[Dnsmasq-discuss] Questions about /etc/hosts

[Chris Green]

When running dnsmasq it (by default) uses /etc/hosts to provide some
system's addresses.

Some of my systems have their names in the /etc/hosts file against
a loopback address so host t470 has:-

    127.0.0.1   localhost
    127.0.1.1   t470.zbmc.eu t470


While others only have their names against their (static) IP address
so host backup has:-

    192.168.1.1     2860n                   # Draytek router, internet
    192.168.1.2     dns.zbmc.eu dns         # this Pi running dnsmasq
    192.168.1.3     esprimo zbmc.eu         # my desktop system
    192.168.1.4     backup.zbmc.eu backup   # backup Raspberry Pi, also DNS/DHCP backup


Is that 127.0.1.1 loopback address just so that there is an IP for a
system to refer to itself (particularly in the case where it has DHCP
assigned IP so there isn't a fixed address for itself)?


Where a system has a static/fixed IP is it OK to have only the
'localhost' loopback address and the 'real' static IP for 'self'?
E.g. can one have:-

    127.0.0.1   localhost

    192.168.1.1     2860n                   # Draytek router, internet
    192.168.1.2     dns.zbmc.eu dns         # this Pi running dnsmasq
    192.168.1.3     esprimo zbmc.eu         # my desktop system
    192.168.1.4     backup.zbmc.eu backup   # backup Raspberry Pi, also DNS/DHCP backup

As the /etc/hosts file on all of those systems (which have static IP)?

-- 
Chris Green