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ethers(4)
NAME
  ethers - Database that maps Ethernet addresses to hostnames

DESCRIPTION
  The /etc/ethers file is used in conjunction with the reverse address
  resolution protocol daemon (rarpd) to map Ethernet addresses to hostnames.
  It contains information about the known (48-bit) Ethernet addresses of
  hosts on the Internet.

  For each host on an Ethernet, a single line should be present in the file
  with the following information:

  Ethernet-address	  official-host-name

  Items are separated by one or more spaces or tabs.  A number sign (#)
  indicates the beginning of a comment that extends to the end of line.

  The standard form for Ethernet addresses is:

  x:x:x:x:x:x

  The x is a hexadecimal number between 0 and ff, representing 1 byte.	The
  address bytes are always in network order.

  Hostnames can contain any printable character other than a space, tab,
  newline, or number sign (#).

  Hostnames in the /etc/ethers file should correspond to the hostnames in the
  /etc/hosts file or to those provided by the name service.

EXAMPLES
  The following is a sample ethers file:

       08:00:20:01:e5:1c       host1	    # Comments go here
       08:00:20:01:d0:4c       host2	    # Comments go here
       08:00:20:01:e0:1d       host3	    # Comments go here
       08:00:20:00:c2:4e       host4	    # Comments go here

RELATED INFORMATION
  Commands: rarpd(8)

  Files: hosts(4), packetfilter(7)

  Routines: ethers(3)

Index for Section 4

Alphabetical listing for E

Top of page