gregs@umbc5.umbc.edu (Greg Sylvain) (08/29/89)
Hi, I've gotten the message that having a three field nodename for you system has no restrictions on your machine, since the nodename is only concerned with 'prepriatary' Network Services. But for consistency reasons I'd like to have a four field nodename, such as 'cityzoo.acs.umbc.edu'. Mainly because sendmail thinks this is the nodename anyway. Can anybody tell me how this can be done. I've seen some postings on the net from a 'four field node', so it has been done. And could you tell me the reasoning behind this 'restriction', and if there are any problems/restrictions/constraints that will have to be worked around to make this work. Thanks, Greg Sylvain Systems Programmer University of Md. Baltimore County gregs@umbc3.umbc.edu -or- gregs@cityzoo.acs.umbc.edu
wunder@hp-ses.SDE.HP.COM (Walter Underwood) (08/30/89)
But for consistency reasons I'd like to have a four field nodename, such as 'cityzoo.acs.umbc.edu'. ... I've seen some postings on the net from a 'four field node', so it has been done. No, it hasn't been done. The "nodename" command is ONLY for the Network Services products, things you've probably never heard of, like "dscopy". Ever wonder what the "nftdaemon" and "nftserver" are? They are part of NFT, the dscopy service. The NS nodename is limited to three parts of 16 characters each. Inside HP, we try to keep the nodename related to the ARPA hostname. For example, my workstation is set up like this: ARPA hostname: orac.sde.hp.com NS nodename: orac.sde.hpcom You don't need to do this, unless you want to use NS. If you have HP3000's around, you might want to use NS. If you don't have them, you don't need NS. The NS nodename has no effect whatsoever on the ARPA services. This is not clear in the man pages, but is is carefully explained in the ARPA services manual, if I remember correctly (can't find one right now). wunder PS: The "hostname" command may be stuck with System V limitations on current releases. I'm pretty sure that it allows long hostnames (255 characters) in HP-UX 7.0, since we have supported BIND in that release.
dfc@hpindda.HP.COM (Don Coolidge) (08/30/89)
> I've gotten the message that having a three field nodename for you system > has no restrictions on your machine, since the nodename is only concerned > with 'prepriatary' Network Services. But for consistency reasons I'd like > to have a four field nodename, such as 'cityzoo.acs.umbc.edu'. Mainly > because sendmail thinks this is the nodename anyway. Can anybody tell me > how this can be done. I've seen some postings on the net from a 'four > field node', so it has been done. > > And could you tell me the reasoning behind this 'restriction', and if there > are any problems/restrictions/constraints that will have to be worked > around to make this work. I'm sorry, but you appear to be confusing nodename and domain name, as was the original poster (I've since received email from him, and he's clear on that now). As you pointed out, the nodename is used only by HP-proprietary Network Services - that is, by NFT and RFA. Sendmail isn't among them. Sendmail never sees an HP nodename. All it ever sees is either a hostname or a domain name. What you want is a four-field domain name, not nodename. (If you're telling sendmail that your nodename is also your domain name, that's your choice, of course. Just be aware that that's what you're doing.) The nodename may, or may not, have parts in common with the other two. For instance, my machine's hostname is hpindaw; its nodename is hpindaw.ind.hp; its domain name is hpindaw.hp.com (or hpindaw.HP.COM). In the near future, the domain name will be changing to a four-field name. The nodename will remain unchanged. The nodename is restricted to three fields by HP spec; that can't be changed. It's unfortunate that HP nodenames look so much like domain names, but it's not surprising - they evolved separately to fulfill many of the same functions. HP nodenames have been around longer than domain names, though. Don Coolidge