diff --git a/src/ca/localHostName.cpp b/src/ca/localHostName.cpp
index 64210c88c..5c2e3d6d8 100644
--- a/src/ca/localHostName.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/localHostName.cpp
@@ -25,19 +25,17 @@
 
 epicsSingleton < localHostName > localHostNameAtLoadTime;
 
-localHostName::localHostName ()
+localHostName::localHostName () :
+    attachedToSockLib ( osiSockAttach () != 0 ), length ( 0u )
 {
-    int status = osiSockAttach ();
-    if ( status ) {
-        this->attachedToSockLib = true;
-        status = gethostname ( this->cache, sizeof ( this->cache ) - 1 );
-        if ( status ) {
-            strncpy ( this->cache, "<unknown host>", sizeof ( this->cache ) );
-        }
+    const char * pErrStr = "<unknown host>";
+    int status = -1;
+    if ( this->attachedToSockLib ) {
+        status = gethostname ( 
+            this->cache, sizeof ( this->cache ) );
     }
-    else {
-        this->attachedToSockLib = false;
-        strncpy ( this->cache, "<unknown host>", sizeof ( this->cache ) );
+    if ( status ) {
+        strncpy ( this->cache, pErrStr, sizeof ( this->cache ) );
     }
     this->cache [ sizeof ( this->cache ) - 1u ] = '\0';
     this->length = strlen ( this->cache );
@@ -49,3 +47,20 @@ localHostName::~localHostName ()
         osiSockRelease ();
     }
 }
+
+unsigned localHostName::getName ( 
+    char * pBuf, unsigned bufLength ) const
+{
+    if ( bufLength ) {
+        strncpy ( pBuf, this->cache, bufLength );
+        if ( this->length < bufLength ) {
+            return this->length;
+        }
+        else {
+            unsigned reducedSize = bufLength - 1;
+            pBuf [ reducedSize ] = '\0';
+            return reducedSize;
+        }
+    }
+    return 0u;
+}
diff --git a/src/ca/localHostName.h b/src/ca/localHostName.h
index 7b24861e4..d608dbef9 100644
--- a/src/ca/localHostName.h
+++ b/src/ca/localHostName.h
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ public:
     localHostName ();
     ~localHostName ();
     const char * pointer () const;
-    void copy ( char *pBuf, unsigned bufLength ) const;
-    unsigned stringLength () const;
+    unsigned getName ( char * pBuf, unsigned bufLength ) const;
+    unsigned nameLength () const;
 private:
     bool attachedToSockLib;
     unsigned length;
@@ -50,19 +50,11 @@ private:
 
 extern epicsSingleton < localHostName > localHostNameAtLoadTime;
 
-inline unsigned localHostName::stringLength () const
+inline unsigned localHostName::nameLength () const
 {
     return this->length;
 }
 
-inline void localHostName::copy ( char *pBuf, unsigned bufLength ) const
-{
-    if ( bufLength ) {
-        strncpy ( pBuf, this->cache, bufLength );
-        pBuf [ bufLength - 1 ] = '\0';
-    }
-}
-
 inline const char * localHostName::pointer () const
 {
     return this->cache;