Computer Name

Computer Name is a name, up to 15 characters in length, that identifies a computer on the network.

What is Computer Name?

For computers running Microsoft Windows, a name that identifies a computer on the network. Computer names can be up to 15 characters in length. In Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98, you specify a computer's name using the Network utility in Control Panel. (In Windows 2000, use the Network Identification tab of the System utility in Control Panel.)

The computer must be restarted if its name is changed. This name is used by services that perform NetBIOS name resolution on the network, such as the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). Computer names provide a friendly way of accessing network resources without having to remember complex numerical addresses such as IP addresses.

NOTE

A hidden sixteenth character is appended to the computer name to form the NetBIOS name for NetBIOS-aware networking services on the machine. Each NetBIOS-aware service has a different NetBIOS name, some of which are based on the name of the computer and others of which are based on the name of the domain in which the computer resides.

TIP

Give friendly names, derived from some common source such as «A Midsummer Night's Dream», to groups of computers offering related services. For example, you could call your servers Puck, Oberon, and so on. This makes it easy to remember that these computers all belong to the same group.