need info on hostname

[Steve Bertrand]

> During the install you are asked for the host name which adds the
> following line to rc.conf.
> hostname="gateway.homepc.com"

This is a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the computer following the
standards of the DNS system.

> What does FBSD use this for?

Locating your computer by it's name on a network, as opposed to the IP.
The name is translated into an IP address by a DNS server.

> Did I use the correct format for the host name?

Sure. On an internal network, you can use anything you like, but on the
Internet, you would use one that actually has a real DNS entry. This is
why you can see the FreeBSD website when you type www.freebsd.org into
your browser.

> What are the rules for creating the hostname name?

Follow the DNS standards using the following convention:

computername.domain.top_level_domain ie:

mypc.homenetwork.com or:

www.freebsd.org

> Are the rules published anywhere?

Sure. You can review one of the DNS rfc's here:
http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1034.html

Cheers,

Steve


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