This article describes the term "host name", which appears in Mac OS X Public Beta, but not Mac OS 9.

Various components of Mac OS X Public Beta refer to the "host name" of the computer. This refers to the name given to a computer for programs that use the TCP/IP networking protocol. It is stored in the domain name server (DNS) and matched with a fixed, numerical network address (the IP address). Because this number is stored elsewhere, changing the host name in Mac OS X Public Beta does not change the name assigned to that IP address. For that reason, you should type the correct host name, if known. In some cases, Mac OS X Public Beta attempts to find this information for you.

If you do not know it, others can still reach your computer by using its IP address. For example, if you set up your computer to be a Web server, others can reach it by typing "

http://10.1.2.3/

Note: Replace "10.1.2.3" with your IP address as listed in the TCP/IP tab of the Network pane of the System Preferences application.

If others communicate with your computer using the AppleTalk networking protocol, they will use the Computer Name as shown in the System Preferences application in the Network pane in the AppleTalk tab. The host name is not be used by AppleTalk services.