Which of the following server types performs the same function as the HOSTS file?

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used for file transfer between computers, not for hostname-to-IP resolution.

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) assigns IP addresses and network configuration, it does not resolve hostnames to IPs.

A DNS (Domain Name System) server centrally resolves hostnames (like example.com) to IP addresses across a network, much like a local HOSTS file does for an individual machine. The HOSTS file is a static text file that manually maps hostnames to IP addresses, whereas DNS provides a dynamic, hierarchical, and distributed system for this resolution.

WINS (Windows Internet Name Service) resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses, which is a different naming system than the hostnames resolved by a HOSTS file or DNS.