hosts...

i'm an idiot... and a numbers guy... i've never in all my years built a host table on a router that wasn't part of an exercise... i always figured it to be a waste of time, and besides my contention has always been you can  count on the numbers, the addresses, and committing them would force you to map the network better in your head...  i simply would not use a host name to telnet or ssh, ever... i'm stubborn...

can you think of a good reason to build a host table on your equipment other than for lazy telnet or ssh access?  this is not a trick question...

i never could so i didn't bother... pain in the ass waste of time... shit was i ever wrong all these years... but i'm not that stubborn that i won't finally admit there is a good reason...

look here...

ALS1#ping 
Protocol [ip]:
Target IP address: 10.1.202.1
Repeat count [5]: 2
Datagram size [100]:
Timeout in seconds [2]:
Extended commands [n]: y
Source address or interface: 10.1.100.1
Type of service [0]:
Set DF bit in IP header? [no]:
Validate reply data? [no]:
Data pattern [0xABCD]:
Loose, Strict, Record, Timestamp, Verbose[none]: record
Number of hops [ 9 ]:
Loose, Strict, Record, Timestamp, Verbose[RV]:
Sweep range of sizes [n]:
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 2, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 10.1.202.1, timeout is 2 seconds:
Packet sent with a source address of 10.1.100.1
Packet has IP options:  Total option bytes= 39, padded length=40
 
Reply to request 0 (24 ms).  Received packet has options
 Total option bytes= 40, padded length=40
 Record route:
   ALS1 (10.1.100.1)
   DLS1 (10.1.2.1)
   R1 (10.1.1.1)
   R2 (10.1.202.1)
   R2 (10.1.1.2)
   R1 (10.1.2.2)
   DLS1 (10.1.100.252)
   ALS1 (10.1.100.1) <*>
   (0.0.0.0)
 End of list

Reply to request 1 (20 ms).  Received packet has options
 Total option bytes= 40, padded length=40
 Record route:
   ALS1 (10.1.100.1)
   DLS1 (10.1.2.1)
   R1 (10.1.1.1)
   R2 (10.1.202.1)
   R2 (10.1.1.2)
   R1 (10.1.2.2)
   DLS1 (10.1.100.252)
   ALS1 (10.1.100.1) <*>
   (0.0.0.0)
 End of list

ALS1#trace 10.1.202.1

Type escape sequence to abort.
Tracing the route to R2 (10.1.202.1)

  1 DLS1 (10.1.100.252) 4 msec 28 msec 4 msec
  2 R1 (10.1.2.2) 0 msec 4 msec 4 msec
  3 R2 (10.1.1.2) 8 msec *  8 msec

but you've known this all along, right? i didn't, because i never use them...

i'll still use the numbers to access devices, but i'm finally sold on the whole host table deal...

send me back to beginners baby...