Host table

The host tables (sometimes called the hostname tables - and capitalization varied) were files used in the ARPANET and early Internet to hold mappings from human-readable names (such as 'MIT-Multics') to binary addresses. Early ones were called the 'Hostname Table'; the name was eventually changed to 'DoD Internet Host Table'.

Fairly early on, updated copies were distributed regularly by the Network Information Center, at SRI International. Eventually, the distribution process used FTP.

Although the early ones only had the capability to hold addresses for the Host-to-IMP Protocol, site-local variants were augmented to have the capability to hold addresses for a number of different protocol suites, such as Chaosnet. Later versions were expanded to carry Internet Protocol addresses.

See also

• Domain Name System

External links

• HOSTS.TXT - a good collection
  • DoD Internet Host Table - June, 1985 (Version number 456)
  • DoD Internet Host Table - December, 1989 (Version number 1515)
• Network Host Status - January, 1972
• Host Status - December, 1973
• A Universal Host Table - January, 1979
• Hostname Table - June, 1982
• syshst - MIT host table files just before conversion to DNS
  • h3text.1604 last MIT host table file - 23 June, 1990