Thanks for the many prompt replies!
The original post asked if hostnames were restricted to 8 characters
Answer:
The file /usr/include/sys/param.h contains the following line:
#define MAXHOSTNAMELEN 64 /* maximum hostname size */
Thus, the maximum length is 64. Art Stine (abstine_at_visix.com)
pointed out that it used to be that older systems required
the name to fit into 24 bytes but that is no longer the case.
Achim Bohnet (ach_at_rosat.mpe-garching.mpg.de) provided the following info:
>1) OSF/1: there is a parameter MAXHOSTNAMELEN or something like that
> defined as 64 that determines the allowed length of the hostname.
>2) 1) does not mean that all tools also allow this (E.g. Polycenter
> Performance Manager has problems with hostnames longer that 31 chars
> (32 with \0).
>3) DNS (bind) allows domainnames up to 255.
>4) HP: We use a HP's as a remote print server. The HP lp daemon has
> problems if the hostname has dot(s) in it. Grr...
>5) lpd: The option -m send you mail when your print job has finished.
> Now the problems: If you use a hostname not containing the domain
> (see 4) and you use a print server outside your domain the mail
> will bounce because the host is not known or in a worse case it's
> send to the wrong host and/or user.
>
>If possible I would choose a hostname that contains the full domainname.
Oh, and Kathy Warnaar pointed out that while names can be longer than
8 characters, short names are a blessing for typing's sake.
Thanks for all that replied:
David Warren <warren_at_atmos.washington.edu>
Terje Sten Bjerkseth <tsb_at_admintec.no>
Fred Dulles <dulles_at_s2.ima.umn.edu>
Gerolf Granse <granse_at_iws.fhg.de>
Art Stine <abstine_at_visix.com>
Achim Bohnet <ach_at_rosat.mpe-garching.mpg.de>
Kathy Warnaar <kwarnaar_at_omega.rtpnc.epa.gov>
Michael Matthews <matthewm_at_sgate.com>
Sheila ??? <SYSTEM_SF_at_unode2.nswc.navy.mil>
_____________________________________________________________________
Cary A. Talbot, Hydraulic Engineer US Army Corps of Engineers
ATTN: CEWES-HH-G Waterways Experiment Station
3909 Halls Ferry Road
Vicksburg, Mississippi 39180
phone:(601)634-4286 fax:(601)634-4208 email:talbot_at_hl.wes.army.mil
Received on Wed May 10 1995 - 11:06:56 NZST