Nevis Linux Cluster Node Names

These are the names of the computers in the Nevis Linux Cluster.

Some machines that are not listed:

  • the systems on the Nevis condor batch farm;
  • machines that are not part of the cluster (e.g., electronics testing boxes).
Most Linux machines at Nevis are typically used by a particular working group, though there are many virtual machines for administrative purposes.

Each group has an informal naming convention for its machines. The list below includes the different groups with machines in the cluster, the basis for the names, and description of each Linux machine normally used by that group.


ATLAS

Mostly named after members of the Romanov dynasty

Name Function Derived from
kolya ATLAS workgroup server Tsar Nikolai II Alexandrovich (1868-1918)
tanya ATLAS client Grand Duchess Tatiana Nicolaievna (1897-1918)
xenia ATLAS tier3 server Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna
elecsim Electronics shop chip-design workstation Sometimes we have to use a practical name
elecdesign Electronics shop chip-design workstation

DOE / Heavy-ion

Named for Chinese imperial dynasties ( pronunciation guide)

Name Function Derived from
shang DOE workgroup server Shang Dynasty, 16th century B.C. - 1066 B.C.

Neutrino

Named after streets in the area of Columbia University

Name Function Derived from
houston Neutrino home directories  
riverside Neutrino file server
westside Neutrino file server
amsterdam Neutrino file server
bleeker Neutrino file server typo when naming; missing a 'c'

VERITAS

Named after characters in the Earthsea books by Ursula K. LeGuin

Name Function Derived from
tehanu VERITAS workgroup server Tehanu is the fourth book in the series
vetch VERITAS file server A friend of Ged
ged VERITAS file server Ged is the main protagonist of the first book
serret VERITAS file server Daughter of the Lord of Re Albi

Shared between workgroups

Named (initially) for characters and locations from the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. The reason for mixed naming scheme is these systems were at one time dedicated to specific workgroups.

Name Function Derived from
hogwarts General shared server Xen virtual machine Hogwarts, a school where wizards are trained
notebook Jupyter server Another dull practical name.
milne student file server A. A. Milne, creator of characters in the Hundred-Acre Wood

Administrative machines

Named for historical figures who made important contributions to Western thought

Name Function Derived from
hypatia central admin server Hypatia of Alexandria (d. 415), a teacher and philosopher who was killed for advocating experimental science and other heresies.
hermes Condor, DNS, and print server Hermes was the messenger of the gods; a god of intellect, invention, travelers, communication, and many other attributes.
franklin mail server Xen virtual machine Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), who was (among many other things) the first Postmaster General of the United Sates.
ada web server Xen virtual machine Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852), the founder of scientific computing.
lincoln log server Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), lawyer, statesman, and 16th American President; said to have been born in a log cabin.
shelley backup server Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851), writer and philosopher, best known as the author of Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.
sullivan mailing-list server Xen virtual machine Take your pick:

Why the funny names?

Well, there's the sheer intellectual over-indulgence of it all, but there's also a serious reason: the function of a given computer can change over time; for example, a computer that used to be Jones' Linux desktop client may become an FTP server in the future. If the computer's name was jonespc or d0pc3, we'd want to change it to ftpserver or something like that. If the computer's name was hanuman.nevis.columbia.edu, there'd be no reason to change it, nor any need to update the various databases of names (/etc/hosts, NIS, DNS, etc.).

Obviously, we have this luxury because there are relatively few computers at Nevis. We can configure them individually and know each one by name. If we had a hundred boxes, this would be impossible.

Edit | Attach | Watch | Print version | History: r30 < r29 < r28 < r27 < r26 | Backlinks | Raw View | Raw edit | More topic actions...
Topic revision: r28 - 2022-05-13 - WilliamSeligman
 
This site is powered by the TWiki collaboration platform Powered by PerlCopyright © 2008-2023 by the contributing authors. All material on this collaboration platform is the property of the contributing authors.
Ideas, requests, problems regarding TWiki? Send feedback