- How to Set or Change a Hostname in CentOS 7
- How to Change Centos Hostname
- Step 1: Check Existing Hostname
- Step 2: Set a New Static Hostname
- Step 3: Check the Hostname
- Step 4: Edit the /etc/hosts File
- Step 5: Reboot and Check CentOS 7 machine hostname
- Step 6 (Optional): Using a Pretty Hostname
- Step 7 (Optional): Setting a Transient Hostname
- Как изменить имя хоста в CentOS 7 навсегда
- Перезапуск сервиса systemd-hostnamed
- Как проверить имя хоста в CentOS 7
- Благодарности
- How to Change or Set Hostname on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8
- Understanding the Types of Hostnames
- How to Display Current Hostname
- Change Hostname on CentOS 8 / RHEL without Restarting the System
- Use hostnamectl to Change Hostname
- Set Static Hostname with hostnamectl
- Set Pretty Hostname with hostnamectl
- Set Transient Hostname with hostnamectl
- Use nmtui to Change Hostname
- Use nmcli to Change Hostname
- Set Hostname by Editing /etc/hostname File (Restart Required)
How to Set or Change a Hostname in CentOS 7
A hostname is simply the name a server goes by on a network. Setting a unique hostname is an excellent way to quickly find and identify different servers on your network.
There are three 3 types of hostnames.
- The statichostname is the most important one, and it’s stored in the /etc/hostname file. This hostname is used among machines to identify a particular server.
- The pretty hostname got its name because it allows for more characters and punctuation. It’s more user-friendly, but since it uses non-standard characters, it is not permitted for machine code. The pretty hostname is stored in the /etc/machine-info directory.
- The transienthostname is one maintained in the Linux kernel. It is dynamic, meaning it will be lost after a reboot. This approach might be useful if you have a minor job requiring a temporary hostname, but you don’t want to risk making a permanent change that might be confusing.
- Server running CentOS 7
- Access to a user account with root privileges
- Terminal window (Menu > Applications > Utilities > Terminal)
- A text editor, like Vim
How to Change Centos Hostname
Step 1: Check Existing Hostname
Before you start, it is advised to check what your current hostname is. Type the following command in the console to find out:
The output should return the static hostname, as well as a list of other information about your network configuration and operating system.
Step 2: Set a New Static Hostname
As CentOS 7 only allows Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs), double-check the hostname you plan to use.
Acceptable values include:
Type in the following command in the terminal:
hostnamectl set-hostname my.new-hostname.server
Note: Make sure to replace my.new-hostname.server with your chosen hostname.
Step 3: Check the Hostname
Next, verify the hostname by using the following command again:
The console should display the new hostname.
Step 4: Edit the /etc/hosts File
Start by opening the hosts file by typing:
In the text editor, look for the line that begins with 127.0.0.1 (the IP address that refers to the system you are working on). It should read:
127.0.0.1 localhost localhost.localdomain localhost 4 localhost4.localdomain4 old.hostname
Change the entry old.hostname to my.new-hostname.server – and spell it the same as in Step 2.
Save the file and exit.
Note: To learn more about hosts file, check out our article on how to edit hosts file on Linux, Windows and Mac.
Step 5: Reboot and Check CentOS 7 machine hostname
Restart your system. Open a console window, and run:
It should display your new hostname.
You can also use your text editor to open and verify your /etc/hostsfile . It should still have your new hostname listed.
Step 6 (Optional): Using a Pretty Hostname
To use a «pretty» hostname type the following command:
hostnamectl set-hostname "My Boss's Hostname"
Make sure you have the quotation marks.
Once that completes, check the hostname:
The console should return a list of information. Check the Static hostname and Pretty hostname lines – they should look like this:
Static hostname: mybossshostname
Pretty hostname: My Boss's Hostname
By putting the hostname in quotes, you’re telling the system to use the complex characters inside the quotes as a pretty hostname.
This enables you to avoid character restrictions for static hostnames.
But you still need a FQDN hostname for the machine to understand. Fortunately, CentOS is smart enough to remove or change any unacceptable characters and render the static hostname automatically.
Step 7 (Optional): Setting a Transient Hostname
Fist, open the console and type the following:
sudo hostnamectl -transient set-hostname temporary.hostname
You can check the hostname in the same way you did earlier, with the hostnamectl or hostnamectl status command.
This change will last until you reboot the machine.
You can use this command with any type of hostname (Static, Pretty, or Transient) as an option with the double-hyphen.
Just use the double-hyphen to indicate what you want:
sudo hostnamectl --prettyset-hostname "Pretty Hostname"
sudo hostnamectl --staticset-hostname temporary.hostname
Note: If you are using CentOS 8, please refer to our guide on how to change or set the hostname on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8.
To set or change a hostname in CentOS 7 is fairly straightforward.
If you are a more advanced user, you can try out other methods as well. One way is editing the /etc/hostname file with a text editor. Alternatively, you can run the nmtui tool at the command prompt, which will launch a little graphical tool to change the hostname.
A guide on how to change or set the hostname is also available for other Linux distributions like Ubuntu 18.04.
Sofija Simic is an experienced Technical Writer. Alongside her educational background in teaching and writing, she has had a lifelong passion for information technology. She is committed to unscrambling confusing IT concepts and streamlining intricate software installations.
If you decide to change your hostname, you have multiple available options to do so. Follow the methods in.
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Как изменить имя хоста в CentOS 7 навсегда
С появлением CentOS 7 изменился синтаксис многих команд этой операционной системы. Я уже писал ранее как сменить консоль в CentOS, теперь это две разные инструкции для CentOS 6 и CentOS 7. В этой статье я расскажу как изменить имя хоста в CentOS 7 & RHEL 7.
Чтобы изменить имя хоста навсегда в CentOS 7 воспользуйтесь следующей командой:
# hostnamectl set-hostname New_HostName
где New_HostName — это новое имя хоста.
В некоторых случаях, если вы используете виртуальный сервер, вам также потребуется отключить изменение hostname при загрузке с помощью команды:
# scarletctl disable set-hostname
Перезапуск сервиса systemd-hostnamed
Чтобы все изменения вступили в силу желательно перезапустить службу (сервис) systemd-hostnamed:
# systemctl restart systemd-hostnamed
Как проверить имя хоста в CentOS 7
Чтобы увидеть имя хоста сервера в CentOS 7 воспользуйтесь командой hostnamectl:
Вы увидите примерно следующее:
# hostnamectl status Static hostname: sitename.tld Icon name: computer-vm Chassis: vm Machine ID: ce4cc7f6d67d0056a8a68503a37d39ee Boot ID: 58599810ff8e4d6b882f4181b616ff46 Virtualization: vmware Operating System: CentOS Linux 7 (Core) CPE OS Name: cpe:/o:centos:centos:7 Kernel: Linux 3.10.0-327.10.1.el7.x86_64 Architecture: x86-64
Благодарности
При написании статьи были использованы следующие источники:
How to Change or Set Hostname on CentOS 8 / RHEL 8
The hostname of a machine is a label that differentiates one system from another on a single network.
During the installation of Centos 8, either the admin defines a hostname or one is automatically created. The assigned system name is not always easy to remember. Later, if you add more machines to the network, you may want to organize hostnames.
In this tutorial, learn how to change the hostname on Centos 8 / RHEL.
- CentOS 8 / RHEL system
- A user with Sudo or root permissions
- Access to a terminal or command line
- Any built-in text editor
Understanding the Types of Hostnames
There are three classes of hostnames:
- The traditional hostname, located at /etc/hostname. The guide focuses on this type.
- A human-readable hostname that allows special characters (e.g., pnap’s server). The system only uses it as a presentation to the user. It is located in the /etc/machine-info directory.
- A changeable hostname that the Linux kernel maintains. By default, it is the same as static, but DHCP and mDNS can change it, or you can change it manually.
The static hostname is defined by default as localhost, while the other two need to be specified separately.
How to Display Current Hostname
To check a machine’s hostname, open the terminal and enter:
Our virtual machine has the default hostname, localhost.localdomain.
Check out our article on the hostname command to learn more about this command and how to use it.
Another way to check the static hostname and get more details about the machine is to use the hostnamectl command:
Change Hostname on CentOS 8 / RHEL without Restarting the System
In some circumstances, rebooting a machine is not an option. There are multiple methods to change the hostname on CentOS 8 or RHEL without having to restart the machine.
Select the option you prefer and then log out and log back in to make sure the changes have taken effect.
Note: It does not matter if you are creating virtual machines or booting physical servers, always assign hostnames in a logical manner. The maximum number of characters you can use is 64.
Use hostnamectl to Change Hostname
The hostnamectl tool allows you to set all classes of hostnames. The command works on other Linux distributions as well, not only CentOS / RHEL.
Set Static Hostname with hostnamectl
The syntax to set a static hostname with hostnamectl is:
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname host.domain
For example, we will change the hostname to vm1.phoenixnap.com:
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname vm1.phoenixnap.com
The terminal returns a new line. Use one of the two methods we mentioned to verify if the hostname was changed:
Set Pretty Hostname with hostnamectl
To modify the pretty hostname, append —pretty to the command:
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname "New Pretty Hostname" --pretty
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname "PNAP's Test VM" --pretty
Enter hostnamectl to verify the changes:
Set Transient Hostname with hostnamectl
Following the pattern from the previous example, set a transient hostname by adding —transient to the command.
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname testvm1.phoenixnap.com
Check the changes with hostnamectl :
Use nmtui to Change Hostname
Launch the NetworkManager TUI with the nmtui command to change the hostname. This is not the primary function of the tool, but it allows users to set a new hostname.
1. In a terminal window, enter:
The tool opens in the same window.
2. Select Set system hostname using the keyboard arrows.
3. Enter the desired hostname and select .
4. Enter your password if prompted, and confirm the changes.
5. Quit the tool.
6. You may need to restart the system-hostnamed to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl restart system-hostnamed
You have successfully changed the hostname on your CentOS 8 or RHEL machine.
Use nmcli to Change Hostname
The nmcli tool is also used to control the NetworkManager, but without the GUI.
The command to change the hostname with nmcli is:
sudo nmcli g hostname newhostname.domain
sudo nmcli g hostname vm.phoenixnap.com
Restart sytemd-hostanmed to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl restart system-hostnamed
Check the hostname using one of the methods we mentioned previously. In this case, we will use nmcli to check the hostname:
Set Hostname by Editing /etc/hostname File (Restart Required)
If you are accustomed to editing system files, change the hostname by making the following changes:
1. Open the /etc/hostname file using your preferred text editor. In this example, we will use nano:
2. Change the current hostname to the desired hostname.
3. Save the changes and exit the editor.
4. Restart the system to apply the changes.
Note: For more details on how to change the hostname other Linux systems, refer to our tutorials How To Change Hostname On CentOS 7, How To Change Hostname On Ubuntu 18.04, How To Change Hostname On Ubuntu 20.04 or How to Change Hostname in Debian 10.
This tutorial explained different options to change the hostname on CentOS 8 /RHEL. Select the system name you prefer, and quickly modify the hostname on your CentOS 8 system.
Goran combines his leadership skills and passion for research, writing, and technology as a Technical Writing Team Lead at phoenixNAP. Working with multiple departments and on various projects, he has developed an extraordinary understanding of cloud and virtualization technology trends and best practices.
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