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When you set up Windows it requires a computer name, something like Steven-PC.

This is the equivalent to hostname on Linux. I noticed that Fedora Linux uses localhost as the default hostname. Would using localhost as a computer name cause any problems with Windows?

Zombo
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  • Actually its localhost.localdomain http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/13/html/Installation_Guide/sn-networkconfig-fedora.html – Jim B Apr 07 '15 at 02:20
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    @JimB wrong. Even your own link says that what you have listed is both host name and domain name – Zombo Apr 07 '15 at 02:26
  • The default sets both according to the docs, not just the hostname. – Jim B Apr 07 '15 at 02:30
  • @JimB my question is about the hostname. As I have said in the question, Fedora default is `localhost`. Your comments are irrelevant to the question – Zombo Apr 07 '15 at 02:35
  • It matters because its not s single label without a suffix which it sounds like what you are asking or are you trying to compare red hat naming localhost.localdomain to windows with localhost. My point is that fedora defaults to setting more than just localhost but a suffix as well, and I pointed to the doc showing it- that's it, and its important to point that out because your question may not be read by someone that understands both OSes. – Jim B Apr 08 '15 at 01:14

2 Answers2

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It's probably not going to break much of anything on your local machine, assuming no Windows domain nor DHCP is involved.

However, the identifier 'localhost' specifically and always is defined to mean the local machine. This means that any other computer that wants to connect to you by name will be unable to do so, because attempting to connect to 'localhost' will be attempting to connect to themselves.

Similarly, it is entirely likely that your domain controller (if you have one) will either disallow the hostname or will encounter problems when registering your hostname. Similarly, if you used DHCP, you may encounter issues if the DHCP server is set up to auto-register your host's name.

Therefore, if it's the only computer you're using on a very simple network, you're probably OK. Anything with any level of complexity, and you really should choose a different name.

atk
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4

I'm pretty sure that's OK to use. I don't have a test computer at the moment to test it...you can easily do so.

But to prove my answer...here's the actual list of reserved words according to: http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/909264

Table of reserved words

+--------------------------+----+----+------+  
|Reserved words for names  | NT4| 2K | >=2k3|  
+--------------------------+----+----+------+ 
|ANONYMOUS                 | X  | X  | X    |  
|AUTHENTICATED USER        |    | X  | X    |  
|BATCH                     | X  | X  | X    |  
|BUILTIN                   | X  | X  | X    |  
|CREATOR GROUP             | X  | X  | X    |  
|CREATOR GROUP SERVER      | X  | X  | X    |  
|CREATOR OWNER             | X  | X  | X    |  
|CREATOR OWNER SERVER      | X  | X  | X    |  
|DIALUP                    | X  | X  | X    |  
|DIGEST AUTH               |    |    | X    |  
|INTERACTIVE               | X  | X  | X    |  
|INTERNET                  |    | X  | X    |  
|LOCAL                     | X  | X  | X    |  
|LOCAL SYSTEM              |    |    | X    |  
|NETWORK                   | X  | X  | X    |  
|NETWORK SERVICE           |    |    | X    |  
|NT AUTHORITY              | X  | X  | X    |  
|NT DOMAIN                 | X  | X  | X    |  
|NTLM AUTH                 |    |    | X    |  
|NULL                      | X  | X  | X    |  
|PROXY                     |    | X  | X    |  
|REMOTE INTERACTIVE        |    |    | X    |  
|RESTRICTED                |    | X  | X    |  
|SCHANNEL AUTH             |    |    | X    |  
|SELF                      |    | X  | X    |  
|SERVER                    |    | X  | X    |  
|SERVICE                   | X  | X  | X    |  
|SYSTEM                    | X  | X  | X    |  
|TERMINAL SERVER           |    | X  | X    |  
|THIS ORGANIZATION         |    |    | X    |  
|USERS                     |    |    | X    |  
|WORLD                     | X  | X  | X    |  
+--------------------------+----+----+------+
Community
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TheCleaner
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  • I am not sure if this list relates; I was able to set computer name to ANONYMOUS with no problems – Zombo Apr 07 '15 at 02:50
  • "The names of an upgraded domain can include a reserved word. However, trust relationships with other domains fail when this is true." - so it would appear you can use those reserved words but it could cause unforeseen issues and therefore should be avoided. – TheCleaner Apr 07 '15 at 03:10
  • Additionally it changes if you use a single label domain. – Jim B Apr 08 '15 at 01:08