Hosts file

[Ed Greshko]

Tim wrote:
> Tim:
>>> DHCP changing the hosts file, not DNS...  The DHCP server can specify
>>> quite a few things to change, some on your computer, some on the local
>>> DNS server (to add your computer to the records).
>>>
>>> Why?  I'm glad you asked!  DHCP is useful for when person A takes their
>>> computer B to network C today, then goes home and plugs it into network
>>> D, and takes it with them to the hotel network E, all of which have
>>> wildly different parameters, and needs change to all manner of things:
> Ed Greshko:
>> However, this only makes sense if all networks rewrite all the same
>> data. If network D doesn't write out the hosts file that is needed for
>> that network and the computer is taken to network E and the hosts file
>> for D is wiped out....I think I've be rather miffed when I returned my
>> system to network D. 
> 
> It's more a case of your client starting out with it's stand-alone
> configuration.  Backing that up when it changes it to suit one network,
> and restoring it upon disconnection (your client changing its
> configuration based on what the DHCP server provides, not the remote
> DHCP server actually changing things on the client).  And doing the same
> sort of thing for the next network.
> 
> Automatically doing the sorts of things that you'd have done by hand.

But, having things done automatically when you are unaware they are going to
be done is never helpful, IMHO.  In this case, if indeed the hosts file is
being overwritten by DHCP, it is certainly not what the OP anticipated or
wanted since he is left with a blank hosts file.