dave@murphy.UUCP (Lerxt) (09/04/86)
Summary: A couple of questions about the setup of localhost Line eater: selected for input In article <3048@umcp-cs.UUCP>, chris@umcp-cs.UUCP (the esteemed Chris Torek) writes: >However, it [the address for "localhost" in /etc/hosts] >should always be 127.0.0.1, lest `martian datagrams' >leak out later. You must also be sure to `ifconfig lo0 localhost up' >in /etc/rc or /etc/rc.local. I have a couple of questions. First, does the localhost address have to be 127.0.0.1, specifically? It seems to me that since 127 is a class A (one-byte) network number, that 127.1 should also work. We use that here and it doesn't seem to cause any problems. Second: I hate to expose my ignorance to the world, but what do you mean by "martian datagrams"? Does this mean that if the localhost isn't right, packets addressed to the localhost network can get out on the Ethernet? Third: About the ifconfig for lo0: I've never had to do this under either our UTX or Sun Unix 3.0, and they seem to work all right. Maybe they cleaned it up. Hmmm... Finally: in an article that Chris quoted, it was stated that for all BSD4.2 systems that are not connected to a network, it is necessary to have a "localhost" in the /etc/hosts file. This is picking a nit, but it is more correct to say that ALL BSD4.2 systems must have a localhost, whether connected to a network or not. (And don't forget to put "loopback" in the /etc/networks file as network 127.) --- "Pick it up and put it in your pocket, or somebody else will" - Stan Ridgeway Dave Cornutt, Gould Computer Systems, Ft. Lauderdale, FL UUCP: ...{sun,pur-ee,brl-bmd}!gould!dcornutt or ...!ucf-cs!novavax!houligan!dcornutt ARPA: wait a minute, I've almost got it... "The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer, not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."