Get network host entry.

#include <netdb.h>
struct hostent *
gethostbyname(const char *name);

struct hostent *
gethostbyname2(const char *name, int af);

struct hostent *
gethostbyaddr(const void *addr, socklen_t len, int type);

struct hostent *
gethostent(void);

void
sethostent(int stayopen);

void
endhostent(void);

void
herror(const char *string);

const char *
hstrerror(int err);

Description

The getaddrinfo and getnameinfo functions are preferred over the gethostbyname(), gethostbyname2(), and gethostbyaddr() functions.

The gethostbyname(), gethostbyname2() and gethostbyaddr() functions each return a pointer to an object with the following structure describing an internet host referenced by name or by address, respectively.

The name argument passed to gethostbyname() or gethostbyname2() should point to a NULL terminated hostname. The addr argument passed to gethostbyaddr() should point to an address which is len bytes long, in binary form (i.e., not an IP address in human readable ASCII form). The type argument specifies the address family (e.g. AF_INET, AF_INET6 ,etc.) of this address.

The structure returned contains either the information obtained from the name server, named, broken-out fields from a line in or database entries supplied by the yp system. The order of the lookups is controlled by the entry in nsswitch.cfg.

struct       hostent {
        char    *h_name;        /* official name of host */
        char    **h_aliases;    /* alias list */
        int     h_addrtype;     /* host address type */
        int     h_length;       /* length of address */
        char    **h_addr_list;  /* list of addresses from name server */
};
#define h_addr  h_addr_list[0]  /* address, for backward compatibility */

The members of this structure are:

When using the nameserver, gethostbyname() and gethostbyname2() will search for the named host in the current domain and its parents unless the name ends in a dot. If the name contains no dot, and if the environment variable "Ev" "HOSTALIASES" contains the name of an alias file, the alias file will first be searched for an alias matching the input name. See hostname for the domain search procedure and the alias file format.

The gethostbyname2() function is an evolution of gethostbyname() which is intended to allow lookups in address families other than AF_INET,for example AF_INET6.

The sethostent() function may be used to request the use of a connected TCP socket for queries. If the stayopen flag is non-zero, this sets the option to send all queries to the name server using TCP and to retain the connection after each call to gethostbyname(), gethostbyname2() or gethostbyaddr(). Otherwise, queries are performed using UDP datagrams.

The endhostent() function closes the TCP connection.

The herror() function writes a message to the diagnostic output consisting of the string argument string , the constant string and a message corresponding to the value of h_errno.

The hstrerror() function returns a string which is the message text corresponding to the value of the err argument.

Diagnostics

Error return status from gethostbyname(), gethostbyname2() and gethostbyaddr() is indicated by return of a NULL pointer. The integer h_errno may then be checked to see whether this is a temporary failure or an invalid or unknown host. The routine herror() can be used to print an error message describing the failure. If its argument string is it is printed, followed by a colon and a space. The error message is printed with a trailing newline.

The variable h_errno can have the following values:

Files

Examples

Print out the hostname associated with a specific IP address:

const char *ipstr = "127.0.0.1";
struct in_addr ip;
struct hostent *hp;

if (!inet_aton(ipstr, &ip))
        errx(1, "can't parse IP address %s", ipstr);

if ((hp = gethostbyaddr((const void *)&ip,
    sizeof ip, AF_INET)) == NULL)
        errx(1, "no name associated with %s", ipstr);

printf("name associated with %s is %s\en", ipstr, hp->h_name);

Bugs

These functions use a thread-specific data storage; if the data is needed for future use, it should be copied before any subsequent calls overwrite it.

Though these functions are thread-safe, still it is recommended to use the getaddrinfo family of functions, instead.

Only the Internet address format is currently understood.

Caveats

The gethostent() function reads the next line of /etc/hosts opening the file if necessary.

The sethostent() function opens and/or rewinds the file /etc/hoss If the stayopen argument is non-zero, the file will not be closed after each call to gethostbyname(), gethostbyname2() or gethostbyaddr().

The endhostent() function closes the file.

Return Values

These functions use a thread-specific data storage; if the data is needed for future use, it should be copied before any subsequent calls overwrite it.

Though these functions are thread-safe, still it is recommended to use the getaddrinfo family of functions, instead.

Only the Internet address format is currently understood.

Requirements