the local network.

       This file may be 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.  As the data base maintained at NIC is  incomplete,  use
       of the name server is recommend for sites on the DARPA Internet.

       Network  addresses  are  specified  in  the conventional ‘‘.’’ notation
       using the inet_addr() 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.

FILES
       /etc/hosts

SEE ALSO
       gethostbyname(3N), ifconfig(8C), named(8)
       Name Server Operations Guide for BIND


4.2 Berkeley Distribution        May 14, 1986                         HOSTS(5)