I no ever really paid attention to the change (since sometime after 10.0) in my bash/csh command prompt:
patti@OS121:~>
…which is username@systemname. I also know that when I set up DHCP behind my rounter, I checked the option to allow it to “change system name via DHCP,” but it doesn’t seem to do that - it just used the system name I assigned at install time. Now I’ve sort of run into a problem with this. I recently had to connect my system directly to my lan with a static IP (instead of DCHP thru the router) some perl scripts which fetch weather data from internet servers have trouble with wget - I presume it’s because the “network name” associated with the static IP (via the lan’s DNS) is different from the assigned system name. I guess I’m really fuzzy on what is going on with IP protocols, because the patti@OS121 stays the same even though the DNS/lan associated name to the static IP (budgie) is different. The command prompt doesn’t change to patti@budgie.
Is there a way to diagnose where the issue is? I thought it would be safer just to change my system’s name (which I gave it at install time) to the same one that the DNS already has (budgie)? I’ve been looking through YaST trying to do that to see if it helps, but can’t seem to find the applet with the current system name (only “localhost”).
There is a difference between ssystem name and hostname, but they are generaly have the same value.
uname -n
hostname
These are better tests then looking at your prompt. Especialy when the system name is changed while you are loged in, your prompt will not change (it will on a new login after the change).
I am not fluent with the “change system name via DHCP” option, but allowing this does not mean that every DHCP server will under all circumstances offer a system name. That depends on the DHCP (configuration).
I doubt that your “trouble with* wget -l*” has something to do with your hostname, but as you did not use one word to describe that trouble, It is a bit difficult to assess that.
The IP protocol works only with IP addresses. Host/domainnames are for human understanding because they are more easy to remember, etc. Thus when you try to contact a server with a server.domain.name, the first thing your own system does is translating that into an IP address. The server side has basicaly no need to translate your client IP address into a client.domain.name, but sometimes, as a security action, servers refuse to serve clients that are not resolvable in DNS. But wqhen they are resolvable, it can be any name different from what you think your own client is called.
In other words, when you see DNS as a telephone directory, you will find my telephone number when you look under my name Henk, When you then call that number and I answer, I will see normaly your number in my display and that is enough. I could though look into my own directory and see that you are Ms. Michelle (forgive me the freedom taken). You, at your lacality may still be known as Patty. This all does not trouble the connection wich is from telephone number to telephone number.
For setting the hostname with DHCP if you’re using NetworkMnager I believe you can check the logs “/var/log/NetworkManager” to see why or why not the hostname is assigned.