Host Name

The host name is the name of the local machine, combined with the name of your organization. Many organizations let users choose the host names for their machines. Programs such as sendmail and rlogin use host names to specify remote machines on a network. System Administration Guide contains more information about host names.

The host name of the machine also becomes the name of the primary network interface. This concept becomes important when you set up the network databases or configure routers.

When setting up a network, you must obtain the host names of all machines to be involved. You will use this information when setting up network databases, as described in Chapter 4, Configuring TCP/IP on the Network.