Proffered set of standard host names
Peggy Karp's 1971 rules for building ARPANET host names from a site code and a machine code.
Karp, P.M., "Proffered set of standard host names", RFC 247, DOI 10.17487/RFC0247, October 1971, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc247>.
@misc{rfc247,
series = {Request for Comments},
number = 247,
howpublished = {RFC 247},
publisher = {RFC Editor},
doi = {10.17487/RFC0247},
url = {https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc247},
author = {P.M. Karp},
title = {{Proffered set of standard host names}},
pagetotal = 4,
year = 1971,
month = oct,
} RFC text
Network Working Group Peggy Karp
Request for Comments: #247 MITRE
NIC 7688 12 October 1971
Categories: Policy, Telnet
Related: #226, 236, 239, 233, 237
Obsoletes: #226
Proferred Set of Standard Host Names
In RFC #226, BBN's TENEX list of Host names was set up as a strawman
set of standard Host names. Comments received since then (an RFC
actually generated comments!!!) have influenced me to propose the
following general rules for forming Host names.
The Host names will be 8 characters in length. The general form is
<site> '-' <machine>
<site> will be at most 4 characters, formed as follows:
(a) Use the keyword in the site name, if not more than
four characters, e.g., NASA Ames, Case Western
Reserve. ---- ----
(b) Use the standard acronym, if not more than four
characters, e.g., UCLA, RADC, NBS.
(c) If a standard abbreviation exists, use it, e.g., Ill.
(d) If none of the above apply, use the first four letters
in the site name, e.g., Burr, Mitr, Harv.
(e) If none of the above is acceptable to the site, the
technical liaison should select the site mnemonic.
<machine> will be at most 4 characters of the form <mfg. #>
<designator>.
Examples of mfg. # are:
IBM 360 2 digit model number
IBM 370 3 digit model number
PDP 1 - 2 digit model number
Burroughs 4 digits
CDC 4 digits
etc.
RFC #247
<designator> will be used when more than one machine of the same
type is located at a site (e.g., 2 PDP-10s at MIT, at SRI, and
at BBN).
Limiting <machine> to 4 characters does not permit distinctions
to be made between machines with 4 digit mfg. #s. I expect
the situation will be handled in an ad hoc manner by the NIC if
it arises.
TIPs are identified as 'TIP' rather than by '316'. If a Host
is not to be permanently addressable, the machine is identified
as 'TEST'.
A list of Host names, formed according to these rules, is
attached. Alternate Host names should be provided, as
suggested by Jon Postel (RFC #236). RFC's 206, 233, and
236 present lists with 4-character alternate names. The
Technical Liaison should select the alternate name for his
site and communicate the selection to the NIC.
The preceding rules and the attached list of Host names are
subject to the approval of the NWG. Hereafter, the list will
be generated and maintained by the NIC in cooperation with
the Technical Liaison at each site, as suggested in RFC #237.
Comments should be addressed to Dick Watson.
[ This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry ]
[ into the online RFC archives by BBN Corp. under the ]
[ direction of Alex McKenzie. 12/96 ]
RFC #247
Attachment 1
NETWORK ADDRESS STANDARD NAME
--------------- -------------
1 UCLA-7
65 UCLA-91
2 SRI-10NI
66 SRI-10AI
3 UCSB-75
4 UTAH-10
5 BBN-516
69 BBN-10A
133 BBN-10B
6 MIT-645
70 MIT-10DM
134 MIT-10AI
7 RAND-65
71 RAND-10
8 SDC-75
9 HARV-10
73 HARV-1
137 HARV-11
10 LL-67
74 LL-TX2
138 LL-TSP
11 SAIL-10
12 ILL-11
76 ILL-6500
13 CASE-10
14 CMU-10
15 BURR-6500
79 BURR-TEST
16 AMES-67
144 AMES-TIP
145 MITR-TIP
18 RADC-645
146 RADC-TIP
19 NBS-11
147 NBS-TIP
148 ETAC-TIP
21 TINK-418
22 MCCL-418
23 USC-44
151 USC-TIP
152 GWC-TIP
25 NCAR-7600
153 NCAR-TIP
158 BBNX-TEST
RFC #247
Attachment 2
An Implementation Scheme
If the standard Host names are formed according to the proposed
rules, the following implementation scheme, suggested by Steve
Crocker, can be used.
Map <site> into an 8-bit number, S and
map <machine> into an 8-bit number, M,
where
S + M = Network Address.
S and M can be selected such that specification of <site>
alone could cause a default to the "primary" Host at
the site. Note that this scheme depends on a unique
<site> designator for each IMP.
Some examples:
If the "primary" Host at UCLA is the 91, let
UCLA -> S = X'41'
7 -> M = X'40'
91 -> M = X'00'
then for
UCLA-7, S + M = X'01' = 1 base 10
UCLA-91,S + M = X'41' = 65 base 10
and
UCLA alone = X'41' = 65 base 10
If the primary Host at BBN is TENEX System A, let
BBN -> S = X'45'
516 -> M = X'40'
10A -> M = X'00'
10B -> M = X'C0'
then for
BBN-516, S + M = X'05' = 5 base 10
BBN-10A, S + M = X'45' = 69 base 10
BBN-10B, S + M = X'85' = 133 base 10
and
BBN alone = X'45' = 69 base 10
The primary Host for each IMP would be designated by the
site and such information disseminated by the NIC.
AI ELI5
On this page
§1The Naming Rules
Host names are 8 characters long in the form <site>-<machine>. The site part is at most 4 characters, chosen in order: the keyword in the site name if it has not more than four characters, the standard acronym if it fits, a standard abbreviation, or the first four letters of the site name. If none is acceptable to the site, the technical liaison selects the mnemonic.
The machine part is at most 4 characters of the form manufacturer number plus designator. Examples are a 2 digit model number for an IBM 360, a 3 digit one for an IBM 370 and 4 digits for Burroughs and CDC. The designator is used when more than one machine of the same type is at a site.
Pick a short code for the place, add a dash, and then add a short code for the kind of computer. If there are two of the same kind, add a letter to tell them apart.
§2Special Cases and Alternates
Limiting the machine part to 4 characters cannot separate machines with 4 digit numbers. The author expects the NIC to handle that ad hoc. TIPs are identified as TIP rather than 316, and a host that is not permanently addressable is identified as TEST.
Alternate host names, as suggested by Jon Postel in RFC 236, should also be provided. The technical liaison selects the alternate name for his site and tells the NIC.
Special machines get special codes, like TIP for the small terminal machines and TEST for ones that are only borrowed for a while.
§3The Attached List and Implementation Idea
Attachment 1 lists network addresses with their standard names, such as address 1 as UCLA-7, address 65 as UCLA-91 and address 158 as BBNX-TEST.
Attachment 2 gives Steve Crocker's scheme: map the site into an 8-bit number S and the machine into an 8-bit number M so that S + M equals the network address. Then giving the site alone can default to the primary host at the site. For example, UCLA is X'41', which is 65, the address of UCLA-91.
The paper lists every computer's number and name. A neat trick adds two small numbers, one for the place and one for the machine, to get the computer's number.
§4Approval and Maintenance
The rules and the list are subject to approval by the Network Working Group. After that, the list is to be generated and maintained by the NIC in cooperation with the technical liaison at each site, as suggested in RFC 237. Comments go to Dick Watson.
Everyone had to agree first. After that, the information office keeps the list up to date with help from each site.