On Thu, Jul 13, 2000 at 08:13:06PM +0200, Christian Limpach wrote:

> Right now /etc/ethers is only used to map between ether addresses and host
> names.  After your suggested change it will also be used to populate the arp
> table if you run "arp -F".  What if I want to have many mappings in
> /etc/ethers but don't want an entry in my arp table for each mapping? What
> if I don't want to use DNS host names in /etc/ethers but host names from
> other protocols?

In either case, you'd simply not use "arp -F". Instead, you might use
"arp -f filename" or something. "arp -F" would exist solely for situations
where you *do* want the entirety of your /etc/ethers added to your
translation table, where you're using real (from your network's
perspective, anyway) addresses.

-- 
   Mason Loring Bliss   mason@acheron.middleboro.ma.us             E w i g e
awake ? sleep : dream;  http://acheron.ne.mediaone.net  Meerschweinchenkraft