Racks - Adding Asset - Cannot Add Two Devices per Unit

hypercube33

We use Lenovo Tiny PCs (Dell and HP also have these) and you can typically get 1u 2-PC rack holders for these. There are also quad Raspberri Pi 1U (or worse, I think up to 6 or 8 in a 2U format) or 2x Mac Mini mounting gear.

TLDR - you should have no issues adding two Assets to a single rack unit - currently in my instance, and confirmed in the demo, you cannot.

JosephWithCOR

The limitation has been brought up before

https://forum.itflow.org/d/1732-rack-diagram-shelf-items-that-are-side-by-side

https://forum.itflow.org/d/1410-functions-for-rack-documentation

digibandit

JosephWithCOR What if on rack creation or edit you could select how many columns and rows you want/have and it would then display it, like a table.

JosephWithCOR

In my humble opinion since you won't have many racks consisting of multiple item shelves, I would think it would be on edit.

Now that I type that, all of the equipment will suddenly shrink and we will be shelf sharing 2, 3, 4, 10 items…

digibandit

JosephWithCOR The on edit per row/shelf is a better idea.

Every rack I manage has multi-items per shelf somewhere.

Best example I have without dropping irl photos of my rack nightmares, media converters:

{media converters anyone?}

To add a potential way to display this mess on the chart, the row could either:

Bullet point what is shared, alphabetically or in order of entry
Show a statement like 'shared' that on selection/click opens a larger view of that single shelf/row with the multiple columns inside

Additional implementation thoughts:

Per-shelf configuration: When editing a rack unit, add a "Subdivide" option that lets you enter how many columns.
Visual representation: In the main rack view, show something like "1U - Shared (16 devices)" with an expand/collapse function

JosephWithCOR

See what I mean? Not only did your equipment shrink (probably due to lack of mineral oil), you had to stack it to make it fit…. Damn… 14 items in that 2U slot. Assuming unique mac, serial, and matching Assets I could see this as:

Adding Device to Rack

Custom Device / Or Select a Device

Unit Number Start - End

Number of units on shelf:

Then add Assets

35 (from Left) 1 - TPxxxxxx

34 (from Left) - TPxxxxxxx

(from Left) - 3 - TPxxxxxx

…. as we mosey to the end of Assets

(on the right) - 15 - TPxxxxx

Grow the box to accommodate the number of units on shelf.

With the device in your picture, the enclosure would be the asset with multiple interfaces and the rack U's linked back to the enclosure asset.

In the original example where each piece (tiny PCs) is a wholly independent unit asking number of units per shelf would be more appropriate. On one of my racks I have a shelf with 5 jump boxes, all tiny PCs.

But, it is ultimately up to the Dev's what the end result looks like.

digibandit

JosephWithCOR With the device in your picture, the enclosure would be the asset with multiple interfaces and the rack U's linked back to the enclosure asset.

I fully disagree, as each media converter not only has its own Serial Number and Mac Address but more importantly it has it's own Purchase Order (not in ITFlow yet, but some day it will.)

Another example: I have a 7U shelf with 5 SFF Lenovos (not the tinys) side by side as a Proxmox cluster, and under that on another shelf three stacks of three Lenovo Tinys, as it was more space efficient to have them stacked then to separate on a 1 U x 3 wide shelf 3 times.

JosephWithCOR

Otherwise, you would want to make an Asset type: Enclosure that can contain multiple Assets for assigning to a rack.

JosephWithCOR

digibandit I fully disagree

Respectfully, if the enclosure has any kind of smarts (iDRAC or other) it would be an asset and "in the rack" as well. If it is a dumb box, I would think it would be noted somewhere as being in the rack.

digibandit it's own Purchase Order

Would be noted in the Asset database at Asset / Purchase / Purchase Reference, not on the rack.

digibandit 7U shelf with 5 SFF

Covered. Unit number start: 30 - End 37

Number of units on shelf: 5

Add assets left to right. Easy peasy lemon squeezy (until you try to code it).

digibandit on another shelf three stacks of three Lenovo Tinys

Hadn't thought about stacking equipment being a slot it on its side kinda guy. Different strokes…

Now you have "three" columns containing three assets each. Same scenario,

Unit number start: 26 - End 30

number of units on shelf: 3

Unit 1 - Add Asset1, 2, and 3

Unit 2 - Add Asset4, 5, and 6

Unit 3 - Add Asset7, 8, and 9

I am not trying to pick a fight, I am simply tossing idea's out based on our conversation.

If / Once the database has been reconfigured to add possibly multiple units to a shelf, and possibly multiple assets to each unit, how do you display it?

Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea and I am all for it! I am just not smart enough to put it to functional code.

digibandit

JosephWithCOR it is a dumb box

It's quite stupid.

JosephWithCOR Asset database at Asset / Purchase / Purchase Reference

Indeed, for each separate asset, yes, precisely!

JosephWithCOR start: 30 - End 37

spanning cells etc.

JosephWithCOR Different strokes…

Necessity is a mother…

JosephWithCOR I am not trying to pick a fight, I am simply tossing idea's out based on our conversation.

I'd gander you also like in-person meetings more then long emails and phone calls. That or too much reddit. lol.

JosephWithCOR If / Once the database has been reconfigured to add possibly multiple units to a shelf, and possibly multiple assets to each unit, how do you display it?

I think we might be strictly talking visual representation of data more than databse changes but i'm currently oblivious of the database structure. It's on me list.

JosephWithCOR I am just not smart enough to put it to functional code.

Pareil, frangin! Mais, i am a html and css typa guy, so let me see what I could come up with as a infographic. brb!