.TH networks "" "" "System Maintenance"
.PC "Name remote networks"
.B /etc/networks
.PP
.II gateway
The file
.B /etc/networks
names remote networks with which you can communicate, and gives information
with which your system can pass packets to those networks.
.PP
If you wish to communicate on the Internet,
you must create this file by obtaining the official
network data base maintained by the Network Information Control Center (NIC).
To this, add information about other networks not listed by NIC,
with which you may wish to communicate.
.PP
If you are not going to use the Internet, you can create your own version of
.BR /etc/networks .
Each line within
.B networks
describes one remote network, and consists of the following fields:
.IP \(bu 0.3i
The network's name.
A network name can contain any printable character other than white space,
a newline character, or the comment character `#'.
.IP \(bu
The network's Internet number.
.IP \(bu
Aliases, if any, for the network's name.
.PP
If you create your own version of
.BR /etc/networks ,
be sure to set its permissions correctly.
It should be owned by the superuser
.BR root ,
and be executable.
.SH "See Also"
.B
system maintenance
.R
