# host, domain name and name server

## xiaweitang

I never get this clear. I am using DHCP. So following the handbook, I only need to specify the host name, and I used "tux". Then what exactly should be in my network related files in /etc? And somewhere in the handbook it need to edit a file which need domain name. But I don't have one.  I know host is the name for my machine, what exactly are the other two things?

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## Jaglover

xiaweitang,

you do not need hostname nor domainname to get your network going, you do need name server - DNS. Ususal practice for a single computer is to use the DNS your ISP is offering. For networks there is usually a caching DNS in NAT router.

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## xiaweitang

I think my internet provider provides DNS. But do I need to state it in some config files? I can browser the web with no problem now. But as I said in another post, some times it takes very long to logging into the root user, does it has something to do with DNS? I rembered somebody in this forum said that.

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## NathanZachary

When you issued the following command during installation:

```

cp -L /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/gentoo/etc/

```

you copied over DNS settings.  Therefore, you should have /etc/resolv.conf, and it should contain the appropriate information.  If you are curious about it, please post the contents of that file.

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## Mad Merlin

When using DHCP, the DNS servers are normally sent along with the initial DHCP lease and /etc/resolv.conf is populated accordingly, so you shouldn't ever need to worry about DNS when using DHCP.

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