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NIC Hostname Service
Port 101, commonly known as the NIC Hostname Service, was historically used to provide host name information over TCP/IP networks. Though largely obsolete today, it played a role in early networked host identification before the widespread adoption of DNS..
Overview:
Port 101 TCP historically served a service provided by the Network Information Center (NIC) that enabled retrieving a system's hostname. This was an early method for obtaining machine identification information across the ARPANET and early internet.
Protocol Details:
The NIC Hostname Service allowed devices or users to connect via a simple TCP socket to query textual hostname information from a remote computer or server. The protocol was straightforward, primarily handling clear text hostname responses without complex negotiation or authentication mechanisms. Operations generally entailed a connection request, submission of a query, then receiving a human-readable output.
Modern Context:
This port and associated service have largely fallen out of use with the development of more robust and scalable naming systems like DNS (Domain Name System). Modern networks rarely expose this service, and port 101 is mostly seen in historical documentation or legacy network environments. Legacy devices or highly bespoke systems may theoretically still use this, but its operational presence is negligible today.