uname command displays incorrect node name

[ndbhamvani]

Describe the bug

On the latest Aurora image (42.20250824), when I enter the command:

uname -a

The device information shown is completely wrong.
It is showing as Pixel Tablet, when the device is a traditional desktop.

What did you expect to happen?

The information should refer to the OS or correct device.

Output of bootc status

I'm typing this bug after having reverted to previous image.
However the screenshot evidence attached is from when booted from the newer image.

● Booted image: ghcr.io/ublue-os/aurora-dx-nvidia:stable
        Digest: sha256:8d8d809e5c195d5b910d30c366a6b8a5b50af6411c4c1ca9464174bcb02be9df (amd64)
       Version: 42.20250819.1 (2025-08-19T14:24:25Z)
        Pinned: yes

  Rollback image: ghcr.io/ublue-os/aurora-dx-nvidia:stable
          Digest: sha256:6806976e62153d5ba4bca83ad7919f0cb308fb6d60e2c298f3c74906775633e8 (amd64)
         Version: 42.20250824.1 (2025-08-24T06:33:22Z)

Output of groups

ndbhamvani wheel docker incus-admin lxd libvirt plugdev

Extra information or context

I'm also not sure whether the kernel version is correct or not?
I thought it would be the 6.15 series, but maybe not?

But as you can see from the image below, it's clearly not a Pixel tablet I'm on.

[inffy]

so that Pixel-Tablet part is usually the hostname of your computer.

This looks like for some reason your DHCP server (modem/router) is assigning you a automated hostname/ip that is somehow connected to a Pixel Tablet you might have had in your network.

you can just change your hostname with hostnamectl set-hostname MyGreatHostnameComesHere and it should fix it. Unless your router is configured somewhat forcing that to your device.

[ndbhamvani]

@inffy, that makes sense.
Until recently, the node name was always Aurora.
i see today the it is indeed Aurora:

I checked hostnamectl and it shows as:

Static hostname: (unset)  
Transient hostname: aurora

So, you're saying that the router is setting this?
I guess what's happening is:

1. The name associated with my desktop has not been set at the router end.
2. The router assigning the name Pixel Tablet as the IP address was previously occupied by a Pixel tablet in the past.
3. If I actually set a name at the router end, this may not happen again?

However, there also seems to be some logic on the Linux side that determines this?
Otherwise, why would the router set the hostname as 'Linux aurora' this morning?
So, if the router doesn't assign any host name, the OS / Kernel logic sets it according to the OS?

Strange that I've never come across this before.

[inffy]

Honestly I don't have a definitive answer, all i know that it is not something Aurora is doing.

Its something based on you machines MAC and IP and how your router handles them and so on.

[ndbhamvani]

I could set a static hostname so that the 'transient ' one (set by router) never comes into picture.
However, will it persist across OS updates, given UBlue's Atomic nature?

Is there something here for atomic distros to consider from a design perspective?
I assume that it's extremely rarely for an OS update in Fedora Workstation to wipe out any hostname set in /etc/hostname?
Services that depend on hostname values, as part of network identification, would otherwise fail.

Maybe something for Fedora Kinote to look at, if uBlue don't influence this bit? That's if they see atomic distros as the future!

I see that ublue do have a fallback service, for where hostname is missing from /etc/hostname:
https://github.com/ublue-os/aurora/blob/main/system_files/shared/usr/lib/systemd/system/ublue-fix-hostname.service

I've certainly not manually ever set the hostname.

An interesting one to think about!

[ndbhamvani]

Actually, I think /etc is not immutable.
So hopefully if i set a static hostname, it'll persist.