Hi,I've been asked to design a new naming convention for our servers. We're currently using a variety of unique names from comics, movies, etc.The target is to use a neutral, more professional and more efficient naming convention. I'm looking for best practices regarding server naming or experiences from other people in order to form my own opinion.

I've been through a lot of different shops, and the practices vary from shop to shop. It really comes down to coming up with something that is acceptable, and abiding for it. It's common to have a mnemonic that somewhat identifies the server followed by a sequence number. For example, SQL001, SLQ002, DC001, DC002, EXC001, EXC002. If the system is clustered, it's not uncommon to put something like CLUS before the name, e.g. CLUSSQL001. One can use department names, application names, function names, etc. Once the decision is made, be consistent. People will miss the 'cute' names at first, but they soon get used to the 'boring' names. And, the IT organization likes the boring names because they can tell at a glance what is on the system. tgc

Also, make sure you suffix your server name with a 3-digit numeral (e.g: "001", "002") because you will definitely have between 100 and 999 SQL servers, etc.

Hello, For small organizations, you could choose a theme that is easily understood by both end users and administrators; for large organizations, a logical and standardized naming scheme should be a must. The following two articles providerserveral examples which might be helpful to you. Naming conventions in Active Directory for computers, domains, sites, and OUs http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909264 Guide to Computer Naming Schemes and Conventions http://labmice.techtarget.com/articles/computernaming.htm I hope this helps. Regards, Neo Zhu MSFT