# hosts(5)

    NAME
         hosts - hostname to IP address database

    SYNOPSIS
         /etc/hosts

    DESCRIPTION
         The hosts  database  lists  the  IP  addresses  and  the  hostnames  that
         translate  to  these IP addresses.  It is used by nonamed(8) in a network
         without name servers.  A simple /etc/hosts may look like this:

              127.0.0.1      localhost
              10.0.0.1       flotsam
              10.0.0.2       jetsam
              255.0.0.0      0.0.0.10.in-addr.arpa

         The localhost entry lists a special address that refers to the local host
         itself  (a  kind  of  /dev/tty  for  hosts.)   You should only list it if
         nonamed needs it!  The next two entries are actual  machines.   The  last
         entry  specifies  the  netmask  of  the  10.*.*.*  network.  The file may
         contain comments marked with '#'.

         You can have aliases (more hostnames on the same line),  but  it  is  not
         recommended,  because  nonamed  can't present them to the system as CNAME
         records.  An often seen form like

              10.0.0.1       flotsam.cs.vu.nl  flotsam

         is harmless though, and has the small advantage  that  you  can  use  the
         short name in /etc/ethers so rarpd can match it at boot time.

    FILES

         /etc/hosts     Hosts database.

    SEE ALSO
         ethers(5), nonamed(8), rarpd(8), boot(8).

    AUTHOR
         Kees J. Bot (kjb@cs.vu.nl)