Chapter 15. Changing a hostname by using hostnamectl
You can use the hostnamectl
utility to update the hostname. By default, this utility 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, pretty, 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 thesystemd-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:
Restart all services that only read the hostname when the service starts:
# systemctl restart <service_name>
- Active shell users must re-login for the changes to take effect.
Verification
Display the hostname:
# hostnamectl status --static new-hostname.example.com
Additional resources
-
hostnamectl(1)
-
systemd-hostnamed.service(8)