Rack management software: every rack unit accounted for.

From data center to rack unit

Toplink DCIM organizes resources in four levels: data center, rack, rack unit and device. One installation can manage several data centers, each with its own power capacity, bandwidth and contacts. Racks are divided into rack units, up to 100U per rack.

When a server or switch is installed you choose the rack and the starting unit, and the device occupies as many units as it is tall. The rack view shows which positions are taken and which are free, so capacity planning no longer requires a trip to the floor.

An asset inventory that updates itself

Spreadsheets drift out of sync with reality. DCIM keeps the inventory accurate instead:

• Hardware discovery: a detection script reads each server’s real CPU, memory and disks, and every run is kept in the history;
• Two sources, side by side: manually entered specs and discovered hardware are both kept, so a swapped part stands out immediately;
• Hardware models: define slots, NIC count, IPMI support and console type once per model and apply them to every new server of that model;
• Asset tags: asset numbers are generated by rule, and scanning a tag opens the server’s details.

Parts, failures and RMA

Replaceable parts such as disks and memory modules are stocked by batch, with model, purchase date and destination recorded. When a part fails you log an RMA, and the dashboard shows how many parts are currently out for repair. Server faults are tracked in fault management, so you can always see who replaced what, and when.

Power and capacity

Intelligent PDUs in each rack can be managed centrally. The dashboard’s resource overview summarizes power usage, inbound and outbound bandwidth and utilization per data center, together with how many servers are on, off or in an unknown state. It shows at a glance which site is nearly full and where power is running tight.