diff --git a/includes/common.php b/includes/common.php
index 2a7129db37..ad719a5e67 100644
--- a/includes/common.php
+++ b/includes/common.php
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ function external_exec($command)
 
 function shorthost($hostname, $len=12)
 {
+  # IP addresses should not be shortened
+  if (filter_var($hostname, FILTER_VALIDATE_IP))
+    return $hostname;
+  
   $parts = explode(".", $hostname);
   $shorthost = $parts[0];
   $i = 1;