.TH HOSTS 5
.SH NAME
hosts \- hostname to IP address database
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B /etc/hosts
.SH DESCRIPTION
The hosts database lists the IP addresses and the hostnames that translate
to these IP addresses.  It is used by
.BR nonamed (8)
in a network without name servers.  A simple
.B /etc/hosts
may look like this:
.PP
.RS
.ta +15n
.nf
10.0.0.1	flotsam
10.0.0.2	jetsam
.fi
.RE
.PP
These two entries give names to two IP addresses.  The file may contain
comments marked with '#'.
.PP
You can have aliases (more hostnames on the same line) to give a machine
more than one name, like
.BR www ,
if you run a web server on one.
.PP
If your PC is Internet connected then you can specify the name server(s)
to get more information from with %nameserver entries:
.PP
.RS
.ta +\w'172.16.24.3'u+4m +\w'%nameserver'u+4m
.nf
172.16.24.3	%nameserver	# dns1.example.com
172.16.24.6	%nameserver	# dns2.example.com
.fi
.RE
.PP
Read
.BR nonamed (8)
for all the details on special host file entries that configure
.B nonamed
for use on the Internet, and on home machines that are occasionally
connected to the Internet.
.SH FILES
.TP 15n
/etc/hosts
Hosts database.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR ethers (5),
.BR nonamed (8),
.BR dhcpd (8),
.BR boot (8).
.SH AUTHOR
Kees J. Bot (kjb@cs.vu.nl)