Wilders HOSTS entry Question ?

[StevieO]

This is what was posted on the main page whilst you were off air transferring over to the new hosting service.

-{ Quote: "If browsing to wilderssecurity.com brings you here, check your 'hosts' file or proxy to be sure you don't have our old IP
address hard-coded! New IP address is: 65.175.38.194

Adding the two lines below to your hosts file will ensure that browsing to Wilders will result in you being in the correct place:

65.175.38.194 wilderssecurity.com
65.175.38.194 www.wilderssecurity.com " }-

Now call me stupid if you like, but won't doing that have the reverse effect, and just block people from gaining access ? The new IP and the ones recommended for the HOSTS file, are exactly the same !


StevieO

[LowWaterMark]

Why do you think that would block people? ???

A hosts file maps an IP address to a name. That's its purpose. If you are having DNS problems, you can make an entry in your hosts file that starts with the real IP of where you want to go, and the name of the site to associated that address with. Then whenever you access that name, your browser (or other network aware apps) will look that name up in the hosts file and use the IP address associated with it there. If it is the right IP address, you get where you want to go.

If you are thinking that the purpose of hosts files is to block stuff, then you don't understand what hosts files were originally developed to do. People 'now' use hosts files a lot more to block because it is very rare to have DNS problems that would cause you to have to map IPs to names on your own. But, the "blocking effect" of a host file is not in the name being listed there, but rather by associating the name with the wrong IP address - for example, using 127.0.0.1 as a site's IP address. That address would prevent you from reaching the actual site as your computer would look for the site on your own machine (localhost) instead.

[StevieO]

I have never seen any mention of including entries in a HOSTS file to enable people to reach a site. All the advice and info i've seen, is to include entries to block bad IP's etc !

To be perfectly honest, i feel a lot of people will think exactly the same too.

Thanks for the clarification, and sorry for being a bit thick !


StevieO

[LowWaterMark]

Well, it's all part of know how and why things work. A lot of people plug in all those "127.0.0.1 name.xyz" entries without any idea of what it is doing. The first purposes of hosts files were not to block but to enable by mapping the proper address to a site's name. Then along the way someone got the bright idea of putting a wrong address in place of the real IP address, and discovered it'd make a neat blocking tool. Today, that's almost all most people use their hosts files for, even though that wasn't its original purpose.

[gerardwil]

Good explanation LWM.
May I add this link for people who want to know more about the hosts file:

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Regards,

Gerard

[bigc73542]

I had to add the entries to get to the new hosting service. never entered my mind about it blocking me since I was putting a correct ip addy in there.

[StevieO]

I have to say that i do "know how" to include/exclude entries in the HOSTS file, i just wasn't aware of the original purpose it was designed for.

Anyway thanks for the history lesson, might make a good sticky or info type something etc !


StevieO

[crofttk]

So, if I have this right, then if my ISP's DNS goes south, will this entry ensure that I can still get to Wilders ?

[stapp]

Could someone been kind enough to tell me where on my computer I can see a list of host files or install an entry.

I bet there are loads of people like me who have found this thread a good learning curve, after all you learn something every day!

Thank you:)

[crofttk]

-{ Quote: "Could someone been kind enough to tell me where on my computer I can see a list of host files..." }-Look in your "C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc" folder, assuming you have Windows XP installed to the "standard" location

[stapp]

Thanks, it's at this address but asks which prog I want to open it with.
There is a host one and one called hosts msn and Imhosts.sam which windows says it has to look up what created it.

[crofttk]

-{ Quote: "Thanks, it's at this address but asks which prog I want to open it with.
There is a host one and one called hosts msn and Imhosts.sam which windows says it has to look up what created it." }-
You want "host" and try pointing it to "notepad.exe" in your "C:\Windows" folder. It's just a simple text file. You just don't have the convenient double-click functionality because there is no "txt" extension (no extension at all, for that matter).

[Rmus]

-{ Quote: "A hosts file maps an IP address to a name. That's its purpose. " }-Years back, it was advocated by many that connection to a site would be quicker by mapping via the Hosts file. Running a series of tests using a stop watch, I didn't find it to be so, and I never bothered any more with the Hosts file.

[LowWaterMark]

The name of the file is actually: hosts

As mentioned, it has no extension and the best way to access it is using notepad, as crofttk said.

The link that gerard posted above has good information about the hosts file; where it is on different versions of Windows, it's purpose and format.

http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

-{ Quote: "Years back, it was advocated by many that connection to a site would be quicker by mapping via the Hosts file. Running a series of tests using a stop watch, I didn't find it to be so, and I never bothered any more with the Hosts file." }-I've never really seen a speed difference either. However, some people have ISPs with poor DNS, or if they are having network issues with the ISP, there can be delays getting DNS responses. A hosts file entry for a site you use often cuts all that DNS traffic out of the picture and let's you just get there.

For myself, I have the names of my own servers (like this one) in my hosts file just to reduce that excess DNS server babble, and to ensure I get where I want to go all the time.

[crofttk]

-{ Quote: "The name of the file is actually: hosts..." }-Ooops, I shoulda known better.
-{ Quote: "...some people have ISPs with poor DNS, or if they are having network issues with the ISP, there can be delays getting DNS responses. A hosts file entry for a site you use often cuts all that DNS traffic out of the picture and let's you just get there." }-Good, I guess I did understand things correctly then.:)

[dog]

A few OT/Personal Attack posts were removed from this thread.

Let's please keep the personal stuff out of the threads. We all know the score. ;)

Thanks

Steve

[Carver]

To edit the hosts file I use Hostsman 2.1 http://www.abelhadigital.com/ , I used to use Bluetacks Hosts manager http://www.bluetack.co.uk/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=10 Is it better to use one of these or notepad.

[TonyW]

-{ Quote: "To edit the hosts file I use Hostsman 2.1 http://www.abelhadigital.com/" }-I get a blank page in Firefox when I go to that link. However, this one (http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0413933601/abelhadigital/hostsman.html) works fine.

[Carver]

-{ Quote: "I get a blank page in Firefox when I go to that link. However, this one (http://pwp.netcabo.pt/0413933601/abelhadigital/hostsman.html) works fine." }-
I'm sorry that you are having trouble with Firefox, I just tried the link in Firefox and it works for me.

[MikeBCda]

I use the OK Hosts File Reader (sorry I don't have an addy for that). One of its advantages is that you can search for any hosts file(s) you might have in addition to the "official" one, and edit or delete any or all of them.

[Q Section]

Using Hoster 3.1 (http://www.funkytoad.com/hoster.htm) here. It has the most bells and whistles compared to HostsFileReader, Hostes and Hostsman. Also free.

[gerardwil]

One thing I don't understand very well. What's in general the use of the possibility to swap entries between 127.0.0.1 and 0.0.0.0 ?

Gerard

[WSFuser]

heres hpguru's take on 127.0.0.1 vs 0.0.0.0 (calendar of updates thread link (http://www.dozleng.com/updates/index.php?showtopic=4356))
-{ Quote: "-{ Quote: "OK, this may seem OT, but I want to know - is it better to make *all* entries in a HOSTS file to 0.0.0.0 as opposed to 127.0.0.1, as mentioned above by Haroldo in Quotation?" }-
Well 0.0.0.0 is an invalid destination and so mapping of bad hosts to this address will only generate errors. I never seen ANY convincing evidence beyond others subjective observations to suggest that the use of 0.0.0.0 is in any way faster than the localhost IP 127.0.0.1.

Now just to play the devils advocate, what if it was faster - what could go wrong? For one thing your installation of eDexter is now useless because it is listening on 127.0.0.1 for connections which it will never see. Another thing is that now the results of ad blocking is going to be horrendous to look at and may in some cases break page layout so badly as to make the page unreadable. Some folks may not mind that but one of the reasons I block ads is that they are a distraction from the content I want to read, but if instead of ads I see broken images and funky page layout that may be just as distracting as the ads. Maybe more." }-
i personally use 127.0.0.1 as hostsman's internal server uses it..

[gerardwil]

Thanks for info WSFuser :)

Gerard