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# System prepended metadata

title: 20201217 - systemd-NM-hostnames-discussion

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# 20201217 - systemd-NM-hostnames-discussion


- systemd fallback hostname (`fedora`)
- systemd-resolved fallback to the fallback (`linux`)
- Network Manager needs to consider the resolver configuration:
    - https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/NetworkManager/NetworkManager/-/issues/601
    
- our current state in Fedora CoreOS
    - https://github.com/coreos/fedora-coreos-tracker/issues/649#issuecomment-743219353
    
    
- @ZB some systemd upstream work has gone on
    - pushed a PR to simplify the logic in hostnamed
        - hostnamed will actually return `localhost` if it's configured as the static hostname
            - @dusty: what about transient hostname?
                - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1892235#c22
                - @zb says that this doesn't behave this way in most recent upstream build
    - there is a push (not merged yet) to allow disabling synthetized hostnames when you make a request to resolved
        - i.e. only return me a hostname that was an answer from the network
                
- @dusty: what about the fallback to the fallback?
    - @zb: that's still in place right now
    - @jl: the fallback to the fallback is useful in some cases but in some cases it's harmful
    
- For Fedora 33 CoreOS what are we going to do?
    - when the most recent changes in rawhide land in f33 we'll no longer need the path unit that fixes the symlink context
    - for f33 @zb will make the fallback hostname configurable
        - FCOS will configure it to be `localhost` again
        - possibly use a field in /etc/os-release for this
    - for f33 @zb will make the fallback to the fallback (in systemd-resolved) configurable via a compile time flag
        - systemd in Fedora will configure it to be `fedora`
        
Outcome: 
    - meet up in January and discuss progress on action items for @zb
    - meet up in January with NetworkManager team to discuss strategy for F34
        - can they talk to resolved via dbus to request non synthetized names
            - https://github.com/coreos/fedora-coreos-tracker/issues/649#issuecomment-743219353

Follow-up:
    - no progress yet, but will start on the configurable hostname bit