Re: proper way to change ip and hostname

[brownh@hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown)]

> Matthew Lenz wrote:
> 
> > rather than grep xarging /etc for occurances of the ip and
> > hostname is there a proper "debian way" of changing them?
> 
> Editing /etc/hosts ?

I went through this experience a short while ago. All kinds of
recommendations about greping /etc, even that reinstalling linux is
the only safe way to change the hostname. But, in contast, there was
also the suggestion that all that is needed is to change /etc/hosts
and reboot. It makes one feel very insecure when there's such
conflicting advice out there.

I bit the bullet, changed /etc/hostname, and rebooted; nothing
else. As far as I can make out after a month, this procedure worked
beautifully. I can think of ways it could lead to a problem or two,
but I don't think that denies the basic soundness of the approach.

Haines Brown