RackTables. Where to begin?

Accounting in IT plays a very important role. Of course, knowing how to configure Catalyst from scratch, build degraded RAID and set up a new instance of the Oracle database is very valuable and the person who owns them is worthy of respect. However, when these Catalysts and other IBM Flex-s have several server racks, and not in the same room, the question: “Where is the same server on which the RAID was sprinkled”, may be confusing for more than one specialist. Searching for a specific server, I'm not talking about network cables, can turn into a fascinating quest. And do not let you ping run into such a quest in an accident. So in this case, people created programs like RackTables .

Free translation from the site:
Racktables is a great and reliable solution for data centers and server rooms. RackTables helps you keep track of hardware, network addresses, server rack space, network configuration, and more!



When I first read about RackTables on the hub (now the article is here ), I thought: “Christmas trees, needles !!! Yes, this is what we lacked! ”A few minutes to install, I go to the web interface, start poking around the sections and understand that I don’t understand a damn thing. Actually, for those who also did not understand how and where they needed it, the article was written.
In the course of the article, I will give naming of objects that are accepted with us. Therefore, if I commit blasphemy in relation to some guest, do not blame me.

First Fight Club Rulewhat you need to understand - in RackTables, many things are tightly interconnected. Server racks cannot be created unless there is a server rack, and server racks cannot be built yet, say, a building. Therefore, let's imagine that we have a Gorsvet company, which is located in the city of Arkaim, and there is a branch in the city of Edo. In Arkaim, we have two server rooms in the same building, and in Edo we have only one. And the first thing we will do ...
Change MyCompanyName in the very top left corner of the page. Suddenly. True? :))
We go to Configuration - User interface. Go to the Change tab, look for the line "enterprise Organization name (system-wide)" This is the name of our organization. We write the right one.



Save the button at the bottom of the page.

The result is not long in coming.

Well, it's timeCreate Location . The location can be a city, a building, anything if only you could understand. We have a city. From the main page, go to Rackspace-Manage locations, enter the name of the location, click the icon with an asterisk.



Further, without departing from the cash register, we Create the server room on the Manage rowse tab. In our case, ServerRoom 1 and ServerRoom 2 in Arkaim and Data Room in Edo.



On the Browse tab, you can see the result.



We put racks . Click on the name of the server room in the Row - Add new rack column. In the Name field, write the name of the rack Rack1-1, in the Height in units field, the height of the rack in units. Click the star icon. Done. Or you can create several racks at once in the lower field. The name of each rack is written on a new line.



When done, the result will wait for you on the View tab.



Strange Files tab . I don’t know what the creators gave this tab to; I post various kinds of pictures there.



For example, why not put here a room plan for the server room? You never know, suddenly we have an underground data center in the catacombs.



Well, the foundation is laid, Put Equipment . First of all, it needs to be created. From the main page, go to the Objects section, the Add more tab. In Object type, select the type of equipment. In Commone name we write any name, the main thing is not to coincide with the other being added. In the Visable label, the equipment model (optional field).



Filled in? Go! In the sense of the Go button, click.
By going to the Browse tab you can see what you have added. All equipment is currently in Unmounted state.



By clicking on any object you will be taken to the page of its properties and configuration. And on the Rackspace tab, the equipment is mounted. Specify the location of the switch. Click on the name of the object - Rackspace - Choose a rack.



After clicking on the rack name, its schematic image will immediately appear on the right side of the window. By clicking on the unit number you can indicate how much space the object occupies in the rack. At the end, click the Save button in the center of the screen.



Result on the View tab.



Similarly, we mount everything else. Now, at any moment, you know where and what you live.



Actually this is the base that will help to start and further independently master all the features of the program. In addition, do not forget to label the equipment itself from the rack to the patch cords. This will help when moving objects and is just convenient for visual contact on the spot. Also do not be lazy to make changes to RackTables in case of moving the switch or server. Otherwise, after some time, all your work will become profanity.