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TCP/IP database files

The following table lists the UNIX-style database files that are stored in the systemroot\System32\Drivers\Etc folder corresponding to TCP/IP for computers running Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

File name Use
Hosts Provides host name–to–IP address resolution for Windows Sockets programs.
Lmhosts Provides NetBIOS name–to–IP address resolution for Windows-based networking.
Networks Provides network name–to–network ID resolution for Windows Sockets programs.
Protocols Provides protocol name–to–protocol ID resolution for Windows Sockets programs.
Services Provides service name–to–port ID resolution for Windows Sockets programs.

To troubleshoot any of these files on a local computer, do the following:

  1. Make sure the format of entries in each file matches the format defined in the sample file originally provided with TCP/IP.
  2. Check for spelling errors.
  3. Check for invalid IP addresses and identifiers.

Note