host name

Where on a Linux box does the host name get specified ?

/etc/hosts

or

/etc/sysconfig/network

If both then why the double up and if not both what is the difference ?

I am using Centos.

Thanks in advance...

McHenry <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Where on a Linux box does the host name get specified ?

It depends. Different distributions put it different places, so
you'd have to look at your distribution's documentation.


> /etc/hosts
> or
> /etc/sysconfig/network
> If both then why the double up and if not both what is the difference ?

/etc/hosts is for name resolution, not telling the box what its
hostname is.


--
Oh to have a lodge in some vast wilderness. Where rumors of oppression
and deceit, of unsuccessful and successful wars may never reach me
anymore.
-- William Cowper

On Fri, 16 Jun 2006 20:23:40 +0800, McHenry wrote:
> Where on a Linux box does the host name get specified ?

Depends on the distribution.

> /etc/hosts
> or
> /etc/sysconfig/network
>
> If both then why the double up and if not both what is the difference ?

One is used during boot/network setup, the other for name to ip resolution.

On Fri, 16 Jun 2006 20:23:40 +0800, McHenry wrote:

> Where on a Linux box does the host name get specified ?
>
> /etc/hosts
>
> or
>
> /etc/sysconfig/network
>
> If both then why the double up and if not both what is the difference ?
>
> I am using Centos.
>
> Thanks in advance...

/etc/sysconfig/network is the one you want.

HOSTNAME=myhostname.myowndomain.com
DOMAINNAME=myowndomain.com

Benway

McHenry wrote:

> Where on a Linux box does the host name get specified ?

$ cat /etc/hostname

$ man hostname

> /etc/hosts
>
> or
>
> /etc/sysconfig/network
>
> If both then why the double up and if not both what is the difference ?

The first one's a standard file, used by every Unix under the
sun to store the names of other computers on the network.

I don't know what the second one is. It's probably some kind
of semi-proprietary config file created by a little known distro
that nobody uses.

On 16 Jun 2006 19:12:06 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
> I don't know what the second one is. It's probably some kind
> of semi-proprietary config file created by a little known distro
> that nobody uses.

like Redhat, Mandrake, Mandriva,...