Setting the Hostname of Linux Workstation or Server

A hostname is a human-friendly name given to a computer. It is a unique identifier that allows us to identify the machine in various network communications, making it easier to locate and manage devices.

Type:

hostname

To see where it is stored, type:

cat /etc/hostname

To get the hostname and additional information about your machine:

hostnamectl

To change the hostname, login as root user or use the sudo command:

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname my-private-workstation

If you do not want to restart your terminal, you can force the current terminal to be changed by typing (assuming you use bash):

exec bash

Verify the hostname was changed:

cat /etc/hostname

Check the content of the /cat/hosts file

cat /etc/hosts

Even though the hostnamectl command allows us to set the new hostname, it does not update the /etc/hosts file. This is optional, but highly recommended.

To update the /etc/hosts file, use the vim command:

sudo vim /etc/hosts/

To ping this instance, run:

ping my-private-laptop

References:

1. Linux Crash Course - Setting the Hostname of your Linux Workstation or Server

2. How to Change Hostname on Ubuntu

3. How to configure a hostname on a Linux system