Computer Naming

What do you use to name your workstations?

  • Assigned User
  • Random Number/String
  • Asset Tag
  • Serial Number
  • Something else (Reply below please!)

0 voters

Couldn’t for the life of me see where I enter “something else.” I use their user ID plus the year. I forget why I started that but it has come in handy a few times over the years. I track purchase dates in my asset database but not the year a device was assigned to a person which in the world of hand-me-downs doesn’t always match.

We use a combination of campus short code, machine type (user) or use (server), and sequential number of that grouping.

Examples
MTP-CMP001 for a desktop computer at our Mount Pleasant campus
WST-LAP001 for a laptop computer at our West Ashley campus
AVL-MAC001 for a Mac computer at our Asheville campus
NCH-FILE001 for a file server at our North Charleston campus

We keep the user assignment in KACE (Windows & Macs).

Trace

Three Letter Client Name - Three Letter Location - Service Tag (Dell shop)

e.g. ABC-FST-7QVXL12

Some are user assigned plus computer type like: Diane’s Mac Mini. Some computers aren’t really assigned to a person, so we’ll use an internal location, task and then computer type.

So at a glance we know what computer and where. We keep a database with all the particulars of that computer: serial number, specs room number, licensed software, date deployed.

We used to use username -pc for a desktop or -lap for a laptop. Then giving a user a new computer became a naming hassle and we are now using username -model number. We’re all Dell so a computer might be named jsmith-7040. Non user specific machines are checkin01-3010 or avbooth-7500. It’s worked very well for us.

We use abbreviated department-user-location-(# if needed) for our units regardless of hardware type. Many of our units have multiple users in a department, so we may just have department-location. Likewise, we may just have user-location. If it’s a public access or is relative to the entire network, we use OBC first. This came from using Splashtop as our remote desktop service and just made for a better optics when trying to find the hardware in the list - they show up alphabetically, so it’s faster to narrow it down. Examples:

JIM-AZOFFICE
ACCOUNTING-OFFC
OBC-AVUSER-FH
OBCSERVERBOX01
OBC-ADDC-VM01

I use lastname and number of computers they have had

Gibson2-pc
Hall-pc

We use the pattern of (machine type)-(first initial)(lastname). So an example would be lt-aconner or pc-aconner. This helps with readability and ease of typing. Sensitive and shared workstations get a slightly modified pattern. We have tried alternative patterns including the last 6 digits of the machine’s mac address, but they proved too unwieldy to use during basic daily tasks.

For PCs we use the Dell Service Tag (or serial number) plus a 3-letter acronym for the ministry: 2VVQR71SMM. For Macs, we use a much more complicated system including the org, department, user’s name, and serial number- this makes for a very LONG computer name.

[Department Abbreviation]-[First Name]-[Computer Type]

For example, my MacBook Pro would be:
TO-Chris-MBP
(Tech Ops, Chris, MacBook Pro)

We use asset tiger to look up asset tags and whatnot if needed.

We have special prefixes for non-workstation devices (i.e. servers begin with A- and VM Hosts begin with H-, and DMZ servers begin with DMZ-).

For remote campuses we’ll add a 2 character prefix for the campus, such as SF-VT-playback-iMac for the Santa Fe Video Team playback iMac.

Yeah, they are long, but super descriptive and we can typically guess at a name and get it right. :slight_smile:

For client machines, I’ve started naming

SC{$CampusCode}-{L|D}{$AssetTag}

L for laptop, D for desktop. sccen-l1225 for instance.

Asset tags are recorded in the in either JAMF or Meraki depending on platform.

Function machines are based on area used.

SC{$CampusCode}-{main|kids|west|east}-{SpecificFunction}

Main service, kids ministry, and our Anderson location has two buildings (west and east). scand-west-cg or scgvl-main-red

Servers are named based on location and function.

We changed our naming scheme last year. We landed on:

(type)(year)-#

Type = D for desktop, L for laptop, T for tablet
Year = last two digits of year
“#” = simply a sequential number

So, for example:

D17-08
L14-03
T16-05

This naming scheme allows us to look at an inventory or AD and see exactly how many of a certain age, and how many of a certain type. In addition, because every computer has the computer name label on the outside of the tower/laptop, we can see the age of the computer upon walking up to it, or connecting to it remotely, for trouble shooting.

We keep a separate inventory document of what computer/device is assigned to an particular employee, service tag/SN, number of monitors, etc.

Thanks!
Cisco

LOL! Looks like I’m the only lazy one that uses the default random string that comes with a new computer… I guess I should actually start naming these something else.

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