If the user changes the puppypc1234 hostname...

Please post any bugs you have found
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Sailor Enceladus
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If the user changes the puppypc1234 hostname...

#1 Post by Sailor Enceladus »

This breaks at least two things:

- Mount icons will not show as mounted when you click them
- Changing wallpaper will not work, and complain: "No pinboard selected" where it will then create a second pinboard and change the wallpaper there instead, which it now switches back and forth to each time you click on the desktop

A restart of the graphic server (or typing "restartwm") seems to fix it, but maybe a less extreme measure could be used...

Tested on Slacko 6.3.0.6, Xenialpup 7.0.1, and Slacko 5.7.

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01micko
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#2 Post by 01micko »

That's odd because I change hostname all the time at first run and have had no adverse effects.
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Sailor Enceladus
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#3 Post by Sailor Enceladus »

My guess is that when you change hostname, something (the pinboard?) is still configured to the old one until you restartwm. Will do some more investigating tonight, and possibly post some screenshots of the issues.

Terry H
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#4 Post by Terry H »

01micko wrote:That's odd because I change hostname all the time at first run and have had no adverse effects.
Same here.

Sailor Enceladus
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#5 Post by Sailor Enceladus »

I found out those bugs do not happen in Slacko 5.3.3, 5.5, or 5.6, and that replacing this code with the older version fixes it.

edit: Tested on two more computers (usb on a desktop, and hard drive on a laptop) and the behaviour/solution is the same.

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8Geee
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#6 Post by 8Geee »

On first boot, altering the host name from its default to anything else will popup a script-box indicating the host name has changed. Everything should work fine. But if you are changing host name after 1st boot, then all bets are off.
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rcrsn51
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#7 Post by rcrsn51 »

Sailor Enceladus never provided a key piece of information. Did he change the hostname through a wizard or just by changing the file /etc/hostname?

X is a SERVER and Puppy is the CLIENT. There are several ways for the client to authenticate to the server. Most (all?) Puppies use the simplest method - the hostname. IIRC, Fatdog uses a file called /root/.Xauthority.

If you change the hostname on-the-fly, then communication between client and server is going to be flaky, UNLESS you restart the server. IIRC, that happens when you change the hostname through the first-run wizard.

It may be that a restart is not needed if X can use the hosts file to find an alias.

gcmartin

The FirstRUN utility in all modern PUP distros.

#8 Post by gcmartin »

I am not sure about the actual problem opened in this thread. I did read it, but seems like something may be missing.

Over time this has gotten the attention of key developers in the PUP community. @Shinobar, @BarryK, @01Micko and @TaZoC when they developed SSM, Fatdog developers who DO NOT use Puppy's FirstRUN user setup utility.

The HOSTNAME, is an important feature for ANY Ethernet device on your LAN. And, what occurres is that the PUP PC (actually ALL LAN PCs) who use DHCP services on the LAN, will "announce" their hostname to the DHCP server when requesting service. This hostname they announce with is REGISTERED with the DHCP servicer and for some LAN services and routing services this hostname is seen by other devices attached to the LAN.

The hostname issue has been addressed multiple times since @Shinobar introduced FirstRUN utility in his PUP distro. It is called by different names in the PUPs, but, its and its benefit is largely the same. All modern PUPs provide this as a central startup which provides visual awareness for the user in a single screen controlling the local setup for user use of his system.

ITS IMPORTANT, TOO, THAT THE NAME EACH PC ASSIGNS & REQUEST REGISTRATION OF, that name be UNIQUE! Original LAN architecture expect that no 2 devices on the same LAN can/should have the same "name".

The responsibility for hostname selection, which has a random name initially, is left to the user to choose. Then, the FirstRUN utility will insure all system name fields are updated and that it "should" attempt re-registration with the DHCP server so that others on the LAN know of its new name.

This is how it meets LAN architecture. If FirstRUN is not doing so, there is a bug somewhere in the FirstRUN implementation.

FYI

scientist
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#9 Post by scientist »

Is there some benefit in changing the hostname ?
Thanks,
Andy


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gcmartin

#10 Post by gcmartin »

scientist wrote:Is there some benefit in changing the hostname ?
Yes, various ones. Systems can be distinguished by is name. For example DLNA-server as a name is helpful when review router's know LAN devices. Or NAS2 if you have multiple NAS devices and you want to insure an understand exist relating to its mission. Then, too, there are ethernet local network standards that is expected to be followed.

Just a few. And hopefully helpful.

learnhow2code

#11 Post by learnhow2code »

Sailor Enceladus wrote:I found out those bugs do not happen in Slacko 5.3.3, 5.5, or 5.6, and that replacing this code with the older version fixes it.
thats a pretty easy fix. looks like hostname is just moved one token to the right on line 86 of woof-code/rootfs-skeleton/usr/sbin/hostname-set

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Pete
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#12 Post by Pete »

I have also found that changing HOSTNAME on first boot does cause problems with the pinboard and a X server restart is required.

Slacko 6.3 32 bit.

gcmartin

Bug in Puppy's FirstRUN???

#13 Post by gcmartin »

FirstRUN hostname change is suppose to account for that need. If its not, then perhaps its a bug; better, a missing component of the FirstRUN objective in hostname management.

In any case, this pinboard issue should be accounted for in FirstRUN processing. With @Shinobar, @TaZoC and @01Micko's implementation, hostname change DID case a restart of desktop. But @BarryK took over the FirstRUN mission and he felt/found that a restart of the desktop was not necessary for hostname change and modified FirstRUN to what is seen in PUPs, today, ... I think.

Wondering ...

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Pete
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#14 Post by Pete »

@gcmartin

Not sure which "version" of first run Slacko 6.3 has but the behaviour I always experience is exactly what Sailor Enceladus describes in the first post.

gcmartin

#15 Post by gcmartin »

Thanks @Pete. There is an outside chance that it may not be a FirstRUN issue. Maybe somewhere else which is NOT reading the fields that are set by FirstRUN, properly.

Will wait for one of the PUP masters to weigh-in on this for some insights.

scientist
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#16 Post by scientist »

gcmartin wrote:
scientist wrote:Is there some benefit in changing the hostname ?
Yes, various ones. Systems can be distinguished by is name. For example DLNA-server as a name is helpful when review router's know LAN devices. Or NAS2 if you have multiple NAS devices and you want to insure an understand exist relating to its mission. Then, too, there are ethernet local network standards that is expected to be followed.

Just a few. And hopefully helpful.
So, would that slow down someone(like an online company) tracking a particular computer ?

When I had Windows, I used to periodically change the label of the hard drive.
Thanks,
Andy


Slacko 6.3.0 FULL INSTALL
JWM
File Manager - Thunar

learnhow2code

#17 Post by learnhow2code »

scientist wrote:So, would that slow down someone(like an online company) tracking a particular computer ?
not likely. they have your browser fingerprint https://panopticlick.eff.org/about and your hostname may not reach them at all. its on the side of your lan, but obviously the browser sends things through that layer (or this forum wouldnt update much.)

if youre on ipv6 and dont use a nat router, that could be different. we still do ipv4 here.

otoh, theres no reason say, time-warner couldnt track your hostname if you have them as your isp.

theyre mostly in the usa... hopefully. i dont care for them much.

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