VDQ : machine names??

[Phil Meyer]

Beartooth wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:19:54 -0600, Phil Meyer wrote:
>
>   
>> I Beartooth wrote:
>>     
>>> 	I know it's a Very Dumb Question; I just can't find a general
>>> answer that works.
>>>       
> 	[....]
>   
>>> 	Clue, please? Pretty please?
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>> Three files can affect the system name.
>>
>> The name seen in the prompt is from the hostname command, which gets set
>> from:
>> /etc/sysconfig/network
>> HOSTNAME=
>>     
>
> 	OK, I changed that one on this machine.
>
>   
The change will take effect upon the next reboot.
>> When your system connects to the network, it can tell the network which
>> name it wants to be known as.  This name, which dynamic DNS servers can
>> receive from the DHCP service, are configured in the network
>> configuration script, such as:
>> /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 DHCP_HOSTNAME=
>>     
>
> 	That one already had the name I wanted.
>
>   
>> Programs on your local system use a consistent method to look up IP
>> addresses and associated host names.  In most cases, the local
>> /etc/hosts file is consulted first, and then DNS or other services.
>> Therefore, some applications on your system, like sendmail, can get
>> hostname from:
>> /etc/hosts
>>     
>
> 	Two very odd things. First nano -w doesn't make it obvious to me 
> (though perhaps it should) how much is one line, how much another :
>
>   GNU nano 2.0.6              File: /etc/
> hosts                                   
>
> # Do not remove the following line, or various programs
> # that require network functionality will fail.
> 127.0.0.1               localhost.localdomain localhost localhost
> ::1             localhost6.localdomain6 localhost6
>
> 	I have no idea where that 6 comes from, nor what it's doing there.
>
> 	Second, if I open Computer > Filesystem > /etc with nautilus, I 
> don't see hosts at all! The search button or search tool on my panel 
> finds 81 files whose name contains "hosts", one of which is indeed /etc/
> hosts; but clicking on that does get it in gedit, which looks much the 
> same : 
>
> # Do not remove the following line, or various programs
> # that require network functionality will fail.
> 127.0.0.1		localhost.localdomain localhost localhost
> ::1		localhost6.localdomain6 localhost6
>
> 	Is what begins with "::1" really a different line, then, than the 
> 127.0.0.1 line? 
>
> 	Also, it doesn't say not to edit that line, just not to delete 
> it. Do I want to change "localhost" (without the 6) there??
>
>   
>> These three files/methods cover %99 of user systems, and are very likely
>> all you would need to look at.
>>
>> Good Luck!
>>     
>
> 	Thanks! I've got a feelin' I'm gonna need it ...
>
>   

It looks like your 'hostname' was not in /etc/hosts, so don't change it. :)
Mostly folks with fixed IPs or servers mess with /etc/hosts and then 
forget they did it. :)

Yes, those two localhost lines are required:
1 for IPv4 and 2 for IPv6

Good luck!