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Whenever I go on a network where the DHCP server assigns hostnames then it overrides the settings I've set for my hostname on my Mac in the "Sharing" section of System Preferences.

How do I stop this behaviour from occurring and always have the same hostname set under Snow Leopard?

5 Answers 5

29

In short: there is an auto-magic behavior that Mac OS uses, by default.

You can turn it off in /etc/hostconfig.

http://excitedcuriosity.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/mac-os-x-hostname-determination/

I like the answer by Jack M., but it doesn't work in many environments of the real-world DHCP environments, because you do not have a pre-existing relationship with the DHCP server. Only in a home setup or a corporate setup (where the IT people are helpful), can you get your desired hostname via DHCP.


In /etc/hostconfig add something like this:

HOSTNAME=your_hostname.your_domain.your_tld

If you want to set it at automatic again, either remove the line or set it to -AUTOMATIC-

2
  • 2
    This answer needs updating for 10.6. I'm looking at 10.5, and is already very different.
    – benc
    Dec 22, 2009 at 8:42
  • 6
    For 10.6+, see @Wolf's answer
    – etarion
    Jan 20, 2012 at 18:29
143

Set it in the Terminal with:

sudo scutil --set HostName <putinyourhostname_or_fqdn_here>

like in:

sudo scutil --set HostName server1.mynetwork.com
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  • 3
    Verified that this also works on Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.8). Jan 30, 2010 at 21:33
  • 3
    Didn't need sudo in Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.2)
    – Garth Kidd
    Apr 14, 2010 at 6:15
  • 2
    Works in Lion (10.7.2) too
    – etarion
    Jan 20, 2012 at 18:29
  • 5
    Verified that this also works on Mountain Lion (10.8.2)
    – DerMike
    Jan 28, 2013 at 13:00
  • 12
    Works on 10.9....
    – Dan Pritts
    Oct 29, 2013 at 2:28
19

Depending on how your DHCP is set up, you may be able to use the "DHCP client ID".

  1. System Preferences.
  2. Network
  3. Select your network adapter on the left.
  4. Select "Advanced" button at the bottom.
  5. Set the "DHCP client ID" to your hostname.

If your DHCP server supports it, your hostname will be used for your machine.

4
  • What if my DHCP server does support it? Every other OS I've used allows me to set my hostname myself, are you saying this is server dependant on OSX? Oct 5, 2009 at 9:17
  • This should make your hostname stick, unless your DHCP server is doing something really odd. I have my box called "shteef" in both Sharing (as you mentioned) and in the DHCP Client ID, and it works fine.
    – Jack M.
    Oct 5, 2009 at 15:27
  • this did not work for me... scutil did however. And after using scutil, this field was filled. Strange. Aug 24, 2010 at 11:21
  • 3
    @JackM. DHCP client ID just means that the client ID is sent to the server during the DHCP negotiation; there is no requirement for a supplied client ID to make it to DNS.
    – Mattie
    Feb 18, 2013 at 17:06
4

Actually it's not related to DHCP. OS X checks the reverse DNS record of your IP and if there's one it's applied as your hostname.

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  • 3
    I realize this is an old answer, but do you know if there's any way to stop this behavior? Nov 17, 2016 at 6:25
1

The Sharing panel doesn't necessarily set your hostname, it set's your bonjour host name, and is the default hostname. DHCP can and probably will override the default hostname. I don't know of anyway to override it, but maybe someone else does.

What I have done in a similiar situation is set up a DYNDNS account, and load the DYNDNS updater on your system. Then you can use the DYNDNS hostname from anywhere, including your local lan without worrying about what your dhcp hostname is...

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