The machine name is the primary method we use to identify your computer and insure that we perform the diagnostics, installs, or other services on the proper computer.  In some instances using this information we can use enterprise management tools to perform work remotely rather than scheduling a time with you to visit the computer’s location. In this way we may be able to address your problem more quickly.  The machine name and IP# are available multiple ways but the easiest are described below:

Windows (Method #1 – Keyboard Shortcut)

Probably the easiest method to find the Machine Name for a Windows computer is using the keyboard shortcut to open the System Control Panel.  Press the Windows Key+Pause Key, this control panel will display several bits of information which includes the machine name.  Unfortunately it doesn’t include the IP#.

Windows (Method #2 – Command Line)

Another way to get the machine name and IP address is from the command line (also known as the command prompt). To get to the command line open the Run or Search box and type cmd. To do this: Open the start menu and click Run. In the text box, type CMD and hit Enter to run the command. This will open the command line (it will appear as a big black window), usually starting at the c:\Documents and Settings\[your user name]> or C:\Users\[your user name]> prompt.  In general the commands below can be run from any location since they are not dependent on being run from a specific folder.

Machine Name

You can find out your machine name from the command line using the hostname command. The machine name is also known as the computer name or NetBIOS name and is not the same as the DNS hostname.

c:\> hostname
egadm-mis-sl

IP#

You can find out your computer’s IP# or IP address from the command line using the ipconfig command. Provide us the numbers labeled IPv4 Address for the physical Ethernet adapter (this command has the tendency to list the wifi adapter as well and can be confusing as to which IP number to report). Occasionally we will ask you to provide more detailed information that is available by using the /all command line argument: ipconfig /all. Issuing this command on a standard desktop computer will look something like the following

c:\> ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration

Ethernet adapter vEthernet:

Connection-specific DNS Suffice . : eng.ufl.edu
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::5da3:89de:aaf4:384b
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.227.152.254
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.227.152.1

In this case, the IP# is 10.227.152.254.

Mac OS (Method #1 – System Preferences)

Apple computers do not have an option to view the computer name from the system properties. Additionally, they have three distinctive identifiers in the form of computer name, local host name, and network address. All three can be viewed from Apple Menu > System Preferences > Sharing. Your Apple computer name would appear at the top of the Sharing preferences.