Host Name Nomenclature! & Chemistry

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FoxFlame

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 3, 2005
Messages
143
So I've searched around for this before, but I thought I'd get some input here.

  • Starships
  • Stars
  • Battleships
  • Greek Gods
  • Aircraft
  • Animals

Above are some usual forms of nomenclature when people are naming computer systems. There are countless others.

So this thread is two fold, but all about your opinions! And everyone loves giving those:

  1. What naming scheme do you use for your systems?
  2. How would you suggest I segregate my systems within my scheme?
Edit: Forgot to mention, these are for a home network...a very large home network, but one all the same. In any corporation I'm a great advocate of using location and role based abbreviated system names, and then using CNAMEs for convenience with popular systems. Thanks Marley for the reminder!

Of course, you're now saying, "Well, what is your scheme?" Glad you asked! I've decided to use the periodic table of elements, both because it's convenient, and because I'm lousy in chemistry so it'll help me remember their atomic numbers! (You never know when you might wind up on Jeopardy!) Plus, it's really easy to just get periodic table of the elements and have an easy cut-sheet of all your system IP addresses.

I've decided to make workstations the Transition metals, such as Tungsten, copper, etc. Now I get to break up the rest based on type, any suggestions?

If you're better with visuals (as I am) this may help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table Even sorting into metals and non-metals will help!
  • Alkali Metals - I was originally thinking of making these Windows machines, because they react to EVERYTHING
  • Earth Alkali Metals
  • Semi-metals
  • Noble Gases - Was originally thinking Linux servers
  • Lanthanoids - Thinking these as Linux servers now, as the name means "hidden"
  • Actinoids - Thinking of making these Windows servers, as many are radioactive
  • Trace Elements - U113 - U118 - Virtual Machines / Test Machines that aren't around long
  • Metaloids
  • Poor Metals
  • Halogens

Any category can apply really:

  • Laptops
  • Routers
  • Servers - Linux and Windows separation, or role separation (e.g. Media server, Domain Controllers, etc)
  • Net-Top systems (I've a number of them)

I realize I'm screwed if I get more systems than any category, but that's probably when I just start switching to allotropes and perhaps eventually alloys.

Looking forward to hearing anything on this one!
 
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i do small business, name em eaither company initials - title

or just do like receptionist, owner, controller, etc.

servers normally are single so just server1 or server2, or even company initial - server
 
Thanks, Marley. Updated my post to reference your input. I forgot to mention that, from a corporate standpoint, there is no "being cute" with the systems, as efficiency comes into play, not to mention subnets, etc. I don't expect to have more than 118 production systems in my network at any given time...but I suppose it could happen!

Actually...I may wind up doing just that. A duplicate cut-sheet with DHCP and configured host-names using a location and role based concatenation may be the best idea. (E.g VAFCWK0104 = Virginia, Falls Church, Workstation, Floor 1, Room 4) Then just use easily modified CNAMEs as network aliases. Some quick DNS updates could solve everything if that scheme doesn't work out so well!
 
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Naming it what it is usually works out a lot better then being cute, though mixing the two can usually be fun.

For instance at an old job we had everything labeled company initials, server function, number of that function. Ex: Secondary DC was MVAD02. Workstations were given an asset tag (since they were dells we used the service tag as the asset tag), and network equipment was given company initials, function, number. EX MVNOCSW02 would have been the second switch that fed our NOC.

This makes everything easy to find, easy to remember, and if you come across something and your not sure what it does you just look at the name!

I follow this process at home, but I have fun naming my hypervisors (currently GlaDOS and Cortana).
 
I name everything after things from Pixar. The wi-fi router is WALL-E. Desktop is Buzz. The Apple device is EVE.
 
Nice! As much as I appreciate the professional advice, I'm glad someone responded with some fun answers.
 
I've worked in environments that have gone both ways for naming schemes. At one company all of the servers were named after Disney charicters which is cool when you work with the hardware day in and day out you can learn 120+ names and what they are and do, at least untill someone adds or removes something without telling you...

I personaly prefer to use a location\role type naming convention myself so I can tell at a glance what I'm looking at.

The biggest thing is use something flexable and use it consistantly. Remember big networks like this tend to be living things and it will change more often than you will ever want it to which will leave you haveing to rename everything down the line or have a huge halfnamed mess if you don't provide enough flexability.
 
I name everything at work after alcohol brands.

SQL cluster is Martini and Rossi
Exchange is Bombay
etc..

We have malibu, kahlua, vox and smirnoff,...and on and on..
 
All the computers where I work are named after financial troubles in the presidents personal life.

Computers are named things like Rangerover, Condo, Marblebathroom, WolfStove, Lawschool, etc.
 
Can't believe I forgot alcohol!

I just had a fun idea of simply making VM ESXi servers an element name, and any virtual servers they run allotropes of that element!

Of course, that screws up my IPs, unless I run VMs on separate networks...hmm...
 
corge said:
I name everything at work after alcohol brands.

SQL cluster is Martini and Rossi
Exchange is Bombay
etc..

We have malibu, kahlua, vox and smirnoff,...and on and on..
Click to expand...

Where I currently work all of our hypervisors are named after our favorite beers.

We stole this idea from a buddy of mine that works for a contractor that houses the FBI's fingerprint database. Apparently all their servers are named after beers too.
 
Our servers are named after BSG ships.

All workstations are named a little bit more functional. I just break them down into three parts.
LOCATION-DEPARTMENT-FUNCTION (and -## if there is more than one of a function)

I also limit each section into three characters.

Example: Converse Service Writer (CON-SVC-WTR) and if we have more than one (CON-SVC-WTR-01 or CON-SVC-WTR-02)
 
I named my home network system after countries. Usually I tried to name them in pairs.
Ex:
Main Desktop: Greenland
Netbook: Iceland
(Full ATX case vs a Netbook)

Server1: Russia
Server2: Canada
(Countries have a lot of space like my servers, Russia has more space obviously)

Secondary Desktop: United States

P4 Desktop: North Korea
P4 Desktop: South Korea
(Exact same case and internals so I though it was a good pairing)

Just a way to keep track of them and based them on how I thought of the countries. Like Russia having a lot of space for storage.
 
I prefer to use city/floor/device/device number

usually use airport codees for the city, so, for instance a switch on the 4th floor in Nashville would be: BNA04SW01

In my present position, someone was a huge fan of the aliens franchise, so I've got servers named after every character, and ESX hosts are named after starships from the series. I'd list them, but think of any name from aliens and it's been used.
 
In our own office we use things from The Simpsons with servers being named after characters (bart, carl etc) and vmware servers named after towns (springfield, ogdenville etc).

We use sensible names for all customers though that relate to location and server use.
 
I thought about creating a thread like this just the other day!

My own network devices are named after musicians. It started out in the Jazz realm and I named my network Blue Note. My desktop is named COLTRANE; HTPC named ELLINGTON. Macbook named MILES. No particular order to how their named, I just dig it. Once my network get larger I'll start making the names make more sense but I'd still like to keep a music / jazz theme. Bass playing and music are the only other hobby I'm into as much as computer and tech.
 
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