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:

          10.0.0.1       flotsam
          10.0.0.2       jetsam

     These two entries give names to two IP addresses.  The file  may  contain
     comments marked with '#'.

     You can have aliases (more hostnames on the same line) to give a  machine
     more than one name, like www, if you run a web server on one.

     If your PC is Internet connected then you can specify the name  server(s)
     to get more information from with %nameserver entries:

          172.16.24.3    %nameserver    # dns1.example.com
          172.16.24.6    %nameserver    # dns2.example.com

     Read nonamed(8) for all the details on special  host  file  entries  that
     configure  nonamed for use on the Internet, and on home machines that are
     occasionally connected to the Internet.

FILES

     /etc/hosts     Hosts database.

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

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