[Bug 1015030] [NEW] Use nss-myhostname to provide default IP address of UNIX hostname

[Thomas Hood]

Public bug reported:

Currently the installer creates this /etc/hosts for a machine named
'foo':

    127.0.0.1	localhost
    127.0.1.1	foo

If foo is connected to a LAN with domain name 'bar.com' then it's
generally the case that 'foo.bar.com' resolves to the machine's external
IP address.  But 'foo' continues to resolve to 127.0.1.1 because
nsswitch.conf contains

    hosts:          files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4

where 'files' is given first.  Hence "ping foo" pings 127.0.1.1 but
"host foo" returns the external IP address.

To eliminate this inconsistency the line

    127.0.1.1   foo

could be eliminated from /etc/hosts and the "myhostname" NSS provider
(suitably modified so that it returns 127.0.1.1 for the UNIX hostname)
added to nsswitch.conf at the end of the "hosts" line.  That way,
127.0.1.1 is still returned for the name 'foo' but only if other methods
of name resolution have failed to resolve the name 'foo'.

The Myhostname NSS provider is another fine product brought to you by
supercoder Lennart Poettering.

    http://0pointer.de/lennart/projects/nss-myhostname/

** Affects: netcfg (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1015030

Title:
  Use nss-myhostname to provide default IP address of UNIX hostname

Status in “netcfg” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Currently the installer creates this /etc/hosts for a machine named
  'foo':

      127.0.0.1	localhost
      127.0.1.1	foo

  If foo is connected to a LAN with domain name 'bar.com' then it's
  generally the case that 'foo.bar.com' resolves to the machine's
  external IP address.  But 'foo' continues to resolve to 127.0.1.1
  because nsswitch.conf contains

      hosts:          files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4

  where 'files' is given first.  Hence "ping foo" pings 127.0.1.1 but
  "host foo" returns the external IP address.

  To eliminate this inconsistency the line

      127.0.1.1   foo

  could be eliminated from /etc/hosts and the "myhostname" NSS provider
  (suitably modified so that it returns 127.0.1.1 for the UNIX hostname)
  added to nsswitch.conf at the end of the "hosts" line.  That way,
  127.0.1.1 is still returned for the name 'foo' but only if other
  methods of name resolution have failed to resolve the name 'foo'.

  The Myhostname NSS provider is another fine product brought to you by
  supercoder Lennart Poettering.

      http://0pointer.de/lennart/projects/nss-myhostname/

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