Test hostname

Zeno McDohl · 12-07-2007, 10:40 PM

Is there a way I can test hostname to make sure it'll save over a reboot, without actually having to reboot?

Disillusionist · 12-08-2007, 04:24 AM

In ubuntu (and other debian based distros) the hostname is reset at boot time with the data in the /etc/hostname file.

From a quick google search it appears that in Slackware this filename might be in uppercase:
/etc/HOSTNAME

Therefore if you want to know what your hostname would be after a reboot:

Code:

cd /etc
ls -1|grep -i hostname|xargs cat

Zeno McDohl · 12-08-2007, 12:59 PM

That's the problem. I've had my hostname set in that file for months. But when the server reboots, the hostname isn't set to that and is instead set to "zeno".

Disillusionist · 12-08-2007, 01:19 PM

I don't have Slackware available, however on ubuntu the hostname is set at boot by:

/etc/rcS.d/S02hostname.sh

which is linked to:

/etc/init.d/hostname.sh

Zeno McDohl · 12-08-2007, 02:33 PM

Here's what is done on boot:

Code:

# Set the hostname.
if [ -r /etc/HOSTNAME ]; then
  /bin/hostname $(cat /etc/HOSTNAME | cut -f1 -d .)
else
  # fall back on this old default:
  echo "darkstar.example.net" > /etc/HOSTNAME
  /bin/hostname darkstar
fi

Why is it doing that? The cut line is cutting off the text at the .

Thus since I had zeno.biyg.org it simply turns into zeno. I can't have that happen, but I don't understand why it's doing that.

(The reason I can't have it set to zeno is because my email sends out from nobody@domain where domain seems to be set as the hostname, thus if it's nobody@zeno instead of the correct nobody@zeno.biyg.org, all email servers will reject the email)

trickykid · 12-08-2007, 02:39 PM

Just edit your HOSTNAME file with the name you want to use and be done with it. Every system has some type of script to determine the hostname at bootup. Red Hat will have the name set in /etc/sysconfig/network

Zeno McDohl · 12-08-2007, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trickykid

Just edit your HOSTNAME file with the name you want to use and be done with it. Every system has some type of script to determine the hostname at bootup. Red Hat will have the name set in /etc/sysconfig/network

Please read the thread. That doesn't work. I did set the HOSTNAME file as I already mentioned. But as you can see from the code I posted, the system does not fully read the file on boot. It only reads up to the first period and then stops.

Disillusionist · 12-08-2007, 02:56 PM

You could modify the script to use:

/bin/hostname $(cat /etc/HOSTNAME)

Instead of:

/bin/hostname $(cat /etc/HOSTNAME | cut -f1 -d .)

Zeno McDohl · 12-08-2007, 03:21 PM

Yeah I know I could do that. But I don't like changing system defaults without knowing why they were that way to begin with... There must be a reason.

chrism01 · 12-08-2007, 06:28 PM

Consider

Code:

echo fred|cut -f1 -d .
fred

echo 'fred.g'|cut -f1 -d .
fred

IOW, if you have a hostame with a domain, it gets only the hostname, that's why the '.'

Zeno McDohl · 12-08-2007, 06:58 PM

I understand that. What I don't understand is WHY it is being done.

jschiwal · 12-09-2007, 01:03 AM

What it is doing is correct. If you enter "hostname" or "echo $HOST" you should see "zeno". If you enter "dnsdomainname" you should see "biyg.com".

You should concentrate on the email part of the problem. For example, if the email is sent from a cronjob, edit the cronjob so that the email is sent to a real user.

You could have a "nobody: root" entry in /etc/aliases so that the email gets sent to root.

archtoad6 · 12-17-2007, 07:08 AM

OP, does that make sense[/I]?
(It does to me, at least after just a little thought.)
Do you need more explanation?