[ On Tue, November 17, 1998 at 11:27:12 (+1100), Simon Burge wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: mysql: hostname 
>
> As I understand it, technically the domainname is the YP/NIS domainname
> and the hostname is the DNS hostname.

Technically you can use the "domainname" stored in the kernel for
anything you want to use it for (except if your running YP/NIS, I
guess).

Logically it would make perfect sense to use that value as the DNS
domain name when the host uses the DNS, and use it only for YP/NIS if
you're stuck running such a thing.

Of course you can use the domainname for both on systems that use both,
provided that you're also sane enough [;-)] to use the same string for
both purposes....

> The way I usually do things is to set the domainname to the DNS
> domainname on systems which use NIS/YP (which from a security
> point-of-view is probably a no-no) and to use FQDN on systems which
> don't.

Why deviate?  Why not keep things consistent no matter which environment
the host runs?

I wish there were a resolv.conf(5) option to use the kernel domainname,
or even if that were the default.....  (I've hacked this together
before, and even had a patch for named to do the same once upon a
time, but all under SunOS-4.)

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098      VE3TCP      <gwoods@acm.org>      <robohack!woods>
Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>; Secrets of the Weird <woods@weird.com>