Networking with Ubuntu 8.04 and Windows Part 1 - page 4

Installing the Samba Package for Ubuntu

After browsing to and selecting a Workgroup from the network browser of your computer, you'll see icons for each computer on the network and in the Workgroup, that's properly configured for sharing. These icons are labeled by what is called the Computer Name of each particular computer. You might also use the Computer Name when manually accessing computers with the UNC path; for example by typing //computername into a Web browser.

The value of your Computer Name for your Ubuntu computer is probably your account username and the word desktop. However you may want something more descriptive, or that fits into any naming convention you already use, so you or others can better distinguish between computers on the network. If so, you can follow these steps to change the Computer Name in Ubuntu:

1. Click System | Administration | Network.
2. On the Network Settings window, click the Unlock button, enter your account password, and click the Authenticate button.
3. Choose the General tab on the Network Settings window.
4. Change the value for the Host Name field.
5. On dialog box that appears, click Change Host Name.
6. For changes to take effect, restart your computer.