So my hostname is auto-set on boot to something like x1-06-00-00-de-xi etc, as I heard will happen as Mandrake's Control Centre told me - but my hostname used to be of the format:

octet1-octet2-octet3-octet4.cable.ubrx.isp.com (I had problems when I ran XP too, my hostname = my computer name) I've tried the hostname command as root, and that works temporarily, although, I won't always know my hostname, the whole point is that it's assigned automatically of course.

Any idea how I stop it being assigned an address like my MAC?

If I want to have proFTPd running, I have to run hostname octet1-octet2-octet3-octet4.cable.ubrx.isp.com and then start it, and amaroK fails to start up altogether, says it timed out trying to contact 'amaroK'. Not sure whether it means the aRts server (which is running anyway)

Cheers.

Distro = MDK10.0
WM = KDE 3.2
Connection = Cable broadband

I believe dynamic hostnames are given by DNS. Your ISP assigns you an IP address, and your machine looks up that IP address in DNS, and that is what shows. Your ISP may have changed policies recently...

You should still be able to FTP to just IP address (ie FTP XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX).

I understand that, but apparently MDK sets your hostname on boot or login (I'm unsure) to a name similar to the MAC address of the NIC, as opposed to letting DHCP do its job.

I can FTP *out*, but if I want proFTPd running, I have to run that hostname command above to get proFTPd to start up: It doesn't seem to like a hostname that doesn't reverse lookup to the IP. :-/

Edit: just re-read your post: I'll give the ISP a call tomorrow and ask if there's any reason the hostname is being changed on their part. I noticed running winipcfg on the dialup machine (I know, but it's not my machine, I can't install *nix on that one, sadly) said that the hostname was something which definitely wouldn't reverse lookup to the IP. Seemed to be about as random as XP's assigning of a new computername. :-/ Odd.

May be worth noting that the errors amaroK and others are dying out with in CLI mode use an IPv6 version of 127.0.1. :0.0 if I'm not mistaken.

*bump*

Nobody can help me override the hostname MDK apparently sets?
Or should I just get RH instead, or something? :|

Have you tried ?

echo server1.example.com > /etc/hostname
/bin/hostname -F /etc/hostname

that should set the hostname

regards

cRacKya