By default, the Device Name column in the table displays the device's hostname.
If you setup a Device Name Changed alert in Addigy Monitoring, you may get this alert triggered for a few reasons.
- The user changed the device name themselves
- The device does not have a hostname set and it may have the hostname changed automatically or via a network utility.
This is more noticeable on DEP Enrolled devices or newer devices where the hostname may not be explicitly set.
Reviewing if the Device Name changed
Addigy Agents run an audit on the device every ~5 minutes to validate if any device information changed, including Device Name.
If the Device Name changed, it should have a record maintained by Addigy.
You can view if the Device Name actually changed in the 'Dashboard > Events' page or 'GoLive a Device > Events' tab.
Understanding why macOS Device Names change
Most macOS Devices do not specify a hostname out of the box.
Meaning if you run the command hostname, it most likely would return 'hostname not set' output.
We recommend using the 'Use LocalHostName as DeviceName' option to enforce consistent device names, instructions on how to configure this are available at the following link:
https://addigy.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/8000071369
Based on the following articles, it expands on why macOS Device Names can change:
https://superuser.com/questions/49891/how-can-i-stop-mac-os-x-overriding-my-hostname-when-i-receive-a-dhcp-request-on
The following command can be used to change the device's hostname:
sudo scutil --set HostName [Desired device name]The device name may not change until the DNS cache has been cleared, which can be accomplished by running the following command:
killall -HUP mDNSResponder