4.3BSD - /usr/man/cat8/htable.0

HTABLE(8)                                                            HTABLE(8)


NAME
       htable - convert NIC standard format host tables

SYNOPSIS
       /etc/htable [ -c connected-nets ] [ -l local-nets ] file

DESCRIPTION
       Htable  is used to convert host files in the format specified in Inter‐
       net RFC 810 to the format used by the network library routines.   Three
       files  are  created as a result of running htable: hosts, networks, and
       gateways.  The hosts file may be used by the gethostbyname(3N) routines
       in  mapping host names to addresses if the nameserver, named(8), is not
       used.  The networks file is used by the getnetent(3N) routines in  map‐
       ping  network  names  to numbers.  The gateways file may be used by the
       routing  daemon  in  identifying  ‘‘passive’’  Internet  gateways;  see
       routed(8C) for an explanation.

       If  any  of  the  files localhosts, localnetworks, or localgateways are
       present in the current directory, the file’s contents is  prepended  to
       the  output  file.   Of  these,  only the gateways file is interpreted.
       This allows sites to maintain local aliases and entries which  are  not
       normally present in the master database.  Only one gateway to each net‐
       work will be placed in the gateways  file;  a  gateway  listed  in  the
       localgateways file will override any in the input file.

       If  the  gateways  file  is to be used, a list of networks to which the
       host is directly connected is specified with the  -c  flag.   The  net‐
       works,  separated  by commas, may be given by name or in Internet-stan‐
       dard dot notation,  e.g.   -c  arpanet,128.32,local-ether-net.   Htable
       only  includes gateways which are directly connected to one of the net‐
       works specified, or which can be reached from another gateway on a con‐
       nected net.

       If  the  -l option is given with a list of networks (in the same format
       as for -c), these networks will be treated as ‘‘local,’’  and  informa‐
       tion  about  hosts  on local networks is taken only from the localhosts
       file.  Entries for local hosts from the main database will be  omitted.
       This  allows  the localhosts file to completely override any entries in
       the input file.

       Htable is best used in conjunction with the gettable(8C) program  which
       retrieves the NIC database from a host.

SEE ALSO
       intro(3N), gettable(8C), named(8)

BUGS
       If  the  name-domain  system provided network name mapping well as host
       name mapping, htable would no longer be needed.


4.2 Berkeley Distribution        May 22, 1986                        HTABLE(8)