1HOSTNAME(1) Linux Programmer's Manual HOSTNAME(1)
2
6 hostname - show or set the system's host name
7 domainname - show or set the system's NIS/YP domain name
8 dnsdomainname - show the system's DNS domain name
9 nisdomainname - show or set system's NIS/YP domain name
10 ypdomainname - show or set the system's NIS/YP domain name
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14 hostname [-v] [-a] [--alias] [-d] [--domain] [-f] [--fqdn] [-i] [--ip-
15 address] [--long] [-s] [--short] [-y] [--yp] [--nis]
16 hostname [-v] [-F filename] [--file filename] [hostname]
19 domainname [-v] [-F filename] [--file filename] [name]
22 nodename [-v] [-F filename] [--file filename] [name]
25 hostname [-v] [-h] [--help] [-V] [--version]
28 dnsdomainname [-v]
31 nisdomainname [-v]
32 ypdomainname [-v]
33
36 Hostname is the program that is used to either set or display the cur‐
37 rent host, domain or node name of the system. These names are used by
38 many of the networking programs to identify the machine. The domain
39 name is also used by NIS/YP.
40 GET NAME
43 When called without any arguments, the program displays the current
44 names:
45 hostname will print the name of the system as returned by the gethost‐
48 name(2) function.
49 domainname, nisdomainname, ypdomainname will print the name of the sys‐
52 tem as returned by the getdomainname(2) function. This is also known as
53 the YP/NIS domain name of the system.
54 dnsdomainname will print the domain part of the FQDN (Fully Qualified
57 Domain Name). The complete FQDN of the system is returned with hostname
58 --fqdn.
59 The function gethostname(2) is used to get the hostname. Only when the
62 hostname -s is called will gethostbyname(3) be called. The difference
63 in gethostname(2) and gethostbyname(3) is that gethostbyname(3) is net‐
64 work aware, so it consults /etc/nsswitch.conf and /etc/host.conf to
65 decide whether to read information in /etc/sysconfig/network or
66 /etc/hosts the hostname is also set when the network interface is
67 brought up.
68 SET NAME
71 When called with one argument or with the --file option, the commands
72 set the host name, the NIS/YP domain name or the node name.
73 Note, that only the super-user can change the names.
76 It is not possible to set the FQDN or the DNS domain name with the dns‐
79 domainname command (see THE FQDN below).
80 The host name is usually set once at system startup in
83 /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 or /etc/init.d/boot (normally by reading the con‐
84 tents of a file which contains the host name, e.g. /etc/hostname).
85 THE FQDN
88 You can't change the FQDN (as returned by hostname --fqdn) or the DNS
89 domain name (as returned by dnsdomainname) with this command. The FQDN
90 of the system is the name that the resolver(3) returns for the host
91 name.
92 Technically: The FQDN is the name gethostbyname(2) returns for the host
95 name returned by gethostname(2). The DNS domain name is the part after
96 the first dot.
97 Therefore it depends on the configuration (usually in /etc/host.conf)
99 how you can change it. Usually (if the hosts file is parsed before DNS
100 or NIS) you can change it in /etc/hosts.
101
105 -a, --alias
106 Display the alias name of the host (if used).
107 -d, --domain
109 Display the name of the DNS domain. Don't use the command
110 domainname to get the DNS domain name because it will show the
111 NIS domain name and not the DNS domain name. Use dnsdomainname
112 instead.
113 -F, --file filename
115 Read the host name from the specified file. Comments (lines
116 starting with a `#') are ignored.
117 -f, --fqdn, --long
119 Display the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name). A FQDN consists
120 of a short host name and the DNS domain name. Unless you are
121 using bind or NIS for host lookups you can change the FQDN and
122 the DNS domain name (which is part of the FQDN) in the
123 /etc/hosts file.
124 -h, --help
126 Print a usage message and exit.
127 -i, --ip-address
129 Display the IP address(es) of the host.
130 -s, --short
132 Display the short host name. This is the host name cut at the
133 first dot.
134 -V, --version
136 Print version information on standard output and exit success‐
137 fully.
138 -v, --verbose
140 Be verbose and tell what's going on.
141 -y, --yp, --nis
143 Display the NIS domain name. If a parameter is given (or --file
144 name ) then root can also set a new NIS domain.
145
147 /etc/hosts /etc/sysconfig/network
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150 Note that hostname doesn't change anything permanently. After reboot
151 original names from /etc/hosts are used again.
152
154 Peter Tobias, <tobias@et-inf.fho-emden.de>
155 Bernd Eckenfels, <net-tools@lina.inka.de> (NIS and manpage).
156 Steve Whitehouse, <SteveW@ACM.org> (DECnet support and manpage).
157net-tools 28 Jan 1996 HOSTNAME(1)