Bugginess in /etc/printcap and gethostname

Clyde W. Hoover clyde at ut-emx.cc.utexas.edu
Fri Apr 5 08:13:44 AEST 1991


In article <1057 at eplunix.UUCP>, raoul at eplunix.UUCP (Nico Garcia) writes:

|> Apparently, when getting hostnames, the "gethostbyname" does a
|> conversion to lower case ( ... )

|> Our system is a Vax 11/750, running mosty BSD 4.3. Can anyone explain
|> to me *why* the !@#$ thing does a conversion of hostnames to lower
|> case? Or if there is any reason I should not just comment out the
|> if statement (we do have a source license)?

Because Internet host names are case insensitive, as per some RFC.
There may be a bug in gethostnameadr.c in that data from the host file
should be treated the same as the hostname argument (i.e. forced to 
lower case).

Change "GatorBox00346" to "gatorbox00346" in hosts and printcap or fix the
comparasion in gethostnameadr.c to be truly case-insensitive.

Clyde Hoover (Shouter-To-Dead-Parrots)	|
UNIX/VMS Services			| "Forward my mail to the corner
Compuatation Center, UT Austin 		|  of Pork and Beans"
clyde at emx.utexas.edu			|



More information about the Comp.unix.admin mailing list