HOSTNAME(1) manual page
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hostname - show or set the system’s host name
domainname - show or set the system’s NIS/YP domain name
dnsdomainname - show the system’s DNS domain name
nisdomainname - show or set system’s NIS/YP domain name
ypdomainname - show or set the system’s NIS/YP domain name
nodename - show or set the system’s DECnet node name
hostname [-v]
[-a] [--alias] [-d] [--domain] [-f] [--fqdn] [-i] [--ip-address] [--long] [-s] [--short]
[-y] [--yp] [--nis] [-n] [--node]
hostname [-v] [-F filename] [--file filename] [hostname]
domainname [-v] [-F filename] [--file filename] [name]
nodename [-v] [-F filename]
[--file filename] [name]
hostname [-v] [-h] [--help] [-V] [--version]
dnsdomainname
[-v]
nisdomainname [-v]
ypdomainname [-v]
Hostname is the program that is used to either
set or display the current host, domain or node name of the system. These
names are used by many of the networking programs to identify the machine.
The domain name is also used by NIS/YP.
When called without any
arguments, the program displays the current names:
hostname will print
the name of the system as returned by the gethostname(2)
function.
domainname,
nisdomainname, ypdomainname will print the name of the system as returned
by the getdomainname(2)
function. This is also known as the YP/NIS domain
name of the system.
nodename will print the DECnet node name of the system
as returned by the getnodename(2)
function.
dnsdomainname will print the
domain part of the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name). The complete FQDN
of the system is returned with hostname --fqdn.
When called with
one argument or with the --file option, the commands set the host name,
the NIS/YP domain name or the node name.
Note, that only the super-user
can change the names.
It is not possible to set the FQDN or the DNS domain
name with the dnsdomainname command (see THE FQDN below).
The host name
is usually set once at system startup in /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 or /etc/init.d/boot
(normally by reading the contents of a file which contains the host name,
e.g. /etc/hostname).
You can’t change the FQDN (as returned by hostname
--fqdn) or the DNS domain name (as returned by dnsdomainname) with this command.
The FQDN of the system is the name that the resolver(3)
returns for the
host name.
Technically: The FQDN is the name gethostbyname(2)
returns
for the host name returned by gethostname(2)
. The DNS domain name is the
part after the first dot.
Therefore it depends on the configuration (usually
in /etc/host.conf) how you can change it. Usually (if the hosts file is
parsed before DNS or NIS) you can change it in /etc/hosts.
- -a,
--alias
- Display the alias name of the host (if used).
- -d, --domain
- Display the
name of the DNS domain. Don’t use the command domainname to get the DNS domain
name because it will show the NIS domain name and not the DNS domain name.
Use dnsdomainname instead.
- -F, --file filename
- Read the host name from the
specified file. Comments (lines starting with a ‘#’) are ignored.
- -f, --fqdn,
--long
- Display the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name). A FQDN consists of
a short host name and the DNS domain name. Unless you are using bind or
NIS for host lookups you can change the FQDN and the DNS domain name (which
is part of the FQDN) in the /etc/hosts file.
- -h, --help
- Print a usage message
and exit.
- -i, --ip-address
- Display the IP address(es) of the host.
- -n, --node
- Display
the DECnet node name. If a parameter is given (or --file name ) the root can
also set a new node name.
- -s, --short
- Display the short host name. This is the
host name cut at the first dot.
- -V, --version
- Print version information on
standard output and exit successfully.
- -v, --verbose
- Be verbose and tell what’s
going on.
- -y, --yp, --nis
- Display the NIS domain name. If a parameter is given
(or --file name ) then root can also set a new NIS domain.
/etc/hosts
Peter Tobias, <tobias@et-inf.fho-emden.de>
Bernd Eckenfels, <net-tools@lina.inka.de> (NIS and manpage).
Steve Whitehouse, <SteveW@ACM.org> (DECnet support and manpage).
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