On a CentOS Linux 7 server you can use any one of the following tool to manage hostnames:
- hostnamectl command : Control the system hostname. This is recommended method.
- nmtui command : Control the system hostname using text user interface (TUI).
- nmcli command : Control the system hostname using CLI part of NetworkManager.
Types of hostnames
The hostname can be configured as follows
- Static host name assigned by sysadmin. For example, “server1”, “wwwbox2”, or “server42.cyberciti.biz”.
- Transient/dynamic host name assigned by DHCP or mDNS server at run time.
- 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 Padmé Amidala’s Laptop”, enter:
# hostnamectl set-hostname “Senator Padmé 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
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