Editing NetBIOS (section)

===Internet host name===
A Windows machine's NetBIOS name is not to be confused with the computer's Internet host name (assuming that the computer is also an Internet host in addition to being a NetBIOS node, which need not necessarily be the case). Generally a computer running Internet protocols (whether it is a Windows machine or not) usually has a host name (also sometimes called a machine name). Originally these names were stored in and provided by a [[hosts (file)|hosts file]] but today most such names are part of the hierarchical [[Domain Name System]] (DNS).

Generally the host name of a Windows computer is based on the NetBIOS name plus the Primary DNS Suffix, which are both set in the System Properties dialog box. There may also be connection-specific suffixes which can be viewed or changed on the DNS tab in Control Panel → Network → TCP/IP → Advanced Properties. Host names are used by [[Application layer|applications]] such as [[telnet]], [[ftp]], [[web browser]]s, etc. To connect to a computer running the TCP/IP protocol using its name, the host name must be resolved into an [[IP address]], typically by a DNS server. (It is also possible to operate many TCP/IP-based applications, including the three listed above, using only IP addresses, but this is not the norm.)