ipnodes(4)							   File Formats 							ipnodes(4)

NAME

       ipnodes - local database associating names of nodes with IP addresses

SYNOPSIS

       /etc/inet/ipnodes

DESCRIPTION

       The  ipnodes  file  is a local database that associates the names of nodes with their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. IP addresses can be
       either an IPv4 or an IPv6 address. The ipnodes file can be used in conjunction with, or instead of, other ipnodes databases, including  the
       Domain  Name  System  (DNS),  the NIS ipnodes map, and the NIS+ ipnodes table. Programs use library interfaces to access information in the
       ipnodes file.

       The ipnodes file has one entry for each IP address of each node. If a node has more than one IP address, it will have one entry	for  each,
       on consecutive lines. The format of each line is:

       IP-address official-node-name nicknames...

       Items  are  separated by any number of <SPACE> and/or <TAB> characters. The first item on a line is the node's IP address. The second entry
       is the node's official name. Subsequent entries on the same line are alternative names for the same machine, or "nicknames." Nicknames  are
       optional.

       For  a  node  with more than one IP address, consecutive entries for these addresses may contain the same or differing nicknames. Different
       nicknames are useful for assigning distinct names to different addresses.

       A call to getipnodebyname(3SOCKET) returns a hostent structure containing  the union of all addresses and nicknames from each line contain-
       ing a matching official name or nickname.

       A `#' indicates the beginning of a comment; characters up to the end of the line are not interpreted by routines that search the file.

       Network addresses are written in one of two ways:

	 o  The  conventional  "decimal  dot" notation and interpreted using the inet_addr routine from the Internet address manipulation library,
	    inet(3SOCKET).

	 o  The IP Version 6 protocol [IPV6], defined in RFC 1884 and interpreted using the inet_pton() routine from the Internet address  manipu-
	    lation library. See inet(3SOCKET).

       These interfaces supports node names as defined in Internet RFC 952 which states:

       A  "name" (Net, Host, Gateway, or Domain name) is a text string up to 24 characters drawn from the alphabet (A-Z), digits (0-9), minus sign
       (-), and period (.). Note that periods are only allowed when they serve to delimit components  of  "domain  style  names".  (See  RFC  921,
       "Domain Name System Implementation Schedule," for background). No blank or space characters are permitted as part of a name. No distinction
       is made between upper and lower case. The first character must be an alpha character. The last character  must  not  be	a  minus  sign	or
       period.

       Although  the  interface  accepts  node	names longer than 24 characters for the node portion (exclusive of the domain component), choosing
       names for  nodes that adhere to the 24 character restriction will insure maximum interoperability on the Internet.

       A node which serves as a GATEWAY should have "-GATEWAY" or "-GW" as part of its name. Nodes which do not serve as Internet gateways  should
       not  use "-GATEWAY" and "-GW" as part of their names. A node that is a TAC should have "-TAC" as the last part of its node name, if it is a
       DoD node.  Single character names or nicknames are not allowed.

       RFC 952 has been modified by RFC 1123 to relax the restriction on the first character being a digit.

EXAMPLES

       Example 1: A Typical Line from the ipnodes File

       The following is a typical line from the ipnodes file:

       2001:0db8:3c4d:55:a00:20ff:fe8e:f3ad	   myhost	    # John Smith

SEE ALSO

	getipnodebyname(3SOCKET), inet(3SOCKET), nsswitch.conf(4), resolv.conf(4), hosts(4)

       Braden, B., editor, RFC 1123, Requirements for Internet Hosts - Application and Support, Network Working Group, October, 1989.

       Harrenstien, K., Stahl, M., and Feinler, E., RFC 952, DOD INTERNET HOST TABLE SPECIFICATION, Network Working Group, October 1985.

       Hinden, R., and Deering, S., editors, RFC 1884, IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture, Network Working Group, December, 1995.

       Postel, Jon, RFC 921, Domain Name System Implementation Schedule -- Revised, Network Working Group, October 1984.

NOTES

       IPv4 addresses can be defined in the ipnodes file or in the hosts file. See hosts(4). The ipnodes file will be searched for IPv4  addresses
       when  using  the  getipnodebyname(3SOCKET)  API.  If  no matching IPv4 addresses are found in the ipnodes file, then the hosts file will be
       searched. To prevent delays in name resolution and to keep /etc/inet/ipnodes and /etc/inet/hosts synchronized, IPv4  addresses  defined	in
       the hosts file should be copied to the ipnodes file.

SunOS 5.10							    15 Dec 2004 							ipnodes(4)