Figure out old host name of a MacOS device

[tobiaslinder]

A Device got renamed by mistake and we don't know the original name. Is there a place where we can find the old computer name? Can't find anything in the history.

I would prefer not to have to restore the mysql database for this :-(

With best regards,

Tobias Linder

[mpermann]

@tobiaslinder search for the computer using the serial number. Then you can update the computer name to what you want.

[tobiaslinder]

@mpermann thanks but I have no problems finding the device. But I do not know the old name of the device. The device name is linked to all kinds of smart groups.

[mpermann]

@tobiaslinder did you look in your change management logs (Gear -> Change Management) in Casper? It keeps track of lots of information in there. I'm assuming you have it turned on though.

[tobiaslinder]

@mpermann yes, it's switched on and no, there is no information about the name change :-(

[mpermann]

@tobiaslinder that's a bummer. Maybe the name change happened farther back than your change management log goes. When I change the name on my computer to something different it is recorded and I can see what the old name was under the details.

[tobiaslinder]

I will try to find out if someone knows when the change happened. Thanks for the tipp.

[damienbarrett]

In my 1:1 environment, I sometimes will look at which local users are installed on a "mystery" machine that loses its name. This will tell me who the machine belongs to, or is assigned to. I also have a spreadsheet from distribution that has serial number and asset number on it, so I can look on it for the asset number, or serial number, and see who the machine was assigned to.

If you're logging login names, you might be able to glean some info from that as well.

[mm2270]

Do you have access to the Mac itself? If so, have you tried looking at the local logs on the machine, like the system.log? I wonder if such a change gets recorded there? Even if so, it may not show the previous name of the Mac. I would at least take a look though.

[Nick_Gooch]

Was the original name set with Casper Imaging? Computer > History > Casper Imaging Logs > Show

[tobiaslinder]

@mm2270 good idea, I will check the system logs

@Nick_Gooch we don't use casper imaging but there it would probably be visible. Thanks!

[tobiaslinder]

@damienbarrett surely a good idea to keep an inventory but we are an MSP and so it would be the clients job to keep this lists.

I have now started a feature request:

https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/featureRequest.html?id=5304