OS X Lion: Find your computer’s name and address

If you share files on a network or host a website on your computer, you’ll need to tell other people your computer’s name or network address so they can locate your computer on the network.

Your computer can be found in several different ways, depending on your network and how others are looking for your computer:

Computer name: When you turn on file sharing, users on your network can find your computer listed by this name when they browse for shared computers in the Finder (for example, by choosing Go > “Connect to Server” and clicking Browse). You can change the computer name.

Local hostname (or “local network name”): Other computers on the same network subnet can find your computer by this name using Bonjour, a network technology developed by Apple Inc. Bonjour-compatible devices and services (such as computers or printers) automatically advertise their availability on the local network, so you can easily find devices and services you want to use. You can change the local network name.

Network address: This is provided by the Domain Name System (DNS) Server your computer uses or, if you don’t use a service, is derived from your computer name.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Sharing.

   The computer name appears at the top of the window.

2. To change the computer name, type a new name in the Computer Name field.

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Sharing.
2. Select the service from the list (for example, Screen Sharing).

   The address appears on the right of the list.