Change Hostname

The hostname is the name with which the server identifies itself on the network. It should be set correctly especially if the server sends emails or is part of a more complex infrastructure.

hostnamectl set-hostname new-hostname

The hostname must be a valid name: only letters, numbers and hyphens. No spaces or special characters. If you want to use an FQDN (e.g. server1.example.com):

hostnamectl set-hostname server1.example.com

After changing the hostname, update the /etc/hosts file to avoid slowdowns and warnings:

nano /etc/hosts

Modify the line containing the old hostname. It should be similar to:

Complete example of /etc/hosts:

You can also change the hostname directly from the panel:

The change from VirtFusion panel updates the hostname at the VM configuration level, but you still need to update /etc/hostname and /etc/hosts inside the server to make the change effective on the OS.

• Log into VirtFusion panel
• Select server → Options
• Find the Hostname field
• Enter the new hostname and save

If the server sends email, the hostname affects reputation. Always use a hostname that corresponds to a valid DNS record. See: Reverse DNS

The Reverse DNS (PTR record) should match the server's hostname. Example:

• Hostname: mail.example.com
• PTR record of IP: mail.example.com
• A record: mail.example.com → server IP