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How to select a Hostname?
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How to select a Hostname?

Who is currently at this stage:

I know I was, at one point.

I came across this helpful blog post which helped me get past...
https://mnx.io/blog/a-proper-server-naming-scheme/

I setup names based on the following convention:

permanent name while setting up the system first time
combo name that identifies a server as per business needs:

eg. web01.prd.nyc.aws

  • purpose + serial number
  • environment
  • location/ geography
  • provider

What is your magic hostname? How do you decide?

Thanks for reading

Thanked by 1nullnothere
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Comments

  • ArkasArkas Moderator

    I use animal names. For example tiger.fightclub.com or rottweiler.rnd02.bite

    Thanked by 2plumberg lemoncube
  • emgemg Veteran

    @Arkas said:
    I use animal names. For example tiger.fightclub.com or rottweiler.rnd02.bite

    I had two new servers and named one "dog" and the other one "cat". On my home computer, I made aliases "dog" and "cat" that would connect to the appropriate server over ssh. That worked out great for a few quick tests + 30 seconds.

    At the 30 second mark, I realized that I had overridden the "cat" Unix command, which I use often. Doh!

    (Yeah, I changed the alias and all is well.)

  • RFC 1178 covers this topic to quite some depth, honestly.

    Thanked by 3plumberg folio ralf
  • shuf -n 1 /usr/share/dict/words
    Pick a word I like and convert to lowercase.

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • DataIdeas-JoshDataIdeas-Josh Member, Patron Provider

    @lewellyn said:
    RFC 1178 covers this topic to quite some depth, honestly.

    psh.. Coming in here ruining all the fun.
    Such a party pooper :tongue:

  • yoursunnyyoursunny Member, IPv6 Advocate

    Paid VPS with IPv4: vps0, vps1, …, vps9.
    Free VPS or NAT/IPv6: box0, box1, …, box9.
    A hostname may be reused after the VPS is cancelled or sold or @deadpool.

    Bundles: pick a shorthand for provider name, followed by either digit or airport code, e.g. whz-ewr.

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • Mario Kart maps. Don’t judge me.

  • @bluehairminerboy said:
    Mario Kart maps. Don’t judge me.

    Decent idea

  • racknerd-la01-kvm
    spartan-sea02-kvm

    Thanked by 2giang plumberg
  • FatGrizzlyFatGrizzly Member, Host Rep

    v1,v2,v3 for vps's
    d1,d2,d3 for dedis

    Thanked by 2yoursunny plumberg
  • currently i like to use names of let posters

    Thanked by 2plumberg wuck
  • add_iTadd_iT Member
    edited December 2022

    I am using one of these

    But since i am using big ram vps and KVM only now i always choose option 3 to make it simple

    1. node vps name [dot] domain name (eg. FFME005.example.com)
    2. country code & vps number - virtualization type [dot ]domain name (eg. JP1-KVM.example.com)
    3. region/iata code - vps ram ammount [dot] domain name (eg. lax-8g.example.com)
    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • @Arkas said:
    I use animal names. For example tiger.fightclub.com or rottweiler.rnd02.bite

    :D ,me too, tiger lion bull

    Thanked by 2plumberg Arkas
  • My home servers are named by planets, because I am not planning to have more than 5 servers in the near and not so near future :D First one is earth.hostname, second is mars.hostname. All the internal VMs on these are purpose called - ci.hostname, sql.hostname, web.hostname, etc...

    External VMs are location based - uk.hostname, sg.hostname, etc... With two exceptions, my offsite backup VM is called borg.hostname, and when for some reason I get n-th VM in the same location, I start numbering them, but the first one is numberless. E.g. de..., de2..., de3...

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • DPDP Administrator, The Domain Guy

    https://namingschemes.com/Main_Page

    If anyone's out of ideas.

    Thanked by 2emg plumberg
  • I use the names of Greek gods.
    The entire network I refer to as 'Olympus'
    My beefy home server is Zeus
    The two VPSs are Poseidon and Hades

    • Purpose + Number

    Other I have seen where transformers...

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • I use BitWarden to generate hostname

    Thanked by 2plumberg let_rocks
  • xTomxTom Member, Patron Provider

    When selecting a hostname, there are a few important factors to consider. A hostname is a unique identifier that is used to identify a specific computer or network device on a network, and it is typically composed of a combination of letters, numbers, and other characters. Here are a few tips for selecting a hostname:

    • Keep it simple and easy to remember: A hostname should be easy to remember, so it is best to keep it simple and straightforward. Avoid using complex or obscure words, phrases, or numbers, as this can make it difficult for others to remember and use your hostname.
    • Use keywords that describe your device or purpose: If possible, try to include keywords in your hostname that describe your device or its purpose. For example, if you are selecting a hostname for a server that hosts a website, you could include the word "website" in the hostname. This can make it easier for others to understand the function of your device based on its hostname.
    • Avoid using special characters or spaces: Most hostnames do not allow special characters, such as punctuation marks or spaces, so it is best to avoid using them. Instead, use letters, numbers, and the dash (-) or underscore (_) character to separate words or groups of characters in your hostname.
    • Be consistent and avoid duplication: When selecting a hostname, it is important to be consistent and avoid duplication. For example, if you are selecting hostnames for multiple devices on the same network, you should use a similar naming convention and avoid using the same hostname for multiple devices. This will help to avoid confusion and ensure that your hostnames are unique and easy to use.
    Thanked by 2dev077 plumberg
  • marvel character names, cuz there are so fucking many to choose from..

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • @jugganuts said:
    marvel character names, cuz there are so fucking many to choose from..

    real names of marvel mutants (kurt, emma, magnus etc). my very own unique and original theme i came up with and nobody else would ever want to use.

    the whole purpose/environment/location scheme is sensible when you're dealing with cattle, but i don't wrangle herds anymore and my machines are definitely pets now.

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • cendol, dawet, timlo, soto basically foods..

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • I just use planet names

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • I go with trees (elm, oak, pine, etc). The RFC mentioned by @lewellyn makes for a great read. "Purposely incorrect (but cute) spellings also tend to annoy a large subset of people."

  • Shot2Shot2 Member
    edited December 2022

    I go with a stable name scheme (which is also present in DNS).
    A scheme that is unlikely to ever change for the duration of the service.
    So... no "purpose" or "prod/test" naming; but rather provider, hardware, and/or location.

    e.g.:
    dedi-online-fr-vty [.shot2.tld]
    vps-as202401-us-nyc [.shot2.tld]

    Makes debugging and management easier, as in "To: [email protected] Subject: [Alert] Oh crap, Dedi-Online-Fr-Vty is down"... which makes me rush to check status.online.net.

    Of course, purpose-oriented "nicknames" may still be assigned and altered if needed, thanks to CNAMEs in the DNS acting as shortcuts, public-facing pretty names etc.

    e.g. :
    proxy-us IN CNAME vps-as202401-us-nyc

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • analoganalog Member
    edited December 2022

    originally I just did the phonetic alphabet: alpha.example.com, bravo, charlie, delta, echo...

    A friend of mine did Halo 2 Maps: zanzibar.example.com, waterworks, midship, collosus...

    Now I mainly do <purpose><serial number>.<geo>.<mydomain.tld>

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • emgemg Veteran
    edited December 2022

    @let_rocks said:
    shuf -n 1 /usr/share/dict/words
    Pick a word I like and convert to lowercase.

    If you just want to gather a list of interesting names, open port 22 and collect the usernames from the resulting ssh login attempts.

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • @emg said:

    @let_rocks said:
    shuf -n 1 /usr/share/dict/words
    Pick a word I like and convert to lowercase.

    If you just want to gather a list of interesting names, open port 22 and collect the usernames from the resulting ssh login attempts.

    Hahahahah I wonder if those scripts do rDNS. "Um it says we're connecting to a host called tnsadmin, which is in our to-try list. This IP should be blacklisted since something is wrong."

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • emgemg Veteran

    I never tried rDNS. I used to run it to give to friends when they were expecting a baby. These days, my friends' babies are grown, so I have not run it in a while. The last time I ran it was in 2007. Here is the command I used:

    sudo grep "failed to auth" /var/log/secure.log | sed "s/^.* user \(.*\)\.$/\1/" | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr

    Here are the top results from that run in 2007. I have listed only the ones with 5 or more hits:

    283 root
    106 admin
    34 test
    25 mysql
    20 backup
    17 postgres
    17 news
    15 cyrus
    14 oracle
    13 user
    13 tomcat
    13 apache
    12 web
    12 info
    12 guest
    11 rpm
    11 richard
    11 michael
    11 cary
    11 bin
    10 webmaster
    10 nobody
    10 ftp
    10 fax
    9 sales
    9 mike
    9 mail
    9 carlos
    9 angel
    8 username
    8 sshd
    8 shell
    8 postmaster
    8 postfix
    8 pgsql
    8 paul
    8 master
    8 games
    8 amanda
    8 alan
    8 admins
    8 adam
    7 www-data
    7 webadmin
    7 stephen
    7 ssh
    7 squid
    7 shop
    7 sara
    7 party
    7 operator
    7 mailman
    7 lp
    7 john
    7 ident
    7 george
    7 adm
    6 samba
    6 rmgadmin
    6 khan
    6 irc
    6 gnome
    6 carter
    6 caroljean
    6 alex
    6 aircode
    5 wwwrun
    5 www
    5 telnet
    5 sync
    5 suva
    5 smmsp
    5 shutdown
    5 rex
    5 resin
    5 psybnc
    5 named
    5 mikael
    5 max
    5 linux
    5 library
    5 httpd
    5 halt
    5 david
    5 danny
    5 daniel
    5 daemon
    5 casandra
    5 caryn
    5 caryl
    5 carsten
    5 carson
    5 carry
    5 carrissa
    5 carrington
    5 carrie
    5 carri
    5 carree
    5 carrano
    5 carran
    5 caron
    5 carolynn
    5 carolyne
    5 carolyn
    5 carolle
    5 carolis
    5 caroline
    5 carolin
    5 carla
    5 carl
    5 carey
    5 cara
    5 candice
    5 campbell
    5 cammie
    5 cal
    5 anthony
    5 Aaron

    (Many many more after that, all with fewer than 5 attempts. The list of single attempts from that same run has 1713 unique usernames.)

    Thanked by 1plumberg
  • @emg said:
    I never tried rDNS. I used to run it to give to friends when they were expecting a baby. These days, my friends' babies are grown, so I have not run it in a while. The last time I ran it was in 2007. Here is the command I used:

    sudo grep "failed to auth" /var/log/secure.log | sed "s/^.* user \(.*\)\.$/\1/" | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr

    Here are the top results from that run in 2007. I have listed only the ones with 5 or more hits:

    283 root
    106 admin
    34 test
    25 mysql
    20 backup
    17 postgres
    17 news
    15 cyrus
    14 oracle
    13 user
    13 tomcat
    13 apache
    12 web
    12 info
    12 guest
    11 rpm
    11 richard
    11 michael
    11 cary
    11 bin
    10 webmaster
    10 nobody
    10 ftp
    10 fax
    9 sales
    9 mike
    9 mail
    9 carlos
    9 angel
    8 username
    8 sshd
    8 shell
    8 postmaster
    8 postfix
    8 pgsql
    8 paul
    8 master
    8 games
    8 amanda
    8 alan
    8 admins
    8 adam
    7 www-data
    7 webadmin
    7 stephen
    7 ssh
    7 squid
    7 shop
    7 sara
    7 party
    7 operator
    7 mailman
    7 lp
    7 john
    7 ident
    7 george
    7 adm
    6 samba
    6 rmgadmin
    6 khan
    6 irc
    6 gnome
    6 carter
    6 caroljean
    6 alex
    6 aircode
    5 wwwrun
    5 www
    5 telnet
    5 sync
    5 suva
    5 smmsp
    5 shutdown
    5 rex
    5 resin
    5 psybnc
    5 named
    5 mikael
    5 max
    5 linux
    5 library
    5 httpd
    5 halt
    5 david
    5 danny
    5 daniel
    5 daemon
    5 casandra
    5 caryn
    5 caryl
    5 carsten
    5 carson
    5 carry
    5 carrissa
    5 carrington
    5 carrie
    5 carri
    5 carree
    5 carrano
    5 carran
    5 caron
    5 carolynn
    5 carolyne
    5 carolyn
    5 carolle
    5 carolis
    5 caroline
    5 carolin
    5 carla
    5 carl
    5 carey
    5 cara
    5 candice
    5 campbell
    5 cammie
    5 cal
    5 anthony
    5 Aaron

    (Many many more after that, all with fewer than 5 attempts. The list of single attempts from that same run has 1713 unique usernames.)

    Nothing at all surprising in that list: we all know root is the best baby name.

    Thanked by 2emg plumberg
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