Naming your computers

[BroganOs]

What format do you use when assigning computer names? Do you reuse those names when a computer is replaced?

[BKGarry]

I use the following

 

RRR-MMMM-0xx

 

RRR = room or SLP/TLP (for student laptop and teacher laptop)

MMMM = model number - such as 9010, V110, R50B, or a HPG4 something meaningful that allows you to identify the model

0XX = number, 3 digits as out laptops reach into the 100s for models

[Rob_D]

We use roomnumber-role/unique id format for our computer names. For example the interactive board connected PC in room A123 would be "A123-IWB".

 

Because of this nomenclature, we try to reuse PC names as closely as possible. But more often than not we're building a replacement with the old one in place so things like "A123-IWB-A" or A123-IWB-SSD" get used. Then the next time its re-imaged or replaced it'll go back to "A123-IWB"

 

For us, it's really useful to be able to tell where a PC is physically when we look on AD. We did try using our asset ID as part of the name (so "PC-00123" and the like) but working out where it was physically was too much hassle so we went back to the location based naming.

[localzuk]

We use device type and asset label number. Eg TAB5624331 DES67348423 etc...

 

Makes life much easier for remote support of devices across the Trust - "What's your computer ID?"

 

We don't need to know make, model, room etc... then. Just one number and we can do everything we need.

[FN-GM]

Site-Room-TypeNumber

 

EG:

 

WA-A001-PC01

[chazzy2501]

room PCs are rm+no so lrc01 or a301 or n202 so thats a3+01 not 301 but no room has more than 99 PCs

personal laptops have their users name: ssmith

[Rob_D]

room PCs are rm+no so lrc01 or a301 or n202 so thats a3+01 not 301 but no room has more than 99 PCs

personal laptops have their users name: ssmith

Are their GDPR implications to using people's names as PC names (given the device name is pretty available).

[DalekSec]

Suite PCs

 

BB-RR-NN

 

Building, Room, Number

 

1:1

 

SSS-DDD-JJJ*

 

School initials, Device type (Surface, SUR or laptop, LPT), Job role e.g. HR

[TechMonkey]

Four character room identifier, a hyphen and then a two digit number.

 

So the main hall would be MHHL-01, the PE office (with 2 PCs) would be PEOF-01 and PEOF-02, and classroom one would CL01-01. We have also started setting the two digit suffix to WB for whiteboard PCs for easy identification.

[hardtailstar]

Classrooms are room number followed by number. All our room numbers are by building name and ground/first floor so computers in a room on the first floor in a building would be EF10

Department Laptops are by department and number so English01

Staff laptops are by the serial number

Office PCs are a mix of serial and job title.

[thebatman]

Classroom, Product Type, Product number.

 

L4WS03

 

L4 Room

WS Work Station

03 Work Station Number.

[FishCustard]

I use a slightly odd one, but it works for me.

 

[Manufacturer][Model]-NNN

 

I'll clip the manufacturer to keep the names short. This way I can instantly identify what kind of machine it is from the name, and I don't need to rename things if I move them about. PCs have a startup script that writes their serial number (and that of their monitors) to AD if I need that.

 

More useful on sites where you have lots of different types of machine.

[jthompson]

We use device type and asset label number. Eg TAB5624331 DES67348423 etc...

 

Makes life much easier for remote support of devices across the Trust - "What's your computer ID?"

 

We don't need to know make, model, room etc... then. Just one number and we can do everything we need.

 

Same. Never have to change computer names when shuffling them around, after personnel changes or after room name changes. When the hostname is fixed for the life of the device it makes maintaining device history in your inventory far easier than it otherwise would be.

[6Foot2]

[Room Number/Name][sequentially Incremented PC Number]

 

Room0101 (Room 1, 1st PC in the room) etc.

 

Replacement PC gets the same name as the one being replaced.

[BroganOs]

Wow, thanks guys. Some great info there.

 

When we had 6 computers I did get into the habit of naming them accountspc, maryspc, principlepc etc etc. Bad practice I admit, but now we are getting funding and a lot more so I want to start off on the right foot. I’ll have to read through all of that and come up with something suitable.

[BroganOs]

I use a slightly odd one, but it works for me.

 

[Manufacturer][Model]-NNN

 

I'll clip the manufacturer to keep the names short. This way I can instantly identify what kind of machine it is from the name, and I don't need to rename things if I move them about. PCs have a startup script that writes their serial number (and that of their monitors) to AD if I need that.

 

More useful on sites where you have lots of different types of machine.

 

I don’t suppose you could share that script? I was thinking of using bginfo on every computer. But thought that might be too much info for the students to see.

[6Foot2]

I don’t suppose you could share that script? I was thinking of using bginfo on every computer. But thought that might be too much info for the students to see.

BGInfo display on our Pcs:

 

Windows 7:

 

Station name

Station IP

Logged on username

 

Windows 10:

 

Windows build

Station IP

Station name

[FishCustard]

I don’t suppose you could share that script? I was thinking of using bginfo on every computer. But thought that might be too much info for the students to see.

Yep, it's here: https://github.com/rwjuk/admin-scripts/blob/master/SerialNumbersToAD.ps1

 

You'll need to add the attributes I use to AD (or use others and change the script accordingly).

 

DumpEDID (for monitor serials) can be downloaded from here: https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/dump_edid.html

 

I'll do a writeup on my website on how to set it all up in a bit and post the link here too.

[clareq]

We use role (Classroom ©, Admin (A) or Teacher (T)), room number, asset number so C-12-3456. I can use conditions based on the machine name is SCCM to deploy specific software to Registration or Admin machines, based purely on the first letter of the name. Grouping machines by classroom in Impero is seamless due to the location being in the name, and staff can report an issue with a particular machine by reading the number off the side.

I've never seen the logic of including the model in the machine name - with the asset number I can look it up in seconds, and if I need to know how many of a particular model are in the school, I just create a device collection in SCCM.

[Sephiroth]

Classroom, Product Type, Product number.

 

L4WS03

 

L4 Room

WS Work Station

03 Work Station Number.

 

We use exactly this for all classroom machines.

 

Staff laptops and admin desktops are named e.g. BEY24126327. This is the case for admin desktops mostly because when the school was renumbers a few years ago (for SOR) the offices were never given any designation, despite our attempts to get them to understand.

 

Student laptops are LT, e.g. MFLLT01. A subject has never got more than 60 laptops, so 2 digits is fine.

 

Chromebooks are CB, e.g. CB001. These are not affiliated to a specific department so the numbering starts at 001 and will run through as many as we end up with.

 

Of all of these conventions, the classroom desktops is the easiest to use as we know exactly where they are and don't have to search another system to locate them, particularly useful when tracking logon events for a particular user.

[mdrabble]

I use Room-AssetNo.

 

For staff PCs in classrooms I add a T ad the end.

[TwistedHelixis]

I gave up years ago using room numbers or locations in computer names, I simply use the serial of the machine and keep a list of where machines are, it's much simpler

[DrBeaker]

I always find this topic fascinating, to see what others have chosen. There's no real right or wrong way to name them.

 

I've gone for school code-classroom-xxx

 

school code - code of the school

classroom - name of the room

xxx = number of computer

 

We have normal classrooms where there's only 1x teacher computer. IT Suites just increment in number. Admin machines are called differently.

 

The theory is the simple numbers help with classroom/seating plans e.g student x sits at computer x.

[LeMarchand]

This works for me:

 

SSS-ROOM/AREA-NN for desktops, e.g. MPS-OFFICE-01 (MyPrimarySchool-OFFICE-01)

SSSLPT-MODEL-II for laptops, e.g. MPSLPT-H250-SI (MyPrimarySchoolLPT-H250-StaffInitials)

[chazzy2501]

Are their GDPR implications to using people's names as PC names (given the device name is pretty available).

 

I don't believe so, the teachers name is also written on the laptop (with a sticker) and their name and email is already available to anyone with access to the GAL. (or ad search) but not their first name.