ZaftNet Machine Names

You may have noticed that the machines on my home network have interesting and unusual names.  Basically there are two themes running, with a couple of unifying principles underneath.

First, machines are generally named for a) Catholic saints or b) Spanish explorers of the Southwest.  Second, there are manufacturer names -- IBM machines (mostly) have names starting with I, DECstations start with D.  VAXen used for VMS all have names <= 6 characters so that their DECnet nodename can be the same as their TCP/IP name (if they run TCP/IP).  Another general theme is that gateway machines are named for archangels (Gabriel and Raphael).

That said, here's some info on the machine names and what they mean. I've also linked the names to entries in the old Catholic Encyclopedia or other resources.

• Athanasius -- St. Athanasius was Bishop of Alexandria at a very difficult time in the Church.  A staunch defender of orthodoxy against the Arian heresy, he was named a Doctor of the Church.
• Augustine -- St. Augustine of Hippo.  Bishop and Doctor of the Church.  Wrote 'City of God' and 'Confessions'.
• Boanerges -- another play on words.  'Boanerges' was Jesus' name for the sons of Zebedee, a.k.a. 'the sons of thunder.'  Boanerges is a dual-processor machine :-).
• Cabeza -- Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer, one of the first to pass through what is now Southern Arizona.
• Cabrillo -- a Portuguese sailor in the service of the Spanish crown, he was the first European to visit the Santa Barbara channel, an area I lived in for several years.
• Caritas -- Latin for Charity, or Love; one of the three Theological Virtues.
• Coronado -- Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was a Spanish explorer who extensively explored Arizona.
• Damasus -- Pope St. Damasus I, an early Pope and builder of the Church.
• Fides -- Latin for Faith; another of the three Theological Virtues.
• Gabriel -- the angel of the Annunciation.  The archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and declared she would be the mother of Jesus.
• Gutenberg -- inventor of the printing press.  The first book ever printed on Gutenberg's press was the Holy Bible.  This name is a play on words since the machine is a print server.
• Ignatius -- St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits and my patron saint.
• Irenaeus -- St. Irenaeus was a Bishop of Lyons and staunch defender of the Faith.
• Kino -- Fr. Eusebio Francisco Kino.  Jesuit priest and missionary; he evangelized Southern Arizona and brought the faith to the Indians.
• Petrus -- Latin form of Peter, Prince of the Apostles and first Pope.
• Raphael -- Archangel and healer of Tobit.
• Serra -- Bl. Fr. Junipero Serra evangelized southern California, building missions and bringing the Faith to the native peoples.
• Spes -- Latin for Hope; another of the three Theological Virtues.
• Virtus -- Latin for Virtue.

The Beowulf Cluster is named for the Four Crowned Martyrs: Castorius, Claudius, Nicostratus, and Symphorian.

Updated 08/22/02.

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