Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!hsdndev!dartvax!mars!mother!rob
From: rob@mother.bates.edu (Rob Spellman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: /etc/hosts and /usr/etc/resolv.conf
Message-ID: <1991May8.125425.18783@mother.bates.edu>
Date: 8 May 91 12:54:25 GMT
Sender: rob@mother.bates.edu (Rob Spellman)
Organization: Bates College, Lewiston, ME
Lines: 23

I finally connected a SGI Personal Iris onto our campus network.  I
created /usr/etc/resolv.conf, and pointed it towards our nameserver.
Telnet, ftp, et. all now work fine.  However, the next time I tried to
log in, the window server hung.  If I removed resolv.conf, it worked
again.  I tracked the problem down to the fact that there is an entry
for localhost in /etc/hosts, but not one in the nameserver.  However,
the nameserver does have an entry for 'localhost.' (note the period).
If I put 'localhost' in the nameserver, then users can log in without
any trouble.

Should I keep this entry for 'localhost' in my nameserver?  It seems
to be a kludge.  Is there some way to tell the workstation to first
look in /etc/hosts before trying the nameserver?

Here's some information about my setup retrieved by running uname -a:
gauss gauss 3.2.1 10171414 IP6

Thanks

Rob Spellman
rob@mother.bates.edu
Computing Support Services
Bates College