Re: Second time on hostname
On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 15:30:24 -0400, Haines Brown wrote:
> I'm having some difficulties (From: line missing in header of outgoing
> newsgroup mesaages) and worry their cause might be due to what I put
> into /etc/hostname when I installed.
Shouldn't you be looking at your news reader configuration?
> I had done some reading, got inconsistent answers, and ended by
> using as hostname my FQDN, teufel.hartford-hwp.com when I
> installed.
In Debian the standard is to use a simple name which in your case
would be 'teufel'.
> Since then I've seen suggestions to use only the local host
> name (teufel). Is "machine name" synonymous with "local host" name?
The system has a name maintained in the kernel and initialised at
boot from /etc/hostname. This is what you see when you execute the
hostname command.
> A simple question for which I desperately need an answer: Should I
> have used only the local hostname?
It is possible to use either one.
> Secondary questions: does my use of FQND spell trouble?
Not necessarily.
> If so, some
> sources say never try to change your hostname, but do a reinstall
> instead;
I don't see why that would be necessary.
> others say, grep the /etc directory and change the name
> whereever it appears.
Strictly speaking the system hostname should only appear in /etc/hostname.
However, some programs unfortunately expect to be able to resolve this
name as if it were a domain name. Thus, the Debian installer puts the
hostname in /etc/hosts too. If you change the system hostname then you
should also change the relevant line in /etc/hosts.
/etc/mailname is completely different: the MTA looks in that file to find
out what domain name it should use as the origin of mail. See mailname(5).
> Which is right? Should /etc/mailname be brownh#hartford-hwp.com?
No, it should be a domain name such as 'teufel.hartford-hwp.com'.
Set up /etc/hosts like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost
127.0.1.1 teufel.hartford-hwp.com teufel
Put 'teufel' in /etc/hostname and reboot.
--
Thomas Hood
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