4.2 BSD Network host list daemon request

[Brett Galloway]

We have an ethernet LAN (4.2 TCP/IP) on which exist a number of transitory
computers.  These computers can all be identified with a unique
hostname and hostid/internet address, but they cannot know who else exists on
the LAN besides themselves.  Right now, whenever we wish to add another
host, we have to update N copies of /etc/hosts.  What I want is a client/server
daemon (analogous to routed(8)) which allows automatic generation of the local
host list in /etc/hosts.  It would, upon startup, broadcast its own hostname
and address, and broadcast a request for the hostnames and addresses of everyone
else on the net.  In addition, it would periodically broadcast its own
hostname and address, just for good measure.

I am posting this to net.wanted.sources in case this beast already exists.
I am posting this to net.unix-wizards in case my requst is way off base
(i.e. there already exists a way to do this), or to provide any
tips/warnings on how (or whether to try) to implement such a daemon.

Thanks in advance.
-- 
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Brett Galloway
{pesnta,twg,ios,qubix,turtlevax,tymix,vecpyr,certes,isi}!wjvax!brett