Getting practical for a minute. What is the optimal way now to see if a given host truly exists? Assume that I can't control the DNS server--I need to have this code run in any (*ix) environment. Assume also that I don't want to run around specialcasing specific IP addresses or TLDs--this needs to work reliably no matter what the domain. User gives me a string, and I need to see if the given host is a real machine. An answer from Verisign would be most appropriate here, since they have done "extensive research" on the impact of their new service, so presumably they figured out the answer to this problem and have code samples available for distribution. However I get the feeling from their press releases that they've forgotten there is more to the internet than just the web. -- Kee Hinckley http://www.messagefire.com/ Next Generation Spam Defense http://commons.somewhere.com/buzz/ Writings on Technology and Society I'm not sure which upsets me more: that people are so unwilling to accept responsibility for their own actions, or that they are so eager to regulate everyone else's.