We kept a list of the system names in a database indexed with the people who used those computers, so we had an idea of who could possibly be using the system in question.

Use a name like so:

Department Code
Building Code
Primary User's First Initial
Six letters of the Primary User's Last Name
Number of OS version
Aux Number (If one machine it is 1, if the second machine it is 2, etc)

So Orion Blastar in building 6, in the IT department, running Windows 2000, on his second workstation would be:

IT_06_OBLASAT_2000_2

That way you knew what department the machine was in and what building, who the primary user might be, and what OS it uses, and what machine it was.

Naming it:

Aries324

OBLASTAR2

IT_2000

$MacAddress

Is meaningless, unless you put all that data into a database to see the info on the system, and then can look it up.

Now if a system is reassigned or moved, it must be renamed.