How the /etc/hosts file works

Data ONTAP uses the /etc/hosts file to resolve host names to IP addresses. You need to keep the /etc/hosts file up-to-date. Changes to the /etc/hosts file take effect immediately.

When Data ONTAP is first installed, the /etc/hosts file is automatically created with default entries for the following interfaces:

•	Local host

•	All interfaces on your storage system

The /etc/hosts file resolves the host names for the storage system on which it is configured. This file cannot be used by other systems for name resolution.

For more information about file formats, see the na_hosts(5) man page.

You can add IP address and host name entries in the /etc/hosts file in the following two ways:

•	Locally—You can add entries by using the command-line interface.

•	Remotely—If the file has many entries and you have access to an NIS makefile master, you can use the NIS makefile master to create the /etc/hosts file. This method prevents errors that might be caused by editing the file manually.