* Graham Wilson > I think the rules that LaMont posted were the rules for FQDNs. My > contention is that the kernel hostname variable is not meant to > contain FQDNs, but only hostnames, which are single components of > domain names (and therefore have not dots in them). Is there > disagreement about this?
I cannot say what usage the good folks from AT&T Bell Labs originally had in mind (if that was indeed where the hostname concept was invented). However, using FQDN hostnames has been de facto allowed for a long time, both in the various Linux distributions, and other Unices. Some distributions use it as the default, if I'm not mistaken. I won't argue that FQDN hostnames is "more correct" than unqualified hostnames or vice verca; I consider it a matter of personal preference. I prefer the former, you the latter. Fine by me. Both setups work perfectly, and both setups are valid according to established pratise. Now, what I do strongly object to is that you appear to want to disallow FQDN hostnames, without citing a single authoritative reference that indicates that FQDN hostnames are de jure forbidden. As I stated before, «I believe [...]», or the more recent «My contention is [...]», type of argumentation isn't really convincing as long as you do not back it up with some kind of standards document. And even if you do find an RFC or similar which states clearly states that the kernel hostname "MUST NOT" be fully qualified (I looked and found nothing), I would still not enforce it without first giving it some careful consideration, given how long it has been de facto permitted. It is not a change to be done lightly, in my opinion. Who knows how many thousands, if not millions, of installations will start claiming their hostnames are invalid? I have several hundred... > Even though I'm currently convinced the current behavior is correct, I > don't think the stringent checking code adds anything terribly useful > over what was there in the past, so it seems likely that I'll decide > to remove it. Hmm. You are aware that LaMont did an NMU a while back, right? Regards -- Tore Anderson
