Change Hostname

Changing the hostname in FreeBSD can be done in a few simple steps. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Change the Hostname Temporarily

To change the hostname temporarily (until the next reboot), you can use the hostname command. Open a terminal and run:

sudo hostname new-hostname

Replace new-hostname with your desired hostname.

To make the hostname change permanent, you need to edit the /etc/rc.conf file. Open the file in a text editor, such as vi or nano:

sudo vi /etc/rc.conf

sudo nano /etc/rc.conf

Look for a line that starts with hostname=. If it exists, change it to your new hostname. If it doesn’t exist, add the following line:

hostname="new-hostname"

Again, replace new-hostname with your desired hostname.

It’s also a good idea to update the /etc/hosts file to reflect the new hostname. Open the file:

sudo vi /etc/hosts

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Find the line that contains the old hostname and change it to the new hostname. It might look something like this:

127.0.0.1   localhost
127.0.0.1   old-hostname

Change old-hostname to new-hostname:

127.0.0.1   localhost
127.0.0.1   new-hostname

To apply the changes, you can either reboot the system:

sudo reboot

Or, you can restart the networking service:

sudo service netif restart

After rebooting or restarting the network, you can verify that the hostname has been changed by running:

hostname

This should display your new hostname.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully change the hostname on your FreeBSD system.