RFC 952 (rfc952) - Page 1 of 6


DoD Internet host table specification



Alternative Format: Original Text Document



Network Working Group                               K. Harrenstien (SRI)
Request for Comments: 952                                 M. Stahl (SRI)
                                                        E. Feinler (SRI)
Obsoletes:  RFC 810, 608                                    October 1985

                 DOD INTERNET HOST TABLE SPECIFICATION


STATUS OF THIS MEMO

   This RFC is the official specification of the format of the Internet
   Host Table.  This edition of the specification includes minor
   revisions to RFC-810 which brings it up to date. Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

INTRODUCTION

   The DoD Host Table is utilized by the DoD Hostname Server maintained
   by the DDN Network Information Center (NIC) on behalf of the Defense
   Communications Agency (DCA) [See RFC-953].

LOCATION OF THE STANDARD DOD ONLINE HOST TABLE

   A machine-translatable ASCII text version of the DoD Host Table is
   online in the file NETINFO:HOSTS.TXT on the SRI-NIC host.  It can be
   obtained via FTP from your local host by connecting to host
   SRI-NIC.ARPA (26.0.0.73 or 10.0.0.51), logging in as user =
   ANONYMOUS, password = GUEST, and retrieving the file
   "NETINFO:HOSTS.TXT".  The same table may also be obtained via the NIC
   Hostname Server, as described in RFC-953.  The latter method is
   faster and easier, but requires a user program to make the necessary
   connection to the Name Server.

ASSUMPTIONS

   1. A "name" (Net, Host, Gateway, or Domain name) is a text string up
   to 24 characters drawn from the alphabet (A-Z), digits (0-9), minus
   sign (-), and period (.).  Note that periods are only allowed when
   they serve to delimit components of "domain style names". (See
   RFC-921, "Domain Name System Implementation Schedule", for
   background).  No blank or space characters are permitted as part of a
   name. No distinction is made between upper and lower case.  The first
   character must be an alpha character.  The last character must not be
   a minus sign or period.  A host which serves as a GATEWAY should have
   "-GATEWAY" or "-GW" as part of its name.  Hosts which do not serve as
   Internet gateways should not use "-GATEWAY" and "-GW" as part of
   their names. A host which is a TAC should have "-TAC" as the last
   part of its host name, if it is a DoD host.  Single character names
   or nicknames are not allowed.

   2. Internet Addresses are 32-bit addresses [See RFC-796].  In the


Harrenstien & Stahl & Feinler