Overview
Hostnames are human-readable nicknames that correspond to the address of a device connected to a network. They are used by various naming systems, e.g., Network Information Service (NIS), Domain Name System (DNS), Server Message Block (SMB), and the meaning of hostname will vary according to the naming system used. A hostname meaningful to a Microsoft NetBIOS workgroup may be an invalid Internet hostname. When presented with a hostname without any context, it is usually safe to assume that the network is the Internet and the hostname's naming system is the DNS.
Host names are typically used in an administrative capacity and may appear in computer browser lists, active directory lists, IP address to hostname resolutions, email headers, etc.
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