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Codename Guide

Introduction

Codenames are used to differentiate between projects and computer hardware.

The current codename system is used more or less as an inventory system until proper inventory management is set up with either CAMS or something else. Codenames for specific devices may be retired or significantly less relied on once an inventory management system is put into place. Hardware design and software projects will continue to have codenames.

Throughout lists below, any codename that has a link and/or is in bold is currently in use or is assigned to a future device.

Rules for codenames

Specific to embedded device project codenames

Specific to workstation device codenames

Workstation Codenames

Codenames given to specific systems are different from hardware project codenames as codenames for such projects are linked to the project idea itself and not a specific device/prototype.

Starting with "Polyethylene Terephthalate" in 2021, chemical compounds are used for any device codename.

With chemical compound names: - The existence of a chemical compound must be verified - Starting February 6, 2024, codenames relating to chiral chemical compounds must use the names of its optical rotations

Codenames do not differeniate devices on a network; they are not hostnames or part of hostnames. Hostnames are short descriptions of what purpose the device currently serves and are seen on the network by that name, such as "SVCS" for virtualization systems.

Names to Use

Chemical compounds may have multiple ways to name their chemical structures. Generally, the most common chemical name for a substance is used.

Due to the length of many of the codenames, a shorthand version is given in this format: <codename> - <shorthand codename>

For example, with Serdexmethylphenidate, the IUPAC name (2S)-3-hydroxy-2-[[1-[[(2R)-2-[(1R)-2-methoxy-2-oxo-1-phenylethyl]piperidine-1-carbonyl]oxymethyl]pyridin-1-ium-3-carbonyl]amino]propanoate could not be used for a device codename for multiple reasons.

Another example, with lisdexamfetamine, the INN name is used over L-lysine-dextroamphetamine or lisdexamphetamine because the lisdexamfetamine name is more common.

Chlorofluorocarbons and Hydrochlorofluorocarbon

Starting June 2, 2023, Chlorofluorocarbon and Hydrochlorofluorocarbon codenames are reserved for Intel systems without ECC memory support. This excludes devices originally classified as a Chromebook or Chromebox, as they may get a chromium compound codename. Intel systems with ECC memory support may get a plastics-related codename instead.

This scheme was originally started to poke fun at the potential environmental effects of Windows 11.

On January 19, 2024, the categories for Chlorofluorocarbons and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons were extended to include Chlorofluoroolefins and Hydrochlorofluoroolefins respectively.

Chlorofluorocarbons/Chlorofluoroolefins

Chlorofluorocarbon/Chlorofluoroolefin codenames are used for desktops

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons/Hydrochlorofluoroolefins

Hydrochlorofluorocarbon/Hydrochlorofluoroolefin codenames are used for laptops

Polymers

Polymer-related codenames, specifically plastics, are reserved for workstations with ECC memory support. This along with started with Polyethylene Terephthalate in 2021 with inspiration by the plastic's use in textiles.

Uncategorized polymer codenames are for general use at the moment.

Polyolefins and Polystyrene

Polyolefin codenames historically have been used with dual-socket systems and systems with high core count CPUs.

Currently, this includes any dual-socket AMD Opteron, dual-socket Intel Xeon and single-socket AMD EPYC systems. Dual-socket AMD EPYC systems may be assigned a polyvinyl codename instead.

Acrylics

Codenames of acrylic-family polymers are used for laptops that have support for ECC memory.

Polyesters

Polyester-family polymers are used for general-purpose workstation systems designated as WBPC1.

Polyvinyls

Codenames of polymers made of monomers with a vinyl group are for future use with systems with multiple AMD EPYC processors.

Vinyl Monomers

Though unrelated to the hardware in the "Polyvinyls" section above, codenames of monomers with a vinyl group are used for systems using VIA x86/x86-64 processors with or without ECC memory support regardless of application.

Psychoactives

Codenames of psychoactive substances are generally used for server systems starting early 2023. All of these systems have ECC memory unless otherwise specififed. The use of names of psychoactive substances started with stimulants for the reason specified in the Stimulants section below.

Stimulants

Stimulant drug-related codenames are generally for use with virtualization and compute servers. The use of stimulants for codenames of compute servers is inspired by the use of stimulants for the treatment of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

Starting October 3, 2024, amphetamine-related codenames are to be used with Intel systems while methylphenidate-related codenames are to be used with AMD systems. Prior to this, amphetamine-related codenames were to be used with specifically the HP ProLiant BladeSystem-compatible hardware that I received on May 5, 2023 and methylphenidate-based codenames were to be used specifically with Supermicro AMD EPYC hardware.

Starting December 3, 2024, the codename scheme for Intel-based compute servers have been extended from amphetamine to any substituted phenethylamine, including Solriamfetol, Bupropion and others.

Substituted Phenethylamine

Codenames of substituted phenethylamines are to be used with virtualization/compute servers with Intel CPUs.

Methylphenidates

Codenames of methylphenidates and related analogs are to be used with virtualization/compute servers with AMD CPUs. Currently, no systems are assigned these codenames. "Serdexmethylphenidate" is planned to be the first codename used in this series.

Hallucinogens

Codenames of hallucinogenic compounds are generally for use with non-embedded network router/gateway devices. This specific theme, along with "Sedatives" listed below, are based off the 2010 Far East Movement single, "Like a G6".

Sedatives

Sedative drug-related compounds are generally for use with non-embedded storage servers.

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids, due to their unique effect, are used for critical mobile devices instead of servers. Formerly, codenames derived from methylxanthines were used for mobile devices but that theme was later discontinued for multiple reasons, one of them being that methylxanthines are considered stimulants.

Phytocannabinoids

Codenames derived from phytocannabinoids, or naturally-occuring cannabinoids, are to be used with mobile devices that use SoCs or microprocessors. I rarely ever refer to the one device under this classification by its codename so I plan to discontinue this part of the codename scheme.

Synthetic cannabinoids

Codenames derived from synthetic cannabinoids; cannabinoids that are not naturally-occuring, are to be used with mobile devices that use microcontrollers. This specific theme was defined for deciding a codename for a Flipper Zero device.

Thiols

Thiol-related codenames are reserved for AMD Ryzen systems without motherboard ECC memory support. AMD Ryzen systems with ECC memory support may get a plastics-related codename instead. This includes devices with customized AMD processors using the Zen series CPU architecture such as the Valve Steam Deck's APU and the APUs used in the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. Thiols that are used in the odorization of fuel gases are used first.

Unlike the HCFC/CFC theme for Intel-based devices, codenames for these devices are chosen regardless to their form factor.

Chromium-based Compounds

Chromium-based compound codenames are for use with systems originally designed for Chrome OS such as Chromebooks or Chromeboxes but had the firmware replaced with Coreboot or similar, allowing them to be designated a codename.

Development Hardware

Development hardware are systems used in the development of other hardware such as system on modules, single-board computers and evaluation kits. This codename scheme makes use of the names of hydrocarbons in relation to how they are used to "build" other chemical compounds.

Codename schemes for development systems are chosen in relation to what CPU architecture they use instead of the other codename schemes that are based on application.

ARM Development Hardware

For ARM-based development systems using ARM applications processors currently use codenames of alkanes.

x86 Development Hardware

x86-based systems currently use the codenames of cycloalkanes. This would start with "Cyclobutane" for the LattePanda Mu used for MediaCow Touch 2.

MIPS Development Hardware

MIPS development hardware uses codenames of alkylcycloalkanes.

RISC-V Development Hardware

RISC-V development hardware uses codenames of polycycloalkanes.

Special

Special chemical compound names are reserved for rare hardware platforms.

Embedded Project Codenames

Embedded circuit design projects are codenamed after specific locations such as cities, towns and villages. The design idea is what receives the codename, unlike the workstation codenames that are linked to a single unique motherboard.

Specific hardware units used in embedded hardware projects may receive a codename specific to it. For example, the LattePanda Mu received for the MediaCow Touch 2 "Paris" project was given the codename "Cyclobutane". CTCL-designed hardware can receive codenames such as if a mobile device not using an SoM; has the SoC on a custom PCB, it can receive a Cannabinoid codename as described in the sections above.

For hardware projects starting after 2020, to receive a codename, the circuit design must have at least one microcontroller, microprocessor, System on Module or SoC on the PCB.

Codenames must contain just the name of the city, town, village or CDP. Codenames that are of different places with the same name cannot be used, for example: If a project codenamed "Richmond" after Richmond, Virginia already exists, another project cannot use a codename named after Richmond, California as both would be "Richmond".

Starting August 4, 2024, codenames for hardware design projects will no longer have themes and projects would receive any codename seen fit. This is due to multiple reasons: for one, categorization has limited creativity in codename assignment. Categorization can overcomplicate assignemt of codenames (just look at how long this document is). Codenames for individual computer systems is planned to be phased out in favor for inventory IDs with the introduction of CAMS.

Generally Reserved Codenames

These codenames are reserved for special purposes due to the personal value

Due to this list becoming too long, it has been split by location of what the codename represents

New York, US

Florida, US

Maryland, US

North Carolina, US

Tennessee, US

Virginia, US

Austria

Brazil

Germany

Assigned

Software

Standalone software projects use the names of animals. Embedded software written for hardware projects do not receive their own codename as such software is considered to be part of the hardware project.

Starting November 29, 2024, codenames for software projects are no longer chosen in relation to their implementation language. Instead, codenames are to be chosen based on the software's purpose.

CTCL 2011-2025