Local addressing

As we mentioned briefly in the previous chapter, identifying devices on a local network can be done using hostnames, MAC addresses, and IP addresses. All of these must be unique within the LAN. Let's have a look at each of them.

Hostnames

A computer's hostname is an easy-to-read (for humans) method of identifying a device on the network. Each device's hostname is configured by the system administrator. The hostname may be reflective of the role that the device is performing; for example, MXServer for a mail exchange server, DC1 for a domain controller, and so on. They may follow a set naming convention; I have worked in organizations that name file servers after Star Wars characters, and print...