Naming your computers

[Jawloms]

Asset tag. Then look them up in AD to either see which OU it's in, or if it's a staff laptop the description to see who logged in last and chances are it's theirs.

[Sephiroth]

I'm curious, How do your task sequences / MDT thingys identify which name to use? the main reason we use asset tags, as its easy to pull in a sccm task sequence. when imaging do you have to be at the unit and manually type the name in? do you ever get spelling typos?

 

I use MDT with a SQL database. All computers are setup in the database first, assigning name, applications/roles, default settings, etc. to the MAC address of the machine. Makes it so much easier as we just authenticate and it does everything. I've fudged the task sequence so that it's as close to zero touch as I can get without using SCCM!

Edited June 20, 2019 by Sephiroth

[mavhc]

Bar code scanner for sn/mac address as you open the computer box, put asset sticker on in sequential order, so matches spreadsheet, column in spreadsheet to create command to add to WDS with required name

[Steve_Ellis]

I use AABBNNNNRRRR where AS is the initials of the School, BB is either DT for a desktop PC or LT for a laptop, NNNN is an asset ref number (my school went through an inventory early last year where sticky labels were stuck on anything with a plug), and finally RRRR for a room number). Been doing that for just under a year, when I re-image a PC. Done about 170 of 500 or so devices bso far, mostly for performance issues. Seen a lot of legacy x86 builds that I've been finding any excuse to update with x64 builds from a now functioning MDT server, even got it to deploy the correct drivers based on manufacturer and model!

[MartinT]

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

 

[Manufacturer][Model]-NNN

 

Pretty much the same here. We use NNN for the staff initials if it's an allocated machine and for the room if it's a suite machine.

 

So...

 

LENOVOE490-MAT or MSSURFACE6-SRE or LENOVOE71-C1.

[oododkodkdo]

We use IT0000 to IT9999 so, example, IT0285 and IT2957

[mukz]

EG01-o-01 starting from the left for offices

EG01-01 starting from left for student machines

EG01-T for the teacher machines.

 

When a teacher logs an issue they count the number from the left n tell us so we know which pc it is

[DrBeaker]

EG01-o-01 starting from the left for offices

EG01-01 starting from left for student machines

EG01-T for the teacher machines.

 

When a teacher logs an issue they count the number from the left n tell us so we know which pc it is

 

Thank god I'm not the only one who does this. I was beginning to think I was the only person who went from left-right in a room!

[witch]

Thank god I'm not the only one who does this. I was beginning to think I was the only person who went from left-right in a room!

 

Me too...

[Roberto]

Type-asset tag-business division

E.g my laptop in the central business unit might be Lap-1234-central

[mavhc]

I label from left to right around the room, then someone moves a computer without telling me and I format it because the bitlocker recovery key doesn't work.

[DrBeaker]

I label from left to right around the room, then someone moves a computer without telling me and I format it because the bitlocker recovery key doesn't work.

 

That's my logic too. No fancy naming conventions expect incremental, nothing to manage expect that. When I audit the rooms I'd expect the computers to be in the same place with the same names, otherwise it's an unauthorised change to the systems. Makes it easier for staff to report faults and do seating charts etc.

[Mistert89]

We use ‘room’+’model/year’+asset

So A12-Dell19-12345

T on the end for staff pc, and you can easily see age of your estate by rooms

[mukz]

Thank god I'm not the only one who does this. I was beginning to think I was the only person who went from left-right in a room!

 

Previously the old manager use to do some different style which made no sense to anyone but him!

 

A computer in the room HG25 was called something like A2015B-010-221

 

Now none of this was a serial, service tag, computer pn etc

[keyboards]

Main IT rooms left to right numbers, with the teachers machined named teachers

 

Then the classroom machines named Room03 etc

 

Then non-teaching machines named after the room or the staff member if very specfic, ie HEADSPA or SSMITH

[jthompson]

Surprised at how few people seem to be using asset tags for this. Tried various naming schemes at different schools, but basing hostnames on asset tags by far the nicest one to work with, IMHO. It should be all that you and your users need.

[mavhc]

Asset tags work better if you're not in complete control of where computers end up/they get moved around a lot, but it's a layer of indirection that's sometimes not needed.

[MartinT]

Asset tags don't work so well when you're trying to remember the machine name belonging to someone.

[Mistert89]

Combination of room, type/age and asset number.... T on the end for teachers PC

In the appropriate OU in AD, and also grouped in Impero, or whatever product you use

[jthompson]

Asset tags don't work so well when you're trying to remember the machine name belonging to someone.

 

They are, however, a lifesaver when somebody whose name I can't remember walks in with a laptop (happens more often than I would like). Not that the hostname matters in that situation at all.

 

We're quite a large school and are always swapping laptops over, issuing temporary replacements, etc. We need only change the metadata then, rather than any hostnames, which feels more manageable.

[Davit2005]

Asset tags don't work so well when you're trying to remember the machine name belonging to someone.

 

To be honest, but why does that matter, the machine belongs to the organisation not the user

 

 

For me dealing with the issues caused by a member accidently naming a PC in conflict with another PC on site is far more aggro. And you can always use BG-Info to give the users the info they need on the desktop i.e. PC name, IP address etc. that is what I have done in the past 3 school environments I have worked in.