Connecting to Your Network (LAN) 118 Getting Started Guide To learn more about the options available with the ifconfig command, review the ifconfig man page. The hosts and resolv.conf files Two files that are important to your networking are: • /etc/hosts This file lists hostnames and IP addresses that can be resolved without contacting a DNS server. This file generally includes your own computer, but it may also include computers that you access regularly on your local or a remote network. By placing a hostname in the hosts file, you save some time and network bandwidth because you don’t have to contact the DNS server. NOTE: Placing names and IP addresses in the /etc/hosts file can save time by not having to resolve an address over the network. However, if a host’s IP address changes, it will not be automatically picked up in your /etc/hosts file. • /etc/resolv.conf This file defines the address of your DNS name server(s). When you configure this information graphically, the information is stored in this file for the networking resolver program to use. This chapter provides an introduction to connecting to your local network and configuring your networking hardware. You may need to refer to additional resources if the installation process and the procedures provided here don’t estab- lish the network connections that you need. Additional information is provided on the Caldera Systems Web site, via the Knowledge Base (see “Finding Technical Support” on page 8). You can also refer to the materials listed in the section “Bibliography for System Administrators” on page 189.