problem with /etc/hosts

[vadim <vadim.tarassov@swissonline.ch>]

Hallo everybody,

I am trying to setup kerberized (heimdal) openssh on several solaris
boxes. Our unix admin installs solaris in such way, that first record in
/etc/hosts contains unqualified hostname, i.e. like this:

111.222.333.444   mybox whatsoever.mydomain

I told him to change "mybox" to FQDN hostname, but he really does not
like it saying that suns installation procedure inserts unqualified
hostname and he does not want to mess around with it.

Thus, can I make Kerberos programs to use DNS directly to lookup
hostname by IP address? Or differently, when I use nslookup with IP
address as argument I get back FQDN hostname regardless to what has been
written in /etc/hosts. Why Heimdal can not function in the same manner? 

I am not very good in UNIX things ... Does anyone know why is it such a
deal to put FQDN hostname in /etc/hosts if /etc/resolv.conf contains
domain name anyway?

Thanx a lot and best regards, vadim tarassov.