Annoying network name problem

[MacInWin]

I have a Mac Mini that I use as a file server, as well as a general access computer. It's in our kitchen, where my wife uses it as an Internet terminal for streaming videos and looking up the occasional recipe online. It has attached to it a drive that is shared over the network using SMB, to which our other Macs attach. Just to be thorough, it's an M1 Mini running the latest verson of Sonoma.

The issue is that the computer's network name keeps changing. The name as shown in the System Settings on the Mini is "Kitchen" (Yeah, not very original). But what is happening is that the name keeps changing by incrementing a number that is appended to the name by some process. Here is Apple's article on local hostnames:

Change your computer’s name or local hostname on Mac

The computer name and local hostname of your Mac are displayed on your local network so others on the network can connect to your Mac.

support.apple.com

In that article, it says:

If your Mac has the exact name of another Mac on your local network, a number is added to the local network name.

And that is exactly what is happening. But there is no other machine named "Kitchen" in the network. The router sees the name as just "Kitchen" with no number added. But what is happening is that every time the system has to do a cold boot, it gets incremented up to a different name. It just happened this week when the most recent update to Sonoma came out. Finder on a different Mac shows the location as "Kitchen (4)".

I have processes that use that drive for backups and sync, and every time the number changes the processes error out until I remake them. I have the same issue with CCC backups and ChronoSync sync processes, so it's not the software for syncing, it's the name change that is creating the issue.

So, my question is, does anybody know how to stop the addition of numbers? Where is the Mini seeing the "exact name of another Mac" that forces the change? Is it stored in some system list on the Mini itself? And why does my router see it as "Kitchen" but I have to connect the drives at "Kitchen (4)" instead?

What I want is that when the Kitchen machine boots it retains the same network name as it previously had. How do I force it to do that?

 

[TotalSolutions]

It sounds like your Mac Mini is encountering a naming conflict on the network, which is why its name keeps changing by incrementing a number. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue:

1. **Check for Duplicate Names**: Make sure that no other devices on your network are using the name "Kitchen." If there's another device with the same name, it can cause conflicts. You can use a network scanning tool or check your router's connected devices list to verify this.

2. **Static IP Address**: Assign a static IP address to your Mac Mini instead of relying on DHCP to dynamically assign an IP address. This can sometimes help prevent naming conflicts. To do this:
- Go to System Preferences > Network.
- Select your network connection (Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
- Click on the "Advanced" button.
- Go to the "TCP/IP" tab.
- Choose "Using DHCP with manual address."
- Enter a static IP address, subnet mask, router, and DNS server addresses.
- Click "OK" and then "Apply."

3. **Reset SMC and NVRAM**: Sometimes resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) and Non-Volatile Random-Access Memory (NVRAM) can resolve various networking issues. Here's how to do it:
- Shut down your Mac Mini.
- Unplug the power cord for 15 seconds.
- Plug the power cord back in and wait a few seconds.
- Turn on your Mac Mini.
- Immediately press and hold Option + Command + P + R keys until you hear the startup sound for the second time.
- Release the keys and let your Mac Mini boot up normally.

4. **Check for Software Updates**: Make sure your Mac Mini is running the latest version of macOS and any available updates for networking-related software.

5. **Review Network Configuration**: Double-check your network settings to ensure everything is configured correctly, including DNS settings, router settings, etc.

6. **Third-Party Software**: If you have any third-party networking or security software installed on your Mac Mini, try disabling or uninstalling it temporarily to see if it's causing the issue.

 

[MacInWin]

As I said, there is NO name conflict, no other device named Kitchen in the network, never has been. I tried a static IP, but the name changed anyway. The IP was consistent, but Finder sees the name, not the IP address, so the name for the shared drive from other Macs in the network see the name change. Mx Macs reset the SMC in a different way, basically by powering off and then on every cold boot the SMC is reset. No NVRAM. As I said, I am at the latest version of Sonoma on the Mini. And also, I have reviewed everything I know about in my network. The router sees the machine as "Kitchen" with no number, so it's not in the network or router. No third party network software. But thanks for replying.

 

[ferrarr]

To me, it sounds like the mini is using a different service to connect to the internet? What devices are connected to the Mini, UCB-C/Thunderbolt, iPhone (Bluetooth), and the Wi-Fi gets disconnected? If something has a tronger signal, that may explain it.

 

[MacInWin]

OK, here is the whole network. I have an ISP modem in bridge mode. I have an Eero mesh network with the main router that provides DHCP service connected to the ISP modem by Ethernet cable. There are four Eero units, plus two Eero extenders, in the mesh net. None of them are named Kitchen. I have two Minis, one MBA and one MBP, all running Sonoma, latest release as of yesterday. All four Macs (two Minis, one MBA and one MBP) are attached the local network both by WiFI and Ethernet, and all four show two attachments in the Eero list of devices. The Mini with the issue is named "KItchen" and the other is named "Theater". Both have external drives I use as network storage, so they both have File Sharing turned on. But only the Kitchen has the name issue. Theater has no such issue. I have 5 AppleTV units, all at the latest version of tvOS, none named Kitchen. I have 8 cameras attached by Wifi to the network, none named Kitchen. Five are internal, three are external, all connected by WiFi. I have 30 Homekit devices, mostly switches for on/off, but one camera. None named Kitchen, although one room in Homekit is named Kitchen, but it's been that way for almost ten years and it has multiple devices in it, so I don't think that is related. In the list of devices in the Eero interface the Homekit devices just show up as manufacturer names, not the internal names given to them. I have one Epson printer and one HP printer, each shows up by their own manufacturer network name, none are "Kitchen." To be clear, in the Eero router list of attached devices there are two connections named "Kitchen," one for WiFi and one for Ethernet, and neither of them shows the "(4)" being added by macOS.

There are also two iPhones and two iPads attached by Wifi, none named "Kitchen."

So my puzzlement comes from the following:

1. How does macOS come to think that there is a device already in the network with the name "Kitchen (3)" so it has to move to "Kitchen (4)" when no such device is in the network at the time? Is there some internal table (localhosts, config, hostnames?) where it remembers what it thinks it has seen as opposed to actually checking in the network? I've looked for any hosts files and only found generic localhosts files. Could it be some configuration or plist for SMB? I've been banging my head on this for days because it simply makes zero sense for one computer to act one way and three identically configured ones to act differently. Something HAS to be different about the Mini, but I cannot find it.

 

[ferrarr]

macOS knows the mini is named "Kitchen", and when the connection disconnects, it try to connect again, to the mini, which may be still connected by a different connection type. You may have to disconnect the other types of connections in System Settings > Network > Other Services.

I believe if the Mini uses multiple services to connect, it's going to keep updating the name.

 

[MacInWin]

macOS knows the mini is named "Kitchen", and when the connection disconnects, it try to connect again, to the mini, which may be still connected by a different connection type. You may have to disconnect the other types of connections in System Settings > Network > Other Services.

I believe if the Mini uses multiple services to connect, it's going to keep updating the name.

But, Bob, if that is the problem, then it should also show up at the other three Macs with dual connections, but it doesn't. And none of the other three has ever had that issue. I have an Apple Watch, and to use it to unlock the various machines, it needs both WiFi and BT connections, so I have the WiFi on for that. But I want the net speed of Ethernet, so they are all dual-connected. But only Kitchen insists on renaming itself every time it boots.

 

[ferrarr]

Do you or your wife have Personal Hotspot enabled on your iPhones?

I understand the want for the higher speed, but does it have to reboot every day?

 

[MacInWin]

Do you or your wife have Personal Hotspot enabled on your iPhones?

I understand the want for the higher speed, but does it have to reboot every day?

No on the hotspots.

And the issue isn't that this server boots ever day. It doesn't. But every time it does have to boot, it increments that number and changes its name in System Settings and in SMB somehow, but not in the network. This popped up because I just updated it to Sonoma 14.4 and all of my network connections to it then broke and had to be re-established because it changed names. It's more of PITA than a major issue, but it's frustrating because it's the ONLY one that has this behavior.

Concrete example. I have a server for videos called "Theater." Attached to that is an external drive that stores videos for me on the LAN. Once a week I copy any changes made on Theater to this machine named Kitchen as a backup. That process is scheduled in Carbon Copy Cloner. Works well. Until, that is, the Kitchen server reboots and renames itself, at which time the scheduled CCC event fails because "Kitchen (x)" is now changed to "Kitchen (x+1)" and the software says the Target drive is not available. To fix it, I have to redo the scheduled event in CCC to point to "x+1" and renew the log of the backups because the name changed. Not a killer, just a major annoyance. Recently both machines got booted by the update process. The CCC schedule finds the Source, but not the Destination because the Destination changed names.

Here is what I see when I run LanScan to get at the various network names:



Note that the Hostname, mDNS Name and SMB name are all "Kitchen" and none of them show the added number. Only those two entries in the entire list show "Kitchen" in any form.

But this is what shows in FInder:



The "(4)" shows up in Finder. And that is the problem with CCC (and other apps): The drive has disappeared because it was expencing "Kitchen (3)" and there is no such place any more.

Why? How do I stop that? It's NOT in the network as far as I can see, unless something is working in the background mucking it up.

 

[TotalSolutions]

Just to take this in another direction, say Windows <cough> NetBios Name. mine has a number 2 beside it, i.e. Pauls's-IMAC-2, I did not create that, and I am in a WORKGROUP. Sorry if you know this but just saying... could there be something in this?

 

[MacInWin]

Just to take this in another direction, say Windows <cough> NetBios Name. mine has a number 2 beside it, i.e. Pauls's-IMAC-2, I did not create that, and I am in a WORKGROUP. Sorry if you know this but just saying... could there be something in this?

Yeah, Paul, it's related. The "-2" was added to de-conflict. What's frustrating is that there isn't any conflict to de-conflict.

 

[Jimmysb]

Yeah, Paul, it's related. The "-2" was added to de-conflict. What's frustrating is that there isn't any conflict to de-conflict.

Should that be "What's frustrating is that there isn't any conflict that I can find to de-conflict.@

 

[Rod]

What about changing the name of "Kitchen" to something completely different like Galley? That would remove the possibility of another reference. If Galley changes to Galley (1) or (2) after the next server boot then we would know it's system based rather than reference based, if you get me.

 

[MacInWin]

Should that be "What's frustrating is that there isn't any conflict that I can find to de-conflict.@

Thanks, but no. I can see every name of every device attached to the router through the router's interface. Nothing is hidden and there is only ONE device named "Kitchen" in the entire list. The conflict is NOT in the network. It may be in SMB somewhere, but I cannot find where SMB is holding hostnames from the network.

 

[MacInWin]

What about changing the name of "Kitchen" to something completely different like Galley? That would remove the possibility of another reference. If Galley changes to Galley (1) or (2) after the next server boot then we would know it's system based rather than reference based, if you get me.

Doesn't make a difference. The machine was previously in a different room and had a different name at the time. When I turned on sharing to allow it to act as a server for that drive, the problem appeared on reboot. I do have another server that is showing the same name change phenomenon, but didn't want to cloud the issue with it as the problem is with sharing and SMB, and not the names. Somehow SMB is keeping a list of devices in the network and that list is not being updated properly is my current thinking.

 

[ferrarr]

I'm not familiar with SMB, but is that require for sharing? Or does it serve another purpose? I use Family Sharing in our home to share media files, between users/devices. I never had to use SMB.

 

[MacInWin]

Yes. SMB is how Macs share access. Family Sharing is totally different and has nothing to do with the Local Area network.

 

[Rod]

Jake, have a look at this forum page; How do I stop my computer name from automatically, and incorrectly, changing?
I do remember this happening to me years ago when using a portable cellular router. I think I got up to Rod's MacBook Pro (13) at one stage.

 

[MacInWin]

Thanks, Rod. Read the whole thing and there don't seem to any definitive answers. Been going on since 2012, apparently. Turning of WiFI and Ethernet from running both at the same time didn't stop it, neither did turning off "Wake on WiFi access." The workarounds are to purge various mDSN caches on the server machine, which is practical if and only if you are actually there at the machine every time it boots. That need then stymies how I want the machine to be fundamentally independent, perhaps even running headless, eventually. It is a bug that Apple doesn't seem to care about fixing (or can't fix).

 

[pm-r]

Jake, have a look at this forum page; How do I stop my computer name from automatically, and incorrectly, changing?
I do remember this happening to me years ago when using a portable cellular router. I think I got up to Rod's MacBook Pro (13) at one stage.

Thanks for the link Rod, but it doesn't look too hopeful from some of the comments and I've put up with the problem for years and it seems that Apple still hasn't fixed, I somehow managed to get rid of the notification that the name is being updated, but the number keeps changing which I haven't bothered to correct for quite some time now as you can see by the number and it's no longer important as we do very little file sharing:


Obviously, it doesn't seem to be a priority for Apple to fix. And if I recall correctly, Apple screwed up local network file sharing back in system 9 days or the beginning of OS 10.x.

I'll read through that article's suggestions again and see if there's anything that might improve things for my iMac local network naming.


- Patrick
=======