SUMMARY
Both the Help file and the manual for the TCP/IP Domain Name Server (DNS)
configuration are incorrect in describing the type of characters that can
be used in the host name. The documentation says that both the hyphen and
period can be used. However, attempting to use a period in the host name
will result in an error message indicating the parameter is incorrect.
The TCP/IP manual says:
In the DNS Configuration dialog box, you can, optionally, type a name in
the Host Name box (usually your computer name):
The name can be any combination of A-Z letters, 0-9 numerals, and the
hyphen (-) plus the period (.) character used as a separator. By
default, this value is the Windows NT computer name, but the network
administrator can assign another host name without affecting the
computer name.
The Help file says:
Host Name
Optionally, type a name in the Host Name box (usually your computer
name). The name can be any combination of A-Z letters and 0-9 digits,
plus the hyphen (-) and period (.) characters.
Using a period in the host name would be interpreted as a separator, and
result in an error message.
RFC 952 says:
Periods are only allowed when they serve to delimit components of
"domain style names".
The Windows 95 Resource Kit states:
To set the host name for DNS
Type a name in the Host Name box.
The name can be any combination of the letters A through Z, the numerals 0 through 9, and the hyphen (-), plus the period (.) character used as a separator. By default, this value is the Microsoft networking computer name, but the network administrator can assign another host name without affecting the computer name.
Note: Some characters that can be used in computer names, especially the underscore, cannot be used in host names.
The Windows 98 Resource Kit states:
Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol
Using DNS for Name Resolution
Configuring DNS
To set the host name for DNS
Type a name in the Host box.
The name can be any combination of the letters A through Z, the numerals 0 through 9, and the hyphen (-), plus the period (.) character used as a separator. By default, this value is the Microsoft networking computer name, but the network administrator can assign another host name without affecting the computer name.