user name then 123 at the end.

Ill u2u what my mate said

Si

Think im going to go with OFFICE/DEPT/ then unique ID number and keep a database of which user is assigned to which machine, easy to update the user database rather then renaming machines all the time.

Yeah agree with gambit, if you want a pro answer ill just ask one the lads i know off scoobynet

Si

id go with DEPT & then a unique number

i wouldnt use peoples names either, as people dont always stay in the same job, and computers are usually just passed down the line to the person brought in to fill his role!

You could just name them POAH1, POAH2, POAH3, POAH4, POAH5, etc.

That way you'll never run out of numbers.

Thanks for your input guys, given me some more ideas :)

Our are all logged under and asset tag, then information about location, user, build, faulte etc are logged on a central database. This is managed by the IT helpdesk who checks the details on a regular basis.

we've over 20,000 desktops in the uk that are managed under this scheme

i got the wrong idea lol Ill leave it to the proffessionals lol

Make sure you leave the option to add pcs if the network expands aswell as you don't want to use all the names possible in your naming convention and then having to name new additions to the network something else.

We at work have about 20,000 pcs all over the country and we name ours after the division of the company we work in, then the server we sit on, then location of the office then number them within the office.

Hope that helps

Come up with something creative - a list of anything such as rivers/cartoon characters would be awkward given you'll be naming 500+ machines.

Maybe a different subject for each dept?

Maybe just PC1-PC500

Least that way its a set default pattern,

using a number say PC11, as in pc 1 in level1/room1 might be confusing

Si

Peoples Names are no good from a security pov. i.e. If I want to rob some data from John Smiths pc then I would just look for JSMITH computer, (or connect remotly to it since I know the name of the Pc!!)

BTW, ADM indicates the Admin dept!

You'd probably get peeps complaining if you used the DOB.

Go for something location wise.

PC Locatied on 1st floor, north side of Building = 1N001 1N002 1N003
2nd Floor, North Side of building 2N001 2N002 2N003 like that. then whenever you see a Pc name you can roughly see where it lives.

Or maybe buy department
Service Desk = SD001 SD002 SD003 <- Would be usefull then you would have a rough idea of what software those pc's would contain and you could use hdd images to rebuild those pc;s if need be

I tend to use a few letters and numbers. These usually consist of the letter indicating the location and the numbers are made up of some of the I.P.
e.g ADM192179

If you use the persons name who uses the PC, then you will have to make sure you are notified when the person leaves to change the PC name to that of the new person starting.

When you talk about renaming the PC on Windows 2K, do you mean in: right click My Computer, Properties, Computer name?

Alex.

depends if u want a unique name or not

Depends if machines are user specific or general purpose machines.

Using DOB is too personal and people may not want their DOB to appear.

We come up with our own naming policies.

I dont think DOB would be benficial to us?

initials and DOB

I did it by user name but then the pcs got moved around so i have a pc called "Cynthia", can't be arsed to change it though

Right ive been handed the task off applying a naming policy to all pc`s within the company. About 500ish at the moment i think. currently all the machine names are just the default jibberish they get assigned after an OS install.

any suggestions for a naming policy? I was thinking of doing it by user ie: JSMITH I cant remember what the character limit is for win 2000 is it 16??

suggestions welcome.

[Edited on 12-03-2003 by SetH]