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Why Do We Name Servers the Way We Do?
jfruhlinger writes "If you use a Unix machine, it probably has a funny name. And if you work in an environment where there are multiple Unix machines, they probably have funny names that are variations on a theme. No, you're not the only one! This article explores the phenomenon, showing that even the CIA uses a whimsical server naming scheme." What are some of your best (worst?) naming schemes?
I name the servers I have license to do so after mythical places. The name/place reflects the nature of the machine (firewall, file server, workstation, winders box, remote host).
I'd link them up with actual names, but I've already said too much.
Who can say what PROD01 does when that server may eventually be re-purposed to something other than what it is currently used for;
That's why Windows, Linux, and MAC all offer an amazing feature--renaming the host.
it is still useful to have a tag which sticks to that particular piece of hardware, regardless of where it moves, thus the arbitrary but consistent naming schema.
We have those on our servers--they are called asset tags. If your company is too poor to afford asset tags, most computer manufacturers provide something called a 'serial number' that always sticks to the box.
It helps to have a human-readable/remember-able name for the server instead of a collection of gibberish which, though it may translate eventually into some useful information, is so hard to remember that it takes longer than just looking it up on the chart of server names on the wall. The names must be arbitrary because the server must be able to be repurposed, but the names must be consistent or they do not offer any mnemonic assistance.
Put a post-it note on the front of each machine with it's goofy, stupid, made-up name.
While all other information can quickly be found on the wiki or a printed out chart, which actually happens faster than deciphering that at13g3d12 is the 12th dev server for group 3 in the at&t datacenter rack 13. (It really is faster to look it up than to decode even that simple of an encoded name.)
So once you look up 'ilovemickeymouse' on your chart and it tells you that it's the 12th dev server for group 3 in the at&t data center, rack 13--how the f*ck have you saved any time?
Finally, for an individual dev working on several projects it is much easier to remember that the billing project is on mothra while the reporting project is on grendel than it is to remember that one is on at13g3d3 and one is on at13g3d4.
Or if your devs are so stupid, you can create a CNAME in DNS that points 'iamaretard' to 'at13g3d3'. Seriously--being a network admin is about making it easy for the end-user. However you want to organize your systems is up to you and your employer, but it seems stupid to come up with a retarded naming scheme for your servers because your users are idiots. That's what DNS is for. Admins should have a nice format for naming servers (like CLLI, but better), then let the users decide what they need to be called and toss that in DNS.
There's no place like
If you are actually in any manner related to the developement of devices for genital mutilation, I would gladly break your neck.
And speaking as a man who was circumcised at the age of 22 - as payment for setting up those computers, no less - I can offer a far worse curse. You can have your coveted foreskin back. Of course, it won't help your non-existent love life.
Fire and Meat. Yummy.