A hostname (occasionally also, a sitename) is the unique name by which a network-attached device (which could consist of a computer, file server, network storage device, fax machine, copier, cable modem, etc.) is known on a
network. The hostname is used to identify a particular host in various forms of electronic communication such as the
World Wide Web,
e-mail or
Usenet.
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1. (Or "sitename"). The unique name by which a computer is known on a
network, used to identify it in
electronic mail,
Usenet news, or other forms of electronic information interchange.
On
Internet the hostname is an
ASCII string, e.g. "foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk" which, consists of a local part (foldoc) and a
domain name (doc.ic.ac.uk). The hostname is translated into an
Internet address either via the /etc/hosts file,
NIS or by the
Domain Name System (DNS) or
resolver. It is possible for one computer to have several hostnames (aliases) though one is designated as its
canonical name.
It is often possible to guess a hostname for a particular institution. This is useful if you want to know if they operate network services like
anonymous FTP,
World-Wide Web or
finger. First try the institution's name or obvious abbreviations thereof, with the appropriate
domain appended, e.g. "mit.edu". If this fails, prepend "ftp." or "www." as appropriate, e.g. "www.data-io.com". You can use the
ping command as a quick way to test whether a hostname is valid.
The folklore interest of hostnames stems from the creativity and humour they often display. Interpreting a sitename is not unlike interpreting a vanity licence plate; one has to mentally unpack it, allowing for mono-case and length restrictions and the lack of whitespace. Hacker tradition deprecates dull, institutional-sounding names in favour of punchy, humorous, and clever coinages (except that it is considered appropriate for the official public gateway machine of an organisation to bear the organisation's name or acronym). Mythological references, cartoon characters, animal names, and allusions to SF or fantasy literature are probably the most popular sources for sitenames (in roughly descending order). The obligatory comment is Harris's Lament: "All the good ones are taken!"
See also
network address.
2.
Berkeley Unix command to set and get the application level name used by the host.
Unix manual page: hostname(1).
(1995-02-16)
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