networks(4) Kernel Interfaces Manual networks(4)
NAME
networks - network name data base
DESCRIPTION
The file associates Internet (IP) addresses with official network names and aliases. This allows the user to refer to a network by a sym-
bolic name instead of using an Internet address. For each network, a single line should be present with the following information:
<official network name> <network number> <aliases>
Aliases are other names under which a network is known. For example:
where the network named is also called
A line cannot start with a blank (tab or space character). Items are separated by any number or combination of blanks. A character indi-
cates the beginning of a comment. Characters from the up to the end of the line are not interpreted by routines which search the file.
Trailing blanks are allowed at the end of a line. For the Internet, this file is normally created from the official network database main-
tained at the Network Information Control Center (NIC), though local changes may be required to bring it up-to-date regarding unofficial
aliases and/or unknown networks.
Network numbers can be specified in conventional Internet dot notation using the routine from the internet address manipulation library
(see inet(3N). Network names can contain any printable character other than a white space, new-line, or comment character.
EXAMPLES
See
AUTHOR
was developed by the University of California, Berkeley.
FILES
SEE ALSO
getnetent(3N).
networks(4)