Sudden change in hostname

So, I logged into my user account today and KDE (4.8.0) didn’t load. I did CTRL + ALT + DEL and was able to logout. Once I was back to the login screen, I noticed there was something different, but couldn’t tell what it was. I managed to login without any issues this time. Once I loaded YAST, I noticed that on the top bar it read “YAST Control Center @ chronosXL”. I dropped to a shell and saw “[myusername]@chronosXL:~>”

I didn’t do any upgrades since my last login, so I have no idea why my hostname has been changed from linux-#### to chronosXL. I can also see this new hostname in sysinfo:/, but my etc/HOSTNAME still has the old, correct one. Any ideas about what might be going on? I tried to restart and that seems to have reset the hostname that shows up in the login screen, but not anywhere else. I’ve been using this copy of 12.1 since January.

(By the way - how come we don’t have a sub-forum dedicated to security? :slight_smile:

And what say

uname -n

and

hostname

And better not only tell what you see, but post e.g.

cat /etc/HOSTNAME

We believe you (in this case), but you better show what the computer says then tell (and possibly interprete, maybe false) what you saw.

(By the way - how come we don’t have a sub-forum dedicated to security? :slight_smile:

This is of course discussed from time to time, but we decided that security is everywhere and that it is better to post in a forums where the gurus dedicated to a subject lure. Those gurus should know also about the security involved in that subject. In other words, when you have a security question/problem with wireless, you better goto Wireless tthen to Security where wireless people would not look per se.

This is the output. I’ve replaced some of the contents with #s where appropriate:

####@chronosXL:~> uname -n
chronosXL
####@chronosXL:~> hostname
chronosXL
####@chronosXL:~> cat /etc/HOSTNAME
linux-####.site

I can confirm that linux-#### (4 letters instead of the #s, of course) is the actual hostname I previously had - and which I didn’t touch.

I don’t think I agree with that assumption (mostly due to signal-to-noise ratio issues), but at least now I get the rationale :slight_smile:

Please next time you post computer text, copy/paste it between CODE tags: http://forums.opensuse.org/english/information-new-users/advanced-how-faq-read-only/451526-posting-code-tags-guide.html

It might not matter here, but in many cases it else bcomes uninterpretable (layout destroyed, white space damaged, smileys added, URLs interpreted, etc.)

Hm, the only guess I can make ATM is that some DHCP server serves you including the hostname.
Do you use a DHCP server to get your IP address and the like?
This is very vague, I know. As you experience this only after not having it before (are you sure :slight_smile: ), my wild guess would also include a change in that DHCP server. (All this, as long you are very sure you did not change anything.)

Thanks for your quick reply, hcvv!

Which is why I didn’t bother this time :wink:

Yeah, I’m quite sure I didn’t make any changes prior to the observed change - but I do get my IP address from a DHCP server. Nonetheless, the possibility that my ISP would be changing my hostname (and that they would have the necessary privileges to do so :O) strikes me as quite odd…

I guess the setting of the variable DHCLIENT_SET_HOSTNAME in /etc/sysconfig/network/dhcp controls this. But I never played around with this and it might also depend on whether you’re using NetworkManager or not. – Yarny

the possibility that my ISP would be changing my hostname (and that they would have the necessary privileges to do so :O) strikes me as quite odd…

It is not that odd. It isn’t as much the ISP as it is your system as DHCP client that asks data from the DHCP server ands then sets sveral things like IP address, netmask, default route, DNS server. I am not sure if domain and hostname can be amongst them, but somewhere deep in my memory … @Yarny’s suggestion is something you should check I suggest.

On 2012-03-03 21:36, ominus wrote:
>
> Thanks for your quick reply, hcvv!
>
> hcvv;2445474 Wrote:
>> Please next time you post computer text, copy/paste it between CODE
>> tags: http://tinyurl.com/2wwx7l9
>> _
>> It_might_not_matter_here,_ but in many cases it else bcomes
>> uninterpretable (layout destroyed, white space damaged, smileys added,
>> URLs interpreted, etc.)
>
> Which is why I didn’t bother this time :wink:

Mmm.

> Yeah, I’m sure I didn’t make any changes - but I do get my IP address
> from a DHCP server. Nonetheless, the possibility that my ISP would be
> changing my hostname (and that they would have the necessary privileges
> to do it :O) strikes me as quite odd…

You gave them the privilege. If you do not want them to do it, revoke the
privilege. >:-)


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

On 2012-03-03 22:16, hcvv wrote:
> things like IP address, netmask, default route, DNS server. I am not
> sure if domain and hostname can be amongst them,

Yes, they are. And more.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

Hi guys. Thanks for all the replies.

@yarny - Thanks! I’m not using NetworkManager at the moment. That variable was set to ‘yes’; I’ll change it to ‘no’ for now.

@hcvv - I understood what you meant - when I said odd, I meant it in the sense that it would change to something so specific (chronosXL) rather than a typical random string, especially when nothing else changed recently (configuration, ISP, modem, etc.) and nothing like this ever happened to me before. Why this name and why now? Just plain weird.

@carlos - Working on it! :stuck_out_tongue:

I sometimes get that on my desktop. It gives me “pc255” as the hostname (if I remember correctly).

It is coming from the DHCP server. Uncheck to option “set hostname from DHCP” in the Yast network devices setup, and that will no longer happen.

It doesn’t happen on my laptop. I think that’s the difference between using “ifup” mode on the desktop and NetworkManager on the laptop.

I don’t see a setting on my router for client hostname, but that’s where it comes from until I disable that.

On 2012-03-03 23:46, ominus wrote:

> and nothing like this
> ever happened to me before.

It was a thing waiting for happening.

> Why this name and why now? Just plain weird.

Ask “them”, it is their choice :slight_smile:

More likely than not, some maintainer there changed something and you got a
name. It can be intentional or accidental.

Have a look at this log entry I get when I send an email via my ISP:


<2.6> 2012-03-02 13:54:56 Telcontar postfix 10204 - -  certificate
verification failed for smtp.telefonica.net[213.4.149.228]:25: untrusted
issuer /C=US/O=RTFM, Inc./OU=Widgets Division/CN=Test CA20010517

Notice the “C=US”? Country = United States? But it is a Spanish business!
Notice the “O=RTFM”? I translate: Organization=Read the Flipping Manual.

Somebody created a certificate without reading the manual, without filling
the fields, just with the sample configuration the software came with. The
same software we have in Linux, by the way, IIRC. No wonder that the
“certificate verification failed”.

Now, do you still wonder that you get a weird name from your isp via your
router? Do you think they know what they are doing?

> @carlos - Working on it! :stuck_out_tongue:

Good!


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

Why this name and why now? Just plain weird.

When it does not ring a bell at yours, we can not know (I know you know that :wink: ). I also had the intention to say: ask your ISP. but that is allready done by Carlos and yes, many ISPs do not realy know what they are doing. Thus just a guy over there with spare time could have introduced such a thing overnight. It is all about the quality of your ISP. I do of course know nothing about yours. I hope that mine is better equiped with knowing people and a good quality assurance system (and I have the strong idea they have).

On 2012-03-04 13:26, hcvv wrote:

> ISP. I do of course know nothing about yours. I hope that mine is better
> equiped with knowing people and a good quality assurance system (and I
> have the strong idea they have).

I know mine has good people. I worked once for them, so they must… :stuck_out_tongue:


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)