+When using the nameserver,
+.I gethostbyname
+will search for the named host in the current domain and its parents
+unless the name ends in a dot.
+If the name contains no dot, and if the environment variable ``HOSTALAIASES''
+contains the name of an alias file, the alias file will first be searched
+for an alias matching the input name.
+See
+.IR hostname (7)
+for the domain search procedure and the alias file format.
+.PP