User guide

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By default, the text box in this portion of the
screen contains the current LMHOSTS configu-
ration.
3. Edit the LMHOSTS file.
4. Click OK.
LMHOSTS Files
About Name Resolution
In order for people to reach your site on an intranet,
you must have a unique IP address that identifies
your computer on the network. This address takes
the form of a long string of numbers separated by
dots (for example, 172.16.255.255). Because a
numeric address is difficult for people to remember,
text names or “friendly names” are used to provide
visitors with an easy-to-remember address, such as
\\MyStoredFiles. Name resolution involves
interpreting the correct numerical address from the
friendly name that was typed into a client browser.
This section describes different name resolution
systems.
The use of an LMHOSTS file is optional. If an
LMHOSTS file is not used, users cannot use
“friendly” text names instead of IP addresses. This
can be a disadvantage because Web sites on the
Internet usually use the Domain Name System. If
you register a domain name for your site, users can
type your site's domain name in a browser to contact
your site.
The LMHOSTS file is read when WINS or
broadcast name resolution fails, and resolved entries
are stored in a system cache for later access. When