I know that changing my DNS records to point to my IP address is how I get my server accessible, so that a request for myDomain.com points to my IP address. With that said, why does a machine need to have a hostname? Why does it care what it's hostname is if the DNS system will route requests to it anyway?
Also, if I'm running a simple personal webserver, is it okay to just leave my hostname "local"? Should I change it to the FQDN?
EDIT I just found an excellent answer on another SO site here: https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/50529/32623