Win2K HOSTS and LMHOSTS.SAM files

[doctorgonzo]

I have been fixing a minor network issue on Win2K machine involving resolving host names. It's fixed, but it got me wondering about the difference between the HOSTS file and the LMHOSTS.SAM file. Both of those seem to be pretty basic lists containing IP addresses and names. So what is the difference between the two?

[pointd]

The HOSTS file was replaced by DNS and maps FQDNs to IP addresses. The LMHOSTS file was replaced by WINS and maps NetBIOS names to IP addresses. This happened due to the fact that updates required a change to the file and by the time those changes had been made the file was already out of date hence the need for a dynamic system.

However I do still use the HOSTS file for static IP addresses on the LAN as it saves a trip to the DNS server to find them as the local machine will check the HOSTS file before it checks DNS.

P.S. The .SAM extension means the file is a sample. To use the HOSTS and LMHOSTS they must have no extension

[doctorgonzo]

Thanks for the explanation. The problem did relate to a server on our LAN that is not in the DNS and thus could not be found. Our DB person told us to add the IP address to the LMHOSTS file, but that wasn't working. Now I see why. I added it to the HOSTS file instead and everything is working fine.

[homer15]

Originally posted by pointd P.S. The .SAM extension means the file is a sample. To use the HOSTS and LMHOSTS they must have no extension

no, a .sam is a ami pro text file. lmhosts.sam is a valid file that maps ip addresses to machine names.

gonz, i'm not sure if there is a difference between them, but different apps might use the files differently. y'know?

[RenegadeKing]

The .sam at the end of LMHOSTS means that it is a sample file. pointd is right when he says you must remove the .sam extension for it to work.

[homer15]

sorry guys, when i looked for the use of the .sam file, i didn't look for lmhosts.sam. i see now it is a sample.