# Set Hostname



## Scribner (Feb 15, 2019)

I will be installing FreeBSD for the first time. I was wondering what is the convention for the "Set Hostname" dialog box. The FreeBSD Handbook says, it should be "a hostname that is unique for the network. It should be a fully-qualified hostname, such as `machine3.example.com`." But in _Absolute FreeBSD, 3rd Edition_, the author says, "I'm my own network administrator, so I can use any name I want. Your organization might have different rules." In that book, the author sets the hostname to `dangitbert`.

I am trying to install FreeBSD 12.0 on a laptop I just got today that I will use as my primary computer at home. I do own some domain names, but most of them are attached to external Web hosting. What should I enter for the hostname? I couldn't find any consistent answer.


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## Scribner (Feb 15, 2019)

Thanks! So the hostname doesn't include a domain name (such as, "machine3.example.com") but, rather, is just some arbitrary word?


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## Scribner (Feb 15, 2019)

OK, just to be clear, do I need a hostname AND a domain name? This thread might be helpful: https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/full-qualified-host-name-for-home-laptop.60287/

See also: https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/im-befuddled-by-hostnames-and-fqdns.54502/

EDIT: I think the answer on this page may have answered my question. https://serverfault.com/questions/2...-a-hostname-and-a-fully-qualified-domain-name


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## Phishfry (Feb 16, 2019)

I like to use the motherboard model for hostname.

That way if you ssh in you can instantly recognize what you are working on because the shell uses hostname on command prompt.

root@APU2:~ #
APU2
X10DRI
X10DRL
INVENTEC1
INVENTEC2
S7052


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## Vull (Feb 16, 2019)

Instead of a "domain name" I use a subnetwork name to "qualify" a hostname on a local area network. I don't know how proper it is, and if there's anything wrong about doing it this way I'd be glad to learn about it, but I've been doing it this way for years, and it works at least as far as stopping FreeBSD from sending me messages about my hostname not being qualified. Works on every *nix I ever tried including FreeBSD, GNU/Linux, SCO Openserver 5, AIX, and whatever it was they used on the old DEC minis.

First I add `dashnet 192.168.1` to /etc/networks, right after `subnet2         127.0.2         alias2          # comment 2`, to identify my local area subnetwork:
	
	



```
...
subnet2         127.0.2         alias2          # comment 2
dashnet         192.168.1
...
```
Then I add hostname entries to the /etc/hosts file, and I also add an identifier for the localhost at 127.0.0.1 (which might actually be the only thing that's actually necessary to stop the FQDN messages, I don't know-- and the use of the `.local` suffix might also be problematic; I'm not really sure about that either, but it all seems to work okay after extensive use on multiple platforms):
	
	



```
...
127.0.0.1               localhost localhost.my.domain dellfp10.local
192.168.1.100           dellfp10.dashnet dellfp10
192.168.1.118           dash.dashnet dash
...
```
Putting the unqualified hostname (i.e., dellfp10) after the qualified one (dellfp10.dashnet) allows me to use the shorter name to ping the host, but the longer, "fully qualified" name will be the one that comes back in the ping output, or in the output of other utility programs, because it's the first name listed for that IP. None of these names can be used on the internet, of course, but they can be used in conjunction with multiple, similarly configured, local area subnetworks.
	
	



```
(del@dellfp10 /home/del)$ ping -c 1 dash
PING dash.dashnet (192.168.1.118): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.1.118: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=85.529 ms

--- dash.dashnet ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 packets received, 0.0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 85.529/85.529/85.529/0.000 ms
```


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