Local hostname problem

Message on my screen "This computer's local hostname 'xx.local' is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to 'xx-2.local'" Should i be worried?

Sometimes this message means that you have two simultaneous connections to the same local network: probably Ethernet and Wi-Fi. If applicable, disconnect the Ethernet cable or turn off Wi-Fi.
Sometimes it happens because a device that gets its network address from the router wakes from sleep, and the address it was using before has been assigned to another device.
A third-party wireless router that has incompatible settings or firmware may be the cause. In that case, refer to the manufacturer or ISP for support. Restarting the router may help, temporarily.
Rename the computer in the Sharing preference pane.

Similar Messages

Computer name and local hostname not recognized at startup

I've been having trouble syncing with .mac lately. (This isn't syncing question.) Looking at my console and system logs, it would appear that my computer and network connection have a problem right from the start (except that I can connect to the Internet and can send and receive mail no problem). But I think the logs below indicate that there's some disconnect because later on, when I try to sync or do something with iDisk, "Failed to register NSConnection" and SFIDiskMirrorCopyPair returned NULL" appear in the console log. Here's some of what the logs showed. I was wondering if anyone out there can make heads or tails out of it. Wondering if I'll have to blow it up and do an archive and install.
Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks, Bill
From my system log:
Feb 5 10:01:20 localhost SystemStarter[337]: authentication service (351) did not complete successfully
later it states ....
Feb 5 10:02:04 localhost loginwindow[116]: Login Window Started Security Agent
Feb 5 10:02:07 localhost mDNSResponder: Couldn't read user-specified Computer Name; using default “Macintosh-123A95Dxxxxxx” instead
Feb 5 10:02:07 localhost mDNSResponder: Couldn't read user-specified local hostname; using default “Macintosh-123A95Dxxxxxx.local” instead
Feb 5 10:02:08 localhost mDNSResponder: Adding browse domain local.
Feb 5 10:02:51 localhost configd[74]: SecKeychainFindGenericPassword err= -25308 ( =0xffff8624, secErrStr=User interaction is not allowed. ) (current= JohnDoe)
Feb 5 10:02:53 localhost mDNSResponder: Couldn't read user-specified Computer Name; using default “Macintosh-123A95Dxxxxxx” instead
Feb 5 10:02:53 localhost mDNSResponder: Couldn't read user-specified local hostname; using default “Macintosh-123A95Dxxxxxx.local” instead
Feb 5 10:02:54 localhost launchd: Server 0 in bootstrap 1013 uid 0: "/usr/sbin/lookupd"[86]: exited abnormally: Hangup
Feb 5 10:02:54 localhost configd[74]: executing /System/Library/SystemConfiguration/Kicker.bundle/Contents/Resources/enable-net work
Feb 5 10:02:54 localhost configd[74]: posting notification com.apple.system.config.network_change
Feb 5 10:02:54 localhost lookupd[216]: lookupd (version 369.5) starting - Mon Feb 5 10:02:54 2007
Feb 5 10:02:56 localhost mDNSResponder: Couldn't read user-specified Computer Name; using default “Macintosh-123A95Dxxxxxx” instead
Feb 5 10:02:56 localhost mDNSResponder: Couldn't read user-specified local hostname; using default “Macintosh-123A95Dxxxxxx.local” instead
Feb 5 10:02:56 localhost configd[74]: target=enable-network: disabled

Thank you for helping me. My computer is very old and it gets a lot of non-taxing use, like email and word processing. I'm trying to get another year out of it before I replace it. I first had to reset the PRAM because I had full-on freeze a couple of months ago. I couldn't get the computer to respond at all. Apple Support helped. They had me reset the PRAM, but the reason I've been resetting it now and again is that it seemed to fix a problem I was having with audio. When I am using Skype, Facetime or Gchat there was a crackling sound so loud, I'd have to hang up. Resetting the PRAM seemed to take care of this. I read around a little on the Internet. There was some suggestion that maybe my logic board is failing, at which point I would really have to replace my computer. But I was hoping for some pointers about this keyboard. I spent a couple of days reading and didn't find anyone having quite my problem. I guess it wouldn't really be such a problem if I didn't have this audio problem as well.

Local hostname already in use - can't figure out what's going on

I've been having issues with a wireless router and I think the problem lies somewhere within my computer. As I switch back and forth from trying to connect to the internet via my router or directly connected to my cable modem, I will often get this error:
"This computer's local hostname "xyz" is already in use on this network"
There is only one compuer on the network, however and I cannot figure out what's going on.
I have 2 users set up on this machine, but I'm the admin and acting as such. Even with no other networked equipment hooked up to my Mac (except for the cable modem) this problem won't go away.
I guess my real quesiton is what causes this and where should I go to troubleshoot things?
I'm running 10.4.6, connect to my ISP using DHCP and have the same problem with both a D-Link and Linksys router.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

Thanks very much for your help, fu.
If your previous setup follows a flow like this: RCA
CableModem-->NetGear Router-->AirPortExpress, there's
something misconfigured routing-wise in your network.
You have to decide which device (Netgear or AirPort
Xpress) will handle the routing in your network.
Previous to these problems, that was the basic flow of my network. The netgear router also fed a wired connection into a Wintel PC, and the AirPort Express hosted a wireless network that was extended by a second Airport Express. And that second AE connected to a ReplayTV with a wired connection. And then, of course, the PowerBook got Internet access wirelessly through the AE-hosted network. And that was it.
That network always was configured so that the netgear router assigned IP addresses using DHCP, and the Airport Expresses would not assign IP addresses (i.e., "Distribute IP addresses" was NOT checked when you look at the configuration in Airport Admin Utility).
How big is your network j? just 1 Mac (your
PowerBook)?
That was the state of the network a couple of days ago when I posted this. I have established that the PowerBook gets access to the Internet just fine directly though the cable modem, and just fine when it is the only wired connection to the router.
Let's deal with your Mac first:
Start with your Mac connected directly to the cable
Modem. (When your mac is attached directly to the
Cable Modem, do you use DHCP?)
Go to SystemPreferences-->Sharing and type a Computer
Name other than the default one
Open Applications-->Utilities-->Terminal and type
lookupd -flushcache (press Return) and reboot
the Mac.
I did this.
One way to fix your network is to have the NetGear do
the routing, and the AirPort Express to (just) extend
your (wired) network wirelessly (No routing will be
done from the AirPortXPress, (No distribution of IP
Addresses)
I soft reset both of my Airport Expresses. I configured the first one so that it was hosting a network, but not distributing IP addresses, and the second so that it was extending that wireless network. And I plugged the host AE into the netgear router. And for a little while, that was working.
But then I got a message saying "IP Configuration 192.168.0.4 in use by 00:04:40:06:1f:82, DHCP Server 192.168.0.1". The dialog box with that message will come up periodically as long as the Airport Expresses are plugged into power and one is plugged into the router. Also, I once agaiin received the message saying the local hostname (the completely original one that I had created) was in use, and the name was being changed.
Here is the thing. I cannot figure out what has that ...0.4 IP address and ...1f:82 MAC address on the network. That is not the "Internet port MAC address" or the "LAN port MAC address" for the Netgear router. It is also not the MAC address for either of the Airport Expresses or the PowerBook's internal Ethernet card.
I accessed the router through my browser, and clicked on "Attached Devices." Here is the list of Attached Devices:
# IP Address Device Name MAC Address
1 192.168.0.2 00:11:24:08:4c:88
2 192.168.0.3 00:14:51:6d:15:7c
3 192.168.0.5 00:0a:95:da:4f:24
The first two addresses are the two AE's, and the third is the internal Ethernet card of the PowerBook.
I ran "Netstat" under the Network Utility to get "Routing Table Information," and here is what I get (with some identifying info removed):
Internet:
Destination Gateway Flags Refs Use Netif Expire
default 192.168.0.1 UGSc 23 10 en0
127 localhost UCS 0 0 lo0
localhost localhost UH 11 2400 lo0
169.254 link#4 UCS 0 0 en0
192.168.0 link#4 UCS 3 0 en0
192.168.0.4 link#4 UHLW 1 1 en0
192.168.0.5 localhost UHS 0 14 lo0
Internet6:
Destination Gateway Flags Netif Expire
localhost link#1 UHL lo0
localhost Uc lo0
localhost link#1 UHL lo0
link#4 UC en0
justin-and-***** 0:a:95:da:4f:24 UHL lo0
**************bedro 0:14:51:6d:15:7c UHLW en0
link#5 UC en1
justin-and-***** 0:a:95:f3:3e:df UHL lo0
**************bedro 0:14:51:6d:15:7c UHLW en1
ff01:: localhost U lo0
ff02::%lo0 localhost UC lo0
ff02::%en0 link#4 UC en0
ff02::%en1 link#5 UC en1
Any ideas? Thanks again for your help.

How can i get rid of the "local" hostname sufix?

i am installing Sun Grid Engine on 4 macpros, but this hostname problem is making the progress a headache.
the cluster tries to resolve hostnames without the "local" sufix, and t fails.
how can i completely remove the "local" suffix on my hostname??
i have tried byt no sucess, this is what i did
at the moment if i type "hostname" i get this
mac-pro-3.local
so i modified /etc/hosts and added a line
myNetworkIP mac-pro-3.local mac-pro-3
it works but only for the same machine, other macs cannot ping or resolve "mac-pro-3".
i dont know what option is there available.
macs are with Leopard 10.5.6
any ideas?
thanks in advance
Cristobal

i found another solution, and now i dont have the need to remove the "local" suffix
i edited the /etc/hosts file and added what the computer was trying to resolve from the server, with an alias.
#this line
ipAddress mac-pro-3.local mac-pro-3

HELP! System keeps on changing local hostname

At irregular intervals I receive an error message stating that "This computer's local hostname "XXXXX" is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to "YYYYYYY"."
I was wondering if anyone could explain why this happens, and how to fix this.
Thank you!

UNDEUX wrote:
I also...(what a surprise) have the same problem. My local machine is on .11 and seems to only happen on Mac books. My Mac Mini remains untouched. Are the guys at Apple look at this forum? It would be nice to come up with a fix.
Yes, it is annoying, but a couple of comments:
If it annoys you to see the .11, or if it wreaks havoc with something you use, then just change the name back in System Preferences --> Sharing (click the Edit button on top of the window.
It doesn't only happen on Mac Books: I do have the problem occasionally on my Mac Pro, but, for some reason, it has never occurred on my MacBook Pro. On the Mac Pro, it's always when I wake the machine from sleep (though that may just be because the only time it ever starts up is after a system update that requires a reboot).
And no, Apple are not looking at this forum, at least not officially. Since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, everyone should report this as a bug. One can do so here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
Daniel

This computer's local hostname is already in use. How can I fix this?

Almost every day the following message appears in a pop up box.
This computer's local hostname "my-iMac-6.local" is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to "my-iMac-7.local"
The numbers do not correspond to those in the name in the Security preferences.
I preformed the "fix" described in the discussion.apple.com/messages---/messageID=9113111.
Set "iPv6" from "Automatically" to "Off" in both Airport and Ethernet.
That is apparently not the answer either.
There is only one computer in my house with the name shown in the message.
My wife's iMac has her name in it. Mine has my name in it.
How can I fix this?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Rob Morrison

This seems to be a DHCP issue when the lease is renewed
When the computer reconnects (renews the lease) it believes its own computer name "already has been taken" so because the router has retained it on the local network so your computer inserts the after its computer name a
"-2" then a "-3" then "-4" etc. (the mac needs to do this and does so by default to ensure and create its own unique name on the local network)
-> this appears to be a delay / hangover on the router (AE or TC) when using DHCP
have seen a fix which only requires you set your computer with a fixed IP address
(can be EITHER reserved on the router OR set on the computer itself in network settings)
Router (AE or TC) Airport Utility 5.6 / Internet tab / DHCP button / click the "+" button & you reserve the computer's IP address by EITHER its MAC address (= shown in SysPrefs/Network/Advanced/Hardware) OR a DHCP client id (which you choose yourself) & enter exactly the same identical passphrase on the computer in sysprefs/network/advanced/DHCP(->set ro "using DHCP") shows textbox to enter the DHCP id
THEN apply with Update button (Router restarts)
Computer itself - under sysprefs / network -> Configure IPv4 to "Using DHCP with Manual Address" (will autofill from DHCP) check correct local IP address of computer is set & click Apply OR "Manual Address & manually enter the settings for local IP Address of computer / subnet mask / router's Ip address / DNS server's IP address / (DNS) Search Domain (optional)
Since setting static address this problem has not re-occurred.
Thanks to MacFixit there is a terminal fix here (from Sept 09) as well : http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-10362633-263.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Ma cFixIt

I get this message:This computer's local hostname "x-8.local" is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to "x-9.local" I have turned off sharing and it continues to upgrade name. What is the fix?

I get this message: This computer’s local hostname “x-8.local” is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to “x-9.local” I have turned off sharing and it continues to upgrade name. What is the fix?

Hi, this is a common problem, mostly just irksome though.
It can have many cause, like using more than one Interface for connections, Router temporarily losing x.local & seeing a new connection with x.local already used, insists it must be x-1.local, x-2.local, etc..
What all Sharing do you have enabled?
Some possible fixes...
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=542899
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3941367

"This computer's local hostname changed".

Since installing Mountain Lion, I have twice received the following warning pop-up. "This computer's local hostname "my-name-iMac.local" is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to " my-name-iMac-2.local". In both cases the hostname is automatically changed by adding a "2" at the end. I am able to go into "sharing preferences" and change it back, however I am confused as to why this is happening on its own.

Sometimes your network router thinks your computer is still connected to the network when it isn't - most typically after a forced quit or restart but not always. I've also seen it associated with a computer going to sleep and waking up. When your computer restarts or wakes up it connects to the router and the router, in human terms says, "No that can't be. I already have a Jim here. I'll call you Jim-2."
It is slightly aggrevating but no big deal. You may solve the problem (at least temporarily) by turning off every device on your network including the router and then turning the router on again - followed by the rest of your devices.

Local-hostname-already-in-use message regularly appearing

I have seen some earlier posts here about this problem but no one seems to have resolved it.
Often when I wake my iMac (Intel, 10.5.4) from overnight sleep there is a message greeting me "This computer's local hostname 'XX.local' is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to 'XX-2.local'." I got as far as XX-65 the other day and thought it might be time to seek a solution.
There is a router, a laptop, and a couple of Slim Devices/Logitech Squeezeboxes on the network. None has the same name as the iMac.
It's driving me bonkers. No harm done, of course, but it's a real pain to keep changing it back to the original name, and still it keeps bombarding me with these messages.
Any thoughts, oh wise ones?

It is possible that your router is also acting a local dns server and as such caching your devices host names.
A fix for this would be to assign a fixed ip address to your mac.

My computer's local hostname keeps changing - is there a solution?

I have looked into this in the community but have yet to find a resolution to this. I don't think this is a serious problem, but what do I know? The message that pops up is:
This computer's local hostname "besMac-277.local" is already in use on this network. The names has been changes to "besMac-400.local". To change the local hostname, open System Preferences and click Sharing, then click "Edit" and type the name in the Local Hostname field.
Screenshot:
The only think I can gether from reading the other posts is that having a wired ethernet connection to the router and wifi active may have something to do with it. I'm hesitant to unplug the ethernet as I would like it as a backup in case the wifi fails.
Thanks for your help!

I upgraded to Yosemite. Finder stays open and has a spinning wheel. It does not respond to Force Quit. I have spent 2 hrs. with Apple Support today on the phone. We tried to re-install Yosemite, but the time for completion started at 166 hrs. And kept increasing. So they are sending me to an Apple Store Wednesday. Others have commented on Finder problems.

Need a script to change value in the Local Hostname

Help! Want to change the Local Hostname because DynamicDNS has mess up 250 machines. Any ideas???????
I need a UNIX script to to change the Value of
/library/preference/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist
<key>LocalHostName</key>
<string>Value</string>
in Apple Remote Desktop.
I think you use the grep command
G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6) Mac OS X 10.3.9

Hi CIO,
   Perl will perform the moving of files for you for free but otherwise, awk is completely up to the task and to my thinking easier to use. This assumes that the property list is text which isn't a good assumption. If the property list is binary, you would need plutil to convert it. Anyway, here's my script:
cat /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist | awk '{ if ( $0 ~ /<key>LocalHostName<\/key>/ ) { print; getline; sub(/<string>[^>*<\/string>/,"<string>New Value</string>"); print } else { print } }' > temp.plist
mv /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist .
mv temp.plist /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist
The "mv" lines above will doubtless require superuser privileges.
Gary
~~~~
   teamwork, n.:
      Having someone to blame.

SIU - Apply Computer Name and Local Hostname settings from a file

I am setting up a workflow to image corporate computers and wanting to know how the "Apply Computer Name and Local Hostname settings from a file" works in the Apply System Configuration Settings task.
We bind the computer to AD and OD and we have a specific naming convention for certain departments and trying to automate the entire imaging process.
Would this be something that can be done with SIU?

Well, maybe there's a bug in the latest version (10.5.3) of SIU as this is not what is happening.
It doesn't seem to matter what I specify for the name parameters I end up with a Bonjour name of ".local".
I put in a line of the form <Mac Address><TAB>tom<TAB>dick<TAB>harry into the text file used by the Apply System Configuration Settings Action.
and end up with hostname = tom, Computer Name = dick and Bonjour Name = .local
I'm building the NetInstall image on a new iMac running 10.5.3 booted out of a second partition and create the image from the main boot partition (also 10.5.3). I then copy the image to my server (10.5.3) and make a second iMac boot up from the NetInstall image.
For what it is worth the Workflow Actions I am using are:
Define Image Source
+ NetInstall
Source: Macintosh HD
Filter Clients by MAC Address
+ Allow
<List of MAC Addresses>
Enable Automated Installation
+ On Volume Named: Macintosh HD
+ Erase before installing
+ Primary Language: English
Apply System Configuration Settings
+ Apply Computer Name and Local Hostname settings from a file: <FILE>
Add Packages and Post-Install Scripts
+ Shell Script [Doesn't work - we're discussing in it in another thread]
Create Image
In: Public
Named: NetInstall Classroom
Volume Name: Classroom iMacs
Index: 1

Local hostname keeps changing

Ever since upgrading to OSX Yosemite, I've noticed that several times now I have been unable to reach my iMac over LAN because the local hostname changed from "iMac.local" to "iMac2.local". This has occurred without any intervention or changes on my part and has created a serious issue with programs that have the host name hardcoded into them as they can no longer find the target machine. Has anyone else noticed this behavior?

Hi All,
I think this is a DHCP issue. When the Mac connects to a network it is doing a DHCP request and apperantly my DHCP server sends a hostname back. I deleted the entry in the server (DNS also) and now it seems to be resolved.
Kind regards,
Crash71

SJSWS7.0u8 use local hostname in logs

I am trying to add the local host name into my access and error log files, in Sun Web Server 7.0u8, in two ways:
1. Add the local host name as part of the log file name on disk
2. Add the local host name into the custom log format of the access log.
Considering I have a cluster of 3 sun web server 7.0u8 servers named: web1.ex.com, web2.ex.com, web3.ex.com, the following is what I want to achieve:
For #1, the access and server log file names would be configured as the following in the server.xml file:
../logs/access-$localhostname
../logs/errors-$localhostname
Which would result in the following:
/opt/sun/webserver/https-default/logs/access-web2
/opt/sun/webserver/https-default/logs/errors-web2
However, one cannot use a variable when configuring the access and server log file names.
I know I can change the logfile name on rotation by using a csutom command for archive, however I prefer the Web Server start with the local host name in the file name. Also that the currently active log file needs to have the server name in the log file name before archive.
For #2, I need to access a variable with the local host name set as the value, which such variable is available to the custom log configuration.
And I DO NOT want to use the variable expression $(external('/bin/hostname -s','')) which does work - but causes the 'hostname' command to be called on every log line write.
I instead want the local host name to be set in a variable once on startup - so this also means the variable cannot be set in obj.conf which would set the variable on every request.
Also, I cannot hard code the hostname in <variable/> in server.xml, because the Sun Web Server 7.0u8 web administration interface does not support having different configuration information in every nodes' deployment (unless someone shows me how the admin interface supports this).
The resulting custom format for a virtual server might be:
<access-log>
<file>access</file>
<format>$ip "$uri" $path $LOCALHOSTNAME</format>
</access-log>
I know that if I use syslog, I can append the local hostname, but I do not want to rely on syslog. I want the Web Server to append this information. And in this way when logfiles are combined across the web server farm, I know which web server a log line originated from.
? Can #2 be achieved by using an available undocumented variable in the rq->vars pblock ???
How can I do #1 and/or #2. Preferably I would like to do both.

The rq->vars pblock is undocumented to what variables/values are maintained in that pblock.
The Documentation on NSAPI development shows you how to code a NSAPI plugin that can list all the variables in that pblock, stating this can be good for debugging.
Well, I would like to know what is available in that pblock.
See also:
Configuration Guide: set-variable
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/821-1497/abuis?l=en&a=view&q=pblock
NSAPI Developer's Guide: Request Data Structure
http://docs.sun.com/app/docs/doc/821-1490/abvmz?l=en&a=view
And also this:
NSAPI Developer's Guide: Chapter 2 Creating Custom Server Application Functions
SERVER_NAME char *util_hostname();
Which explains how CGI environment variable can be obtained in NSAPI parameter blocks (the best list of variables in the pblock I could find in the docs) - but unfortunately, every values is obtained from a variable in the NSAPI parameter blocks except for the hostname, which instead is retrieved by executing the util_hostname C function (above).
Is this right?
In any case, how do I get a list of all variables in the pblock?
Is this list documented?
Or has anyone found out this list for themself by executing the NSAPI code to list-pblock variables?
-RG

This computers local hostname is already in use?

I turned on my computer this afternoon and was met with this message:
"This computer's local hostname "Name of my hard drive.local" is already in use on this network. The name has been changed to "The name of my hard drive-2.local"
To change the local hostname, open System Preferences and click Sharing, then click "Edit" and type the name in the Local Hostname field."
Can anyone tell me why is this happening? I've never seen this before. Has my computer been compromised?
Thanks

Sorry--I missed that first time around. I think you would do better by reposting in the Forum for OS10.5. You have a software issue and that forum will have more software gurus. Machine-specific forums are better for hardware issues, but I think your hardwre is probably fine.
If you wish, I can ask the Hosts to move this for you so you need not do anything. Let me know.
OSX 10.5 forum is here:
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard

Local hostname problem

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