Use,the,HOSTS,File,Block,Web,S computer Use the HOSTS File to Block Web Sites
Gone are those times when the companies and the organisations didn't need a hi-tech system to handle them. Owing to the considerable increase in the business sector and thus, an enormous increase in the complexity of the organisational struc ----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes a
----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the article below to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and theresource box below is included.----------------------------------------------------------Use the HOSTS File to Block Web SitesBy Stephen BucaroWhen you type a domain name into your Web browser, InternetProtocol contacts a computer that is a domain name serverto look up the IP address of the Web site. In the earlydays, the Internet didn't need domain name servers. Everycomputer had a file named HOSTS that listed the domain nameand IP address of the systems connected to the Internet.Even today when your Web browser needs to resolve a domainname to an IP address, it first looks for a file namedHOSTS on the local computer. In Windows NT, the HOSTS fileis located in c:windowssystem32drivers. In Windows 9x,the HOSTS file is located in c:windows.Because the HOSTS file is no longer required, you may notfind it on your computer. Instead, you might find a filenamed HOSTS.SAM, the SAM extension meaning "SAMPLE". Youmight also find a file named LMHOSTS. The LMHOSTS file wasused to resolve NetBIOS names to IP addresses.The HOSTS file is simply a text file with a list of IPaddresses and their respective domain names. You can openthe file with Windows Notepad. The HOSTS file may list onlyone IP address, the loopback address, as shown below.127.0.0.1 localhostTo block a Web site, enter an IP address that is notallowed for the Web. For example, any IP address with thefirst digit of 0 would be on the local network. Any IPaddress with the first digit of 127 is looped back. Thenmap that IP address to the domain name that you want toblock.For example, suppose you want to block a porn site thatyour teenager has been visiting, you might add an entrylike the one shown below.127.0.0.2 www.pornsite.comBanner ads are usually hosted on an advertiser's domain andlinked to sites all over the Web. Suppose you want to blockannoying banner ads displayed at a site that you visitfrequently. You might add an entry like the one shown below.127.0.0.3 www.adserver.comThen when a file from that domain name is requested,instead of the porn site or the banner being displayed, thebrowser will display the message "The Page Cannot beDisplayed".When you save the HOSTS file after editing, make sure thatthe file name does not have an extension. Sometimes WindowsNotepad adds the extention .txt.The HOSTS file is a quick, easy way to block access to aWeb site. But if you use this method to block a porn sitethat your teenager has been visiting, make sure they don'tfind this article.----------------------------------------------------------Resource Box:Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintainyour computer and use it more effectively to design a Website and make money on the Web visithttp://bucarotechelp.comTo subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blankemail to mailto:bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com---------------------------------------------------------- Article Tags: Hosts File, Domain Name
Use,the,HOSTS,File,Block,Web,S