RHEL / Centos Linux 7: Change and Set Hostname Command #Transient

RHEL / Centos Linux 7: Change and Set Hostname Command

last updated January 6, 2018 in CategoriesCentOS, Linux, RedHat and Friends

I‘m a new RHEL (Red Hat Linux) and/or CentOS Linux 7 server user. How can I change the hostname in CentOS 7 using a command line option?

On a CentOS Linux 7 server you can use any one of the following tool to manage hostnames:[donotprint][/donotprint]

1. hostnamectl command : Control the system hostname. This is recommended method.
2. nmtui command : Control the system hostname using text user interface (TUI).
3. nmcli command : Control the system hostname using CLI part of NetworkManager.

Types of hostnames

The hostname can be configured as follows

1. Static host name assigned by sysadmin. For example, “server1”, “wwwbox2”, or “server42.cyberciti.biz”.
2. Transient/dynamic host name assigned by DHCP or mDNS server at run time.
3. Pretty host name assigned by sysadmin/end-users and it is a free-form UTF8 host name for presentation to the user. For example, “Vivek’s netbook”.

Method #1: hostnamectl command

Let us see how to use the hostnamectl command.

How do I see the host names?

$ hostnamectl
## OR ##
$ hostnamectl status
Sample outputs:

   Static hostname: centos-7-rc
         Icon name: computer
           Chassis: n/a
        Machine ID: b5470b10ccfd49ed8e4a3b0e953a53c3
           Boot ID: f79de79e2dac4670bddfe528e826b61f
    Virtualization: oracle
  Operating System: CentOS Linux 7 (Core)
       CPE OS Name: cpe:/o:centos:centos:7
            Kernel: Linux 3.10.0-229.1.2.el7.x86_64
      Architecture: x86_64

How do I set the host name?

The syntax is:
# hostnamectl set-hostname Your-New-Host-Name-Here
# hostnamectl set-hostname "Your New Host Name Here" --pretty
# hostnamectl set-hostname Your-New-Host-Name-Here --static
# hostnamectl set-hostname Your-New-Host-Name-Here --transient
To set host name to “R2-D2”, enter:
# hostnamectl set-hostname R2-D2
To set static host name to “server1.cyberciti.biz”, enter:
# hostnamectl set-hostname server1.cyberciti.biz --static
To set pretty host name to “Senator Padme Amidala’s Laptop”, enter:
# hostnamectl set-hostname "Senator Padme Amidala's Laptop" --pretty
To verify new settings, enter:
# hostnamectl status
Sample outputs:

   Static hostname: server1.cyberciti.biz
   Pretty hostname: Senator Padmé Amidala's Laptop
Transient hostname: r2-d2
         Icon name: computer
           Chassis: n/a
        Machine ID: b5470b10ccfd49ed8e4a3b0e953a53c3
           Boot ID: f79de79e2dac4670bddfe528e826b61f
    Virtualization: oracle
  Operating System: CentOS Linux 7 (Core)
       CPE OS Name: cpe:/o:centos:centos:7
            Kernel: Linux 3.10.0-229.1.2.el7.x86_64
      Architecture: x86_64

How do I delete a particular host name?

The syntax is:
# hostnamectl set-hostname ""
# hostnamectl set-hostname "" --static
# hostnamectl set-hostname "" --pretty

How do I change host name remotely?

Use any one of the following syntax:
# ssh root@server-ip-here hostnamectl set-hostname server1
OR set server1 as host name on a remote server called 192.168.1.42 using ssh:
# hostnamectl set-hostname server1 -H root@192.168.1.42

Method #2: nmtui command

You can set host name using nmtui command which has text user interface for new users:
# nmtui
Sample outputs:

Fig.01: Use nmtui to set hostname on a CentOS 7

Use the Down arrow key > select the “Set system hostname” menu option > Press the “Ok” button:

Fig.02: Set hostname

You will see the confirmation box as follows:

Fig.03: New hostname confirmed

Finally, restart hostnamed service by typing the following command
# systemctl restart systemd-hostnamed
To verify changes, enter:
# hostnamectl status
Sample outputs:

Fig.04: CentOS 7 / RHEL View Host Name Details Using hostnamectl Command

Method #3: nmcli command

The nmcli is a command line tool for controlling NetworkManager and reporting network status.

To view the host name using nmcli command:

The syntax is:
# nmcli general hostname

To set the host name using nmcli command:

The syntax is:
# nmcli general hostname R2-D2
# nmcli general hostname server42.cyberciti.biz
Finally, restart the systemd-hostnamed service:
# systemctl restart systemd-hostnamed