Re: hostname is being reset, killing net on reboot
On Sun, 23 Jan 2022 19:09:27 +0000
Brian <ad44@cityscape.co.uk> wrote:
> What advice would you give to a user regarding the benefits of a hosts
> file as opposed to more modern techniques?
By "more modern techniques" I will assume you mean DHCP and DNS.
Hosts files are simple, easy to do. They have to be propagated and
maintained, so they are obnoxious from time to time.
With no DHCP, you have to had configure each host's network interface,
usually at installation time, or when you introduce a computer to your
network. This isn't always possible.
Also, you will still need a DNS client on each machine so they can
resolve external host names.
DNS and DHCP require a lot more configuration up front. But once they
are done, that can be all you have to do, and you shouldn't have to do
anything at installation or introduction time. You can use DHCP to
assign fixed IP addresses to some (or all) hosts, but that means some
one-time configuration.
A side benefit of running your own DNS server is that your hosts look
to it, rather than to your ISP's server, which usually means faster
turn-around time for lookups.
Which is easier depends in part on how many hosts you have at any one
time, what they are, and how often new ones arrived. These days, new
arrivals may also mean guests' mobile phones and laptops.
It may also mean "smart" gadgets. I have a pressure cooker on my
network, and I doubt the creators of DNS had those in mind way back
when. I don't think my pressure cooker has any way to manually
configure its IP address, so it pretty well requires DHCP.
If I were running an internet cafe or a computer repair shop, I would
insist on DHCP and DNS. At the other end of the scale, if you only have
a few machines and don't care about your guests' machines or "smart"
gadgets, a hosts file may be simpler.
I hope that provides some guidance.
--
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https://charlescurley.com/blog/
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