Computer name

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The computer name is an alphanumeric identifier of a computer in a computer network , which is evaluated using a name resolution process and used to identify, integrate and address a computer in the network. The term is mainly used in Windows computer networks, in the UNIX environment it is usually the host name .

A single computer in a network can be identified and communicated with by the name. The names must be clearly linked to a computer, this is the only way to ensure that a computer can be found reliably. Accidental duplication of computer names can lead to unpredictable behavior during network communication and can even be misused by hackers to lure a communication partner into a trap. Such attacks are also known as DNS spoofing on the Internet .

Internet

Computers in IP networks such as the Internet play a prominent role in computer names . Here the computer names are referred to as host names. The names of individual computers are only used here as an alias for an IP address . This alias is primarily used to simplify the less intuitive IP addresses. Host names are resolved by the computer into an IP address via a DNS server . The actual identification of the computer then takes place on the basis of the IP address.

The host names on the Internet must be unique worldwide. This is ensured with the help of the domain . Each domain name can only be given to persons or organizations. The computer names must then be unique within a so-called domain. The fully qualified domain name consists of the computer name and the domain name and can therefore not be used more than once.

NetBIOS

In Windows systems in particular, the computer name also has the task of uniquely identifying a computer using the NetBIOS protocol.