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NWG/RFC# 752 MRC 2-Jan-79 01:22 nnnnnA Universal Host TableNetwork Working Group Mark CrispinRequest for Comments 752 SU-AINIC nnnnn 2 January 1979A Universal Host TableABSTRACT: The network host table in use at MIT and Stanford is described.This host table is superior to the NIC and Tenex host tables in severalways. A binary file, compiled from this host table, is also described.This file is used by subsystems on MIT's ITS and Stanford's WAITStimesharing systems for efficiency in host and network lookups.HISTORY: As with many other sites on the Arpanet, we found the NIC's hosttable unsuited to our needs. Part of the problem was because the NIChost table was often inaccurate and all too often failed to includeseveral nicknames in common usage in our communities. In addition, theNIC host table's format was awkward for user programs to use, especiallythose which wanted to have the host table mapped into memory in somesort of structured binary form for efficient lookups. Finally, the NIChost table neglects to include some essential information. The ITS host table was originally designed to be compiled alongwith a network handling program (MIDAS, the PDP-10 assembler used, has apseudo-op to insert a file into an assembly). In order to make the hosttable palatable to the assembler, every comment line began with asemicolon, and every actual data line began with the word HOST. Eachprogram which used the host table defined HOST as an assembly macrobefore inserting the host table into the assembly. This worked well for a long while, but as the network grew, hostschanged their status more frequently and more network programs requiredreassembly when the host table was updated. If the appropriate personfor a particular subsystem was not around, it could be a while beforethat subsystem updated its host table. In the spring of 1977, design started on a binary file which wouldbe placed on a system directory and which all subsystems which wanted toaccess host table information would read in. The format was carefullydesigned to be general enough to satisfy the needs of all the diversesubsystems. All of these subsystems required modification to use thenew format but these modifications turned out to be trivial compared tothe benefits from not having to recompile every subsystem. Later the host table and binary file were imported to the WAITSMark Crispin [page 1]