Networking Fundamentals

The hosts file

The hosts file is a text file that can be used to provide a static form of name resolution that only impacts the host that the hosts file is stored on. On a Windows device, the file is stored at %systemroot%\System32\drivers\etc\:

Figure 13.38: Location of the hosts file

Since this is a straightforward text file, it can be edited using any standard text editor, such as Notepad; however, to be able to edit it, you need to run Notepad as an administrator. Once we have the file open, we can configure it accordingly.

The file contains a number of comments and examples of how to configure the file. Each of these is commented out ...