I just upgraded one of my machines to BOINC 6.6.36 because I want to use CUDA and now it doesn't use the DNS-name of the machine when it communicates with the projects or the BOINC manager, it only uses the NetBios name. Before the upgrade I used v5.10.45 and everything was fine.

Due to that on all projects attached to this machine, a new computer object is created. OK, it's not a drama but it will screw up the statistics by creating another ghost machine to my stats.

Is this a bug of the core client or by design? Or do I have to change something in my TCP/IP config? The machine is running on W2k3 Enterprise Server with SP2.

Thank you!

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At pretty much all projects (not WCG) you can merge devices i.e. get rid of your ghosts.

As for this bug, not experienced, but then I use the <suppress_net_info>1</suppress_net_info> cc_config.xml option to hide the DNS-name (User designated name on network) and only show the project assign numeric ID.

Merging this hosts does not work. The newer BOINC SW on the server side handle those clients as different hosts, so they can't be merged.

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Forwarded to the developers.

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OK, I got an answer back from the developers, complete with the bit of code doing it. There have been no changes in the way that the name of the machine is being communicated to the server, since revision 13295 on 8/10/2007.

So it works exactly the same between 5.10.45 and 6.6.3x, meaning it has to be something else that is doing this, probably on your machine.

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Can you check what the actual host name is for the machine(s) affected?
Can you also check at the projects that the old host didn't make contact with the project(s) after the new hostID was made?

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First I have to revise my last statement. I only tried the function "merge hosts by name". When I go to the host itself and click "merge this computer" it shows the one I want to merge with and it works.

Now to your questions.

Can you check what the actual host name is for the machine(s) affected?

I'm not sure if I got you right. Do you mean the host name in the local configuration? If I do a ping -a or a nslookup on the IP-Address of the host, it returns the complete DNS-Name hostname.domain.tld. In the client_state.xml it only reports the host name. I've tried to change it to the DNS name but it will be revised at the next start of BOINC.

Can you also check at the projects that the old host didn't make contact with the project(s) after the new hostID was made?

The old host and the new one are the same, only the core client changed. I never started the old client since the upgrade.

To your penultimate post: This is strange. The code doesn't change, the machine doesn't change, but the result does. This is not logical. But who argues that computers are logical?

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Can you check what the actual host name is for the machine(s) affected?

I'm not sure if I got you right. Do you mean the host name in the local configuration? If I do a ping -a or a nslookup on the IP-Address of the host, it returns the complete DNS-Name hostname.domain.tld. In the client_state.xml it only reports the host name. I've tried to change it to the DNS name but it will be revised at the next start of BOINC.

Ah sorry, I could've been clearer on that.

I meant, between what is shown on the project website->your account->your computers and the actual host names of the computers that are affected.

e.g. the website says it's CHGR9G77B (NetBIOS name) while your actual host name is Fido (in properties of my computer, computer name).

Can you also check at the projects that the old host didn't make contact with the project(s) after the new hostID was made?

The old host and the new one are the same, only the core client changed. I never started the old client since the upgrade.

Ah, but that was not what I asked. :-)

I am sure you can not check this anymore now you have merged your hosts, but the thing was if your old hostID, e.g. 1412 had contacted the server after your new hostID, e.g. 14141 was made, then merging hosts is also impossible.

It happens that through a very difficult to figure out bug one machine with an old hostID (1412) gets a new hostID (14141) yet at a next contact with the server still uses the old hostID (1412). Then hostIDs 1412 and 14141 are impossible to merge.

But OK, you merged computers so that's no longer an issue.
Which leaves the computer name and netBIOS name.

Which project or projects is this on?

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I meant, between what is shown on the project website->your account->your computers and the actual host names of the computers that are affected.

e.g. the website says it's CHGR9G77B (NetBIOS name) while your actual host name is Fido (in properties of my computer, computer name).

OK, the website and even BoincView say my computer is 2k3dc-1 (NetBIOS), while the computer name in properties of my computer, computer name is 2k3dc-1.aschy.de (DNS)

Which project or projects is this on?

The DNS issue is affecting all projects because it's a global setting in client_state.xml

The only difference between BOINC 5.x and 6.x is that the boinc service is no longer running under system privileges but is now using this special unprivileged user. Could it be possible that this user is not allowed to query the DNS name of the machine?

Anyway, it's only a cosmetic issue so it's not worth spending too much energy into further investigations. I was just curious what was the cause of this, but never mind. Thanks for all your replies!

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OK, the website and even BoincView say my computer is 2k3dc-1 (NetBIOS), while the computer name in properties of my computer, computer name is 2k3dc-1.aschy.de (DNS)

The only thing I can think of is that the name gets shortened, just not read behind the first dot in the name. But whether that's a BOINC thing, or something else is anyone's guess.

You could test by setting your computer name to be without dots, using dashes instead.

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You could test by setting your computer name to be without dots, using
dashes instead.

Ahhh, do you know what we're talking about here? Do you even know, what the difference is between NetBIOS and DNS?

I can't do what you mentioned because the DNS name is not to be set manually, it is built from NetBIOS name, which is 2k3dc-1, and the primary domain suffix, which is aschy.de. The dots are set automatically. In a DNS name, you can't replace dots by dashes or it is no longer a DNS name! For more information about domain names, please read here: RFC 1034 - Domain names - concepts and facilities.

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I like reading http://www.tech-faq.com/netbios-names.shtml much better. Explains it in less tech-speak. Especially the part "The NetBIOS name does not have to match the host name. " :-)

from Internet hostnames:
On the Internet, a hostname is a domain name assigned to a host computer. This is usually a combination of the host's local name with its parent domain's name. For example, 2k3dc-1.aschy.de is 2k3dc-1 (your hostname) plus aschy.de (your domain name).

Now then, on NetBIOS:
The NetBIOS name is 16 ASCII characters, however Microsoft limits the host name to 15 characters and reserves the 16th character as a NetBIOS Suffix. This suffix describes the service or name record type such as host record, master browser record, domain controller record. The host name (or short host name) is specified when Windows networking is installed/configured, the suffixes registered are determined by the individual services supplied by the host. In order to connect to a computer running TCP/IP via its NetBIOS name, the name must be resolved to a network address. Today this is usually an IP address (the NetBIOS name-IP address resolution is often done by either broadcasts or a WINS Server — NetBIOS Name Server). A computer's NetBIOS name is often the same as that computer's host name (see below), although truncated to 15 characters, but it may also be completely different.

2k3dc-1.archy.de is 16 characters. Fine for a DNS name, not fine for a NetBIOS name.

OK, the website and even BoincView say my computer is 2k3dc-1 (NetBIOS), while the computer name in properties of my computer, computer name is 2k3dc-1.aschy.de (DNS)

From Host Name:
A Windows machine's NetBIOS name is not to be confused with the computer's host name. Generally a computer running TCP/IP (whether it's a Windows machine or not) has a host name (also sometimes called a machine name or a DNS name). Generally the host name of a Windows computer is based on the NetBIOS name plus the Primary DNS Suffix, which are both set in the System Control Panel.

Looks fine to me. 2k3dc-1 (NetBIOS) + archy.de (DNS Suffix) = 2k3dc-1.archy.de

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OK, so after all that reading, we're not an inch closer to the answer of my question, why the new client (6.6.36) only shows the NetBIOS name while the old one (5.10.45) shows the complete internet hostname.

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