In CentOS (but possibly other distros), /etc/hosts has the following comment:
# Auto-generated hostname. Please do not remove this comment.
Since the comment itself asks not to be removed, it seems as though it serves a purpose other than just informational. Perhaps some package checks for its existence.
Googling for this exact comment shows that many hosts files contain it, although none of the results explain the origin of the comment itself.
Edit: Another question that mentions this comment states that it is somehow the cause of the hosts file being overwritten upon reboot. This is not the case for me, as my hosts file already has custom entries and has never been arbitrarily overwritten. The only machine I have with this comment is in a production environment, so I’m unable to reboot and or remove the comment for testing.
That question is here:
Why is my hosts file reseting on reboot?
What is the reason for this comment, and are there consequences for removing it?
