Computer Name reverts back to former on logout!

[keyboard150]

I am the system administrator for a school in Buffalo. Currently, I am reimaging/repairing a lab of 28 eMacs.
Most of them are running 10.4. Some are running 10.3 (however, that is being fixed as I speak.)

Anyway, the problem is this: Some computers were named incorrectly when they were placed in this lab.
The correct formula we use in the school is this:
BPS097-ROOM#-COMPUTER#

Some of the computer numbers were incorrect, so I have attempted to change them.
I've done so in the sharing panel. I've used the "edit" button in the sharing panel.
I've "sudo hostname" in terminal.

When I do all this, it changes the computer name to what I want.
However, when I log out, it reverts back to the former name.

Example:
BPS097-171-117 I want to change to BPS097-171-22.
So, I change it to BPS097-171-22 in the sharing panel. Double check to make sure it's correct when I hit the "edit" button. Then I "Sudo" it in terminal, restart terminal, and check it there.

Everything reads the computer name as "BPS097-171-22." Great.

So I log out.

The login screen now says the name is "BPS097-171-117." I login, it says the same thing.

I have tried also:

Zapping the PRAM
Reseting NVRAM
Repairing Permissions.

There are no other computers on the network with this name.

Is there SOMETHING I am missing?

 

[operator207]

At work, with my MBP, I have the name of my computer, because the DNS is "Dynamic". Its a Windows environment, and very trusting of the computers on the network. It allows my MBP to tell it it has a name. And the network "trusts" my computer.

At home, I have rDNS setup on all my internal IPs via an internal DNS server. It changes my name back to 040.dhcp.internal.ip.

I too can change my hostname to whatever I want, but as soon as I drop my connection, and then reestablish it, I get the 040.dhcp.internal.ip address.

Short answer, go look at the DNS and DHCP server. see what the rDNS is for the IP your grabbing.


This is on my home network:

>host 192.168.0.40
40.0.168.192.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer 40.dhcp.internal.ip.

This is at work:
>host 10.4.1.16
Trying "16.1.4.10.in-addr.arpa"
Received 117 bytes from 127.0.0.1#53 in 265 ms
Trying "16.1.4.10.in-addr.arpa"
Host 16.1.4.10.in-addr.arpa not found: 3(NXDOMAIN)
Received 117 bytes from 127.0.0.1#53 in 1 ms


If NXDOMAIN, then you can name whatever you want.
If not, then your stuck with your computer being named what your DNS server says its named.

Also, check the DNS server itself, you may only have random PTR records for random IPs, and thats why you have some computers behaving and others not.