Locate a computer name for remote connection

The host name or fully qualified domain name is the unique identification assigned to your computer on the University of Otago network. You will need to find out the fully qualified domain name of your work computer to access it through a remote desktop connection (RDP) using the VPN service. Your fully qualified domain name is the computer/host name followed by either:

registry.otago.ac.nz — for current state network
or
staff.uod.otago.ac.nz. — for future state network (includes the full stop at the end)

staff.uoc.otago.ac.nz. — Christchurch campus future state network (includes the full stop at the end)

staff.uow.otago.ac.nz. — Wellington campus future state network (includes the full stop at the end)

To find this using windows:

1. Go to the Start menu and using the Run programme, type cmd
2. Type in ipconfig/all
3. In the resulting information, the fully qualified domain name you will need to use for VPN access is your Host Name plus the Connection-specific DNS Suffix.
4. Also record the number displayed under IPv4 Address which can be used if you have any issues using your fully qualified domain name.

To find this using macOS X:

1. Go to the Apple Menu, then select System Preferences.
2. Click on Sharing in the System Preferences panel.
3. The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) is listed under Computer Name at the top, plus the Connection-specific DNS Suffix.
4. If you are not sure which University of Otago network you are on for your connection-specific DNS suffix:
   • For macOS 12 Monterey and earlier:
     Go to System Preferences > Networks > Ethernet > Advanced... and click on the DNS tab.
     Your connection-specific DNS suffix will be displayed in the second window and will be either registry.otago.ac.nz if you are on the current state network, or staff.uod.otago.ac.nz. (including the full stop) for future state network connections.
   • For macOS 13 Ventura and later:
     Type in the search box computer name then choose About. You will see the name of the computer.
     Click on X to clear the search box and type in domain then choose DNS Domains Network. You will now see under Search Domains the fully qualified domain suffix.
     To get the computer’s fully qualified domain name add the computer name to the front of the domain suffix, with a dot between them, e.g. computer1.staff.uod.otago.ac.nz
5. Also record the number displayed under IPv4 Address which can be used if you have any issues using your fully qualified domain name.

If you need help,  contact AskOtago