Host configuration (Edit Hosts)

This page allows you to configure custom host entries. Endian Firewall is running a DNS proxy called dnsmasq, which forwards all requests to the DNS resolvers of your RED uplink. You can configure the IP address of the Endian firewall interface of the respective zone as DNS resolver on each of your clients. Then the DNS proxy will be used and you will benefit from a number of its features. One of the finest features is, that it will serve names from the hosts file on the firewall. This is very useful if you want to create hostnames which can be resolved only by your clients but can't set them up directly on your DNS server. This page allows you to edit this hosts file.

Below under Current hosts you will see listed (if any) all current host entries. By clicking on the pencil icon you can edit the respective entry. The trash icon removes the entry.

Figure 4.2. Current hosts

Current hosts

To add a new host entry simply click on Add a host in order to open the dialogue. The following fields will appear:

Host IP address

Fill in the ip address to which you want that the new host points to.

Hostname

Fill in the hostname which you want to assign to the ip address above.

Domain name

This field is optional. If you want to have the new hostname on a domain, then add it. However if you like to have only the hostname without domain, for example because it is shorter, then leave this blank.

If you create for instance a new entry with IP address 207.46.19.30, hostname beaten.by and domain samba.org, you will be able to ping beaten.by.samba.org from each of your clients.

Note that you will not become very lucky if you directly edit the /etc/hosts file on the firewall, since it will be overwritten by the web administration interface, during reboot and some other events, since the content of that file will be generated from the configuration you make on this page.