sp_setnetname (Transact-SQL)

@server = ' server '

Is the name of the remote server as referenced in user-coded remote stored procedure call syntax. Exactly one row in sys.servers must already exist to use this server. server is sysname, with no default.

@netname = ' network_name '

Is the network name of the computer to which remote stored procedure calls are made. network_name is sysname, with no default.

This name must match the Microsoft Windows computer name, and the name can include characters that are not allowed in SQL Server identifiers.

0 (success) or 1 (failure)

None

Some remote stored procedure calls to Windows computers can encounter problems if the computer name contains identifiers that are not valid.

Because linked servers and remote servers reside in the same namespace, they cannot have the same name. However, you can define both a linked server and a remote server against a specified server by assigning different names and by using sp_setnetname to set the network name of one of them to the network name of the underlying server.

--Assume sqlserv2 is actual name of SQL Server 
--database server
EXEC sp_addlinkedserver 'sqlserv2';
GO
EXEC sp_addserver 'rpcserv2';
GO
EXEC sp_setnetname 'rpcserv2', 'sqlserv2';

Note
Using sp_setnetname to point a linked server back to the local server is not supported. Servers that are referenced in this manner cannot participate in a distributed transaction.

Requires membership in the sysadmin and setupadmin fixed server roles.

The following example shows a typical administrative sequence used on SQL Server to issue the remote stored procedure call.

USE master;
GO
EXEC sp_addserver 'Win_1';
EXEC sp_setnetname 'Win_1','Win-1';
EXEC Win_1.master.dbo.sp_who;

Reference