Chapter 16. Changing a hostname by using hostnamectl

You can use the hostnamectl utility to update the hostname.

By default, hostnamectl sets the following hostname types:

Static hostname: Stored in the /etc/hostname file. Typically, services use this name as the hostname.
Pretty hostname: A descriptive name, such as Proxy server in data center A.
Transient hostname: A fall-back value that is typically received from the network configuration.

Procedure

Optional: Display the current hostname setting:

# hostnamectl status --static
old-hostname.example.com

Set the new hostname:
```
# hostnamectl set-hostname new-hostname.example.com
```
This command sets the static and transient hostname to the new value. To set only a specific type, pass the --static, --pretty, or --transient option to the command.
The hostnamectl utility automatically restarts the systemd-hostnamed to activate the new name. For the changes to take effect, reboot the host:
```
# reboot
```
Alternatively, if you know which services use the hostname:
1. Restart all services that only read the hostname when the service starts:
  # systemctl restart <service_name>
2. Active shell users must re-login for the changes to take effect.

Verification

Display the hostname:

# hostnamectl status --static
new-hostname.example.com