Re: easy to remember addresses and /etc/hosts and DNS

[Alexandre Petrescu <[e-mail]>]

Le 26/04/2019 à 06:31, Brian E Carpenter a écrit :
> 
> 
> Regards Brian Carpenter
> 
> On 25-Apr-19 21:48, Philip Homburg wrote: ...
>> The main example you gave is somebody typing IPv6 literals while 
>> sitting in a car.
> 
> Indeed, we said from the very beginning (I mean 1994) that users 
> should never be required to type in IPv6 addresses.
> 
> Is this so hard to avoid?

It may be easy to avoid typing IPv6 addresse when DNS was available.

But think about three cars in a covoy; the convoy is disconnected from
the IPv6 Internet, yet fully connected on IPv6 between all computers in
the convoy.  Which of the cars should host the DNS server?

Until we figure that out we are left with /etc/hosts files.  But there
are numerous computers in these 3 cars; a change in an address on an
interface leads to changes in all these /etc/hosts files.  These changes
are happening often: move this USB wifi key from here to there, replace
this Ethernet dongle because heated, etc.

Worse: many of the computers in these 3 cars dont have screens nor
keyboards nor mice.  Those who have screens (tablets, smartphones) have
difficult ways to type addresses in fields.

This is why, in this setting, manual configuration of easy to remember
link-local addresses is key to help the network administrator.

> In my browser, I can simply type "fritzy" and it takes me to the user
> interface of my Fritz box. In my hosts file, I added a line like:
> fd63:45be:cd14:0:be05:43ff:fe8e:ce39 fritzy

I think the /etc/hosts file is a great idea, in many settings, like with 
the fritz box at home.

Alex

> 
> Or I can ping fritzy.
> 
> It's easy enough to give simple names to predefined magic addresses.
> 
> Brian
>