diff --git a/OpTestConfiguration.py b/OpTestConfiguration.py
index 1fd6e3fb7..05ce190f0 100644
--- a/OpTestConfiguration.py
+++ b/OpTestConfiguration.py
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ def get_parser():
                            help="Prompt for Host SSH session")
 
     hostinstgroup = parser.add_argument_group('Host OS Install', 'Options for installing an OS on the Host')
+    hostinstgroup.add_argument("--host-name", help="Host name", default="localhost")
     hostinstgroup.add_argument("--host-gateway", help="Host Gateway", default="")
     hostinstgroup.add_argument("--host-submask", help="Host Subnet Mask", default="255.255.255.0")
     hostinstgroup.add_argument("--host-mac",
diff --git a/testcases/InstallRhel.py b/testcases/InstallRhel.py
index 0fb2461ca..a4a7011bd 100644
--- a/testcases/InstallRhel.py
+++ b/testcases/InstallRhel.py
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ def setUp(self):
             self.fail("Provide host user details refer, --host-{user,password}")
         if not self.conf.args.host_scratch_disk:
             self.fail("Provide proper host disk to install refer, --host-scratch-disk")
+        if not self.conf.args.host_name:
+            self.fail("Provide hostname to be set during installation")
 
     def runTest(self):
         self.system.goto_state(OpSystemState.PETITBOOT_SHELL)
@@ -84,7 +86,7 @@ def runTest(self):
                                                                                                  self.host.ip,
                                                                                                  self.conf.args.host_gateway,
                                                                                                  self.conf.args.host_submask,
-                                                                                                 self.host.hostname(),
+                                                                                                 self.conf.args.host_name,
                                                                                                  self.conf.args.host_dns,
                                                                                                  ks_url)
             self.c = self.system.sys_get_ipmi_console()