[NTLUG:Discuss] Re: Renaming a Linux host

[Leroy Tennison]

Burton Strauss wrote:

> 
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: discuss-bounces at ntlug.org [mailto:discuss-bounces at ntlug.org] On Behalf
>Of Leroy Tennison
>Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 3:08 AM
>To: NTLUG Discussion List
>Subject: Re: [NTLUG:Discuss] Re: Renaming a Linux host
>
><snip />
>
>  
>
>>OK, if it only changes the in-memory value, why does the program exist? 
>>Surely there are other ways of setting the in-memory value, what pragmatic
>>    
>>
>other value does it have?
>
>Because otherwise how do you set it during the boot??
>
>Remember, the name value pairs in most of the configuration files are just
>that - files.
>
>HOSTNAME=magic
>
>when executed, via . or source, will set the shell variable HOSTNAME to the
>value magic.  That's it.  Various scripts then use that shell variable as
>parameters to programs, etc., e.g.:
>
>hostname ${HOSTNAME}
>
>invokes the hostname program with the value of the parameter HOSTNAME, to
>set the in-memory value.
>
>The problem arises because there isn't just ONE name, value pair set.
>Different programs require different parameters, and, well there's no single
>all seeing boot god to make sure everyone does it the same way.
>
>That's what makes Linux so much fun...
>
>
>In general these are the normal 'names' of a host.
>
>  hostname - usually (but not required to be) a single qualifier and the
>name most of us mean when we talk about the hostname.
>  fqdn - fully qualified domain name - the 'full' name, e.g.
>magic.burtonstrauss.us, the name accessible on the Internet.
>
>But there are (many) others...
>
>  NetBIOS name - used by Windows'
>  IPX name - used by the Novell IPX protocol
>  NIS name - Network Information System (sort of a LAN white/yellow pages)
>  /etc/hosts - used for (local) tcp/ip name resolution.  By convention,
>localhost is always the well, local host address (127.0.0.1), and should be
>aliased to the hostname, e.g.
>
># cat /etc/hosts
>127.0.0.1       localhost magic magic.burtonstrauss.us
>
>etc.
>
>In general, the more stuff you have installed on the box, the more places
>it's 'name' is set.
>
>Also, newer distributions tend to have fewer 'name' locations, as we've all
>learned the benefit of fewer places to fix.  Also, very roughly, the older
>the original basis of the distribution the more hap-hazard it was (e.g.
>Fedora, which traces back a number of years to RedHat isn't quite as singled
>named as Gentoo).
> 
>
>-----Burton
>
>
>
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>
>  
>
I'm glad to hear that sanity (one location for a unique source of 
information) is beginning to prevail.  I can understand and accept 
different locations for fundamentally different environments like Samba, 
DNS, NIS and NetWare but having a bunch of places for the "plain old 
host name" isn't prudent.