To clarify, the look up with "host" is successful but returns strangely an error: Host gai not found: 3(NXDOMAIN) -- DNS proxy, "host" command and hosts files https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/681356 You received this bug notification because you are a member of HIPL core team, which is subscribed to HIPL. Status in Host Identity Protocol for Linux: New Bug description: DNS proxy behaves strangely when looking up a host name that is located in the /etc/hip/hosts and /etc/hosts files. The strange behavior occurs with host command: mkomu@bling:~$ host gai gai has address 1.0.0.2 gai has IPv6 address 2001:15:e156:8a78:3226:dbaa:f2ff:ed06 Host gai not found: 3(NXDOMAIN) But apparently not with dig: mkomu@bling:~$ dig gai ; <<>> DiG 9.7.1-P2 <<>> gai ;; global options: +cmd ;; Got answer: ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 1814 ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0 ;; QUESTION SECTION: ;gai. IN A ;; ANSWER SECTION: gai. 122 IN A 1.0.0.2 ;; Query time: 315 msec ;; SERVER: 127.0.0.53#53(127.0.0.53) ;; WHEN: Thu Nov 25 13:44:29 2010 ;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 37