Hosts file question

[Stacy Pober]

I added a short hosts file to our public computers to cover for the 
flaky DNS server problem that was probably at the root of our Extranet 
dilemma.  

While writing the hosts file, I tried some experiments with putting in 
"wrong" IP's for several site names, then loading the hosts file and 
rebooting.  I was trying to find out if the PC always goes to the hosts 
file first, or whether it tries the hosts file only after network DNS 
fails.  I *still* don't know.  I had two lines in my test file, one 
aliasing www.hotmail.com incorrectly, the other doing the same for 
www.yahoo.com.  They were both aliased to the same incorrect IP number. 
 The odd thing is that directing the browser to open yahoo took me to the 
'incorrect' site (the one specified in "hosts") but  opening Hotmail took 
me to the Hotmail site.  

Now I'm curious - why would the hosts file be ignored in one case and used 
in the second?  Supposedly, you can alias more than one IP number to any 
one name, so that shouldn't be the problem.

And thanks to those who offered counsel on the DNS problem.  Yes, I agree 
that we should have a reliable DNS server on the LAN and that it is an 
integral part of a network.  OTOH I would like to concentrate on changing
the things I *can* change, rather than bemoaning  those things beyond my 
control.  

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Stacy Pober                   mailto: spober at manhattan.edu
Information Alchemist         http://www.manhattan.edu/library/
Manhattan College Libraries   Voice: 718-862-7166
Riverdale, NY 10471           Fax:   718-862-7995
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