Package: netcfg
Version: 1.70
Severity: normal
From as far as I can remember, debian-installer prompts for a domain
name during the installation. I never knew what to enter there.
The prompt:
Template: netcfg/get_domain
Type: string
# :sl1:
_Description: Domain name:
The domain name is the part of your Internet address to the right of your
host name. It is often something that ends in .com, .net, .edu, or .org.
If you are setting up a home network, you can make something up, but make
sure you use the same domain name on all your computers.
The manual says:
3.3.4. Network Settings
If your computer is connected to a network 24 hours a day (i.e., an
Ethernet or equivalent connection --- not a PPP connection), you
should ask your network's system administrator for this information.
*
Your host name (you may be able to decide this on your own).
*
Your domain name.
*
Your computer's IP address.
*
The netmask to use with your network.
*
The IP address of the default gateway system you should route to,
if your network /has/ a gateway.
*
The system on your network that you should use as a DNS (Domain
Name Service) server.
On the other hand, if your administrator tells you that a DHCP server
is available and is recommended, then you don't need this information
because the DHCP server will provide it directly to your computer
during the installation process.
http://d-i.alioth.debian.org/manual/en.i386/ch03s03.html#id316925
First, please avoid using "your" here. Prefer "the computer's Internet
address" and "the computer's hostname".
The main problem is that a host may have any number of Internet
addresses. Having 1 is just one case. While the case where hosts have
several addresses may be less problematic, one is left quite confused
when the host has no address. One doesn't necessarily have a network,
and if there is a network, it doesn't necessarily have a system
administrator. Also, although DHCP does provide an IP address and some
parameters, the domain name is not necessarily provided by DHCP.
Finally, the first sentence ("The domain name is the part of your
Internet address to the right of your host name.") is misleading. As
mentioned in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name#Domain_name_syntax :
A hostname *is* a domain name that has at least one associated IP address.
Meanwhile, for those wondering what to enter, the domain name will be
written to /etc/hosts (see netcfg_write_common() in netcfg-common.c).
