Renaming a host

 ❯ Rename web1.example.com to web2.example.com

A rename happens only when you ask, one host at a time. Hostwarden first lists what the old name reaches:

• the files under /etc that name it
• certificates
• cloud-init settings
• memberships keyed by the node name
• the places in memory
• what only you can change, such as DNS, the DHCP reservation, backups and monitoring

You add the new DNS name first; Hostwarden then sets the hostname and /etc/hosts, the references you agree to and, for a Proxmox VE container, its name on the hypervisor, and moves the host's memory to the new name.

• The old name stays an alias until you remove it from DNS.
• The host key does not change, and sshd and certificates are left alone.
• History keeps the old name.

Renames that are yours

Some renames are yours: Windows and WSL, a Proxmox VE cluster node, an appliance that is named in its web interface, and a host joined to a directory. Hostwarden says so and updates memory once you have renamed it. It never renames an Incus or LXD instance, or a VM whose cloud-init drive takes its name, on the hypervisor: that would regenerate its SSH host keys at the next boot.