Difference between /etc/hosts and /etc/resolv.conf
/etc/resolv.conf specifies the nameservers for resolver lookups, where it will actual use the DNS protocol for resolving the hostnames.
Typically the /etc/hosts file is used for administrative purposes such as backend and internal functions, which is substantially more isolated in scope, as only the local server will reference it it.
/etc/nsswitch.conf specifies the lookup order with the hosts entry.
If this does not answer your question, please clarify further.
Look at the following manpages:
/etc/resolv.conf specifies nameservers in order of search preference.
/etc/hosts overrides all nameservers by mapping urls/shortnames to IPs.
Typically the /etc/hosts file is used for administrative purposes such as backend and internal functions, which is substantially more isolated in scope, as only the local server will reference it it.
/etc/nsswitch.conf specifies the lookup order with the hosts entry.
If this does not answer your question, please clarify further.
Look at the following manpages:
/etc/resolv.conf specifies nameservers in order of search preference.
/etc/hosts overrides all nameservers by mapping urls/shortnames to IPs.
