@@ -458,7 +458,13 @@ func (container *Container) buildHostsFiles(IP string) error {

 	for linkAlias, child := range children {

 		_, alias := path.Split(linkAlias)

-		extraContent = append(extraContent, etchosts.Record{Hosts: alias, IP: child.NetworkSettings.IPAddress})

+		// allow access to the linked container via the alias, real name, and container hostname

+		aliasList := alias + " " + child.Config.Hostname

+		// only add the name if alias isn't equal to the name

+		if alias != child.Name[1:] {

+			aliasList = aliasList + " " + child.Name[1:]

+		}

+		extraContent = append(extraContent, etchosts.Record{Hosts: aliasList, IP: child.NetworkSettings.IPAddress})

 	}

 	for _, extraHost := range container.hostConfig.ExtraHosts {

@@ -252,20 +252,23 @@ In addition to the environment variables, Docker adds a host entry for the

 source container to the `/etc/hosts` file. Here's an entry for the `web`

 container:

-    $ sudo docker run -t -i --rm --link db:db training/webapp /bin/bash

+    $ sudo docker run -t -i --rm --link db:webdb training/webapp /bin/bash

     root@aed84ee21bde:/opt/webapp# cat /etc/hosts

     172.17.0.7  aed84ee21bde

     . . .

-    172.17.0.5  db

+    172.17.0.5  webdb 6e5cdeb2d300 db

 You can see two relevant host entries. The first is an entry for the `web`

 container that uses the Container ID as a host name. The second entry uses the

-link alias to reference the IP address of the `db` container. You can ping

-that host now via this host name.

+link alias to reference the IP address of the `db` container. In addition to 

+the alias you provide, the linked container's name--if unique from the alias

+provided to the `--link` parameter--and the linked container's hostname will

+also be added in `/etc/hosts` for the linked container's IP address. You can ping

+that host now via any of these entries:

     root@aed84ee21bde:/opt/webapp# apt-get install -yqq inetutils-ping

-    root@aed84ee21bde:/opt/webapp# ping db

-    PING db (172.17.0.5): 48 data bytes

+    root@aed84ee21bde:/opt/webapp# ping webdb

+    PING webdb (172.17.0.5): 48 data bytes

     56 bytes from 172.17.0.5: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.267 ms

     56 bytes from 172.17.0.5: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.250 ms

     56 bytes from 172.17.0.5: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.256 ms

@@ -83,16 +83,27 @@ func TestLinksInvalidContainerTarget(t *testing.T) {

 }

 func TestLinksPingLinkedContainers(t *testing.T) {

-	var out string

-	out, _, _ = dockerCmd(t, "run", "-d", "--name", "container1", "busybox", "sleep", "10")

-	idA := stripTrailingCharacters(out)

-	out, _, _ = dockerCmd(t, "run", "-d", "--name", "container2", "busybox", "sleep", "10")

-	idB := stripTrailingCharacters(out)

-	dockerCmd(t, "run", "--rm", "--link", "container1:alias1", "--link", "container2:alias2", "busybox", "sh", "-c", "ping -c 1 alias1 -W 1 && ping -c 1 alias2 -W 1")

-	dockerCmd(t, "kill", idA)

-	dockerCmd(t, "kill", idB)

-	deleteAllContainers()

+	runCmd := exec.Command(dockerBinary, "run", "-d", "--name", "container1", "--hostname", "fred", "busybox", "top")

+	if _, err := runCommand(runCmd); err != nil {

+		t.Fatal(err)

+	}

+	runCmd = exec.Command(dockerBinary, "run", "-d", "--name", "container2", "--hostname", "wilma", "busybox", "top")

+	if _, err := runCommand(runCmd); err != nil {

+		t.Fatal(err)

+	}

+	runArgs := []string{"run", "--rm", "--link", "container1:alias1", "--link", "container2:alias2", "busybox", "sh", "-c"}

+	pingCmd := "ping -c 1 %s -W 1 && ping -c 1 %s -W 1"

+

+	// test ping by alias, ping by name, and ping by hostname

+	// 1. Ping by alias

+	dockerCmd(t, append(runArgs, fmt.Sprintf(pingCmd, "alias1", "alias2"))...)

+	// 2. Ping by container name

+	dockerCmd(t, append(runArgs, fmt.Sprintf(pingCmd, "container1", "container2"))...)

+	// 3. Ping by hostname

+	dockerCmd(t, append(runArgs, fmt.Sprintf(pingCmd, "fred", "wilma"))...)

+

+	deleteAllContainers()

 	logDone("links - ping linked container")

 }