Name

protocols − protocol name file

Description

The protocols file is an ASCII file that contains information regarding the known protocols used in the DARPA Internet.  For each protocol, a single line should be present with the following information:

Official protocol name
Protocol number
Aliases

Each protocol name is separated from the next by a new line. Items are separated by any number of blanks or tab characters or both.  A number sign (#) indicates the beginning of a comment; characters up to the end of the line are not interpreted by routines that search the file.

Protocol names can contain any printable character other than a field delimiter, newline, or comment character. 

The protocols database may be distributed in a network by a naming service, such as Yellow Pages or BIND/Hesiod.  See the Guide to the Yellow Pages Services or the chapter on Hesiod in the Guide to the BIND/Hesiod Service for setup information. 

Files

/etc/protocols

See Also

getprotoent(3n)
Guide to the BIND/Hesiod Service
Guide to the Yellow Pages Service