DCIM Automation or Data Center Inventory
DCIM (Data center infrastructure management) is software for visualizing and managing the physical infrastructure of the data center (data center). Much has been written on the Internet on this topic, different suppliers offer solutions of very wide ranges for price and functionality. But the basis of such solutions is the same: they all must, at a minimum, store the exact location of the equipment in the racks of the data center and provide their services on the basis of location data (and other data).
The question of how to make information about equipment placement in racks in DCIM is what I want to cover in this article. I will deliberately not give the names of solution providers, but focus only on the technical side of things.
Let's start with the easiest way: a data center employee with a notebook goes around all the racks and sketches the real position of any servers, switches and routers, and then transfers the data from the notebook to DCIM. The most advanced version of this method is to walk from the iPhone between the racks and with the help of a special DCIM client (and there really are those) drag the equipment across the racks with your finger.
The next automation step is to equip the equipment with optically recognizable labels with a barcode, DataMatrix, or a QR code. It is clear that reading tags using a scanner or smartphone is more convenient and faster than writing in a notebook.
')
A similar, but faster (and more expensive) method uses RFID tags.
The principle of operation is obvious.
All the above methods do not allow us to understand at what height in the rack (in which unit) the device is installed. And for the correct filling of the DCIM database it is still necessary. Therefore, they came up with a couple of improvements in the use of RFID tags and a manual RFID reader. One US company offered to install RFID tags on each rack unit. And when you read the RFID tag of the equipment, at the same time you determine the height at which this equipment is installed. The Russian invention offers similar functionality.
In this variant, additional RFID tags are installed at the top and bottom of the rack, and the rack units must be completely filled (for data centers, the use of empty unit plugs is still necessary for proper cooling). The top RFID tag indicates the beginning of the scan of the rack, the bottom completion, and information about the order of reading tags in conjunction with the height of each piece of equipment (obviously, the identifier allows you to get all the equipment data) makes it possible to clearly identify the equipment location in the rack.
A greater degree of automation, but without accurate localization of equipment inside the rack, can be achieved using a trolley with an RFID reader and antennas.
I drove the cart between the racks, and determined that it was in each of the racks.
Other methods of data center inventory (filling in the DCIM database) practically do not require personnel participation. Tracking equipment movement between racks occurs automatically. One of the simplest options is to place your receiving-transmitting device in each rack, and equip each equipment with its own transceiver of electromagnetic waves with a unique identifier. Moreover, the transceiver can be an infrared module, a passive or active RFID tag, etc ... It is clear that by changing the radiation power, you can ensure that only those tag identifiers that are near the antenna of a particular rack can be read.
The natural development of the above-described method is a multi-element composite antenna, which radiates only within one rack unit, which allows you to know the location of each piece of hardware to the unit.
That is, the antenna reads only the identifier of the transmitter and receiver of the equipment that is installed in this unit of the rack.
A similar principle can be applied if an electrical contact is used through the connector. To install a key-tablet for each equipment (touch memory, as on intercoms in the stairwell), and for each rack unit to install a “tablet” reader connector. When the equipment is installed in the rack, the “tablet” with a unique identifier is attached to the connector, and again you can get the placement of the equipment with the accuracy of a unit.
The same result can be obtained in a different way with the help of the Russian product. On the rack rail of each unit, you can place sensors that respond to the presence of installed equipment in this unit (busy / unoccupied). This way you can understand where some equipment is installed in the rack. And if on the equipment there is a usual passive RFID tag, then with the help of the RFID antenna it is possible to understand what specific equipment was installed in the units, where they worked
In conclusion, the description of the system, which was observed by my fellow Russian American: “there was a stand with two dozen computers on the network. To determine which computer specifically at which address, the administrator sent a command to open a CD to this address, and a drive was pushed on the required computer. Bingo!"
The question of how to make information about equipment placement in racks in DCIM is what I want to cover in this article. I will deliberately not give the names of solution providers, but focus only on the technical side of things.
Let's start with the easiest way: a data center employee with a notebook goes around all the racks and sketches the real position of any servers, switches and routers, and then transfers the data from the notebook to DCIM. The most advanced version of this method is to walk from the iPhone between the racks and with the help of a special DCIM client (and there really are those) drag the equipment across the racks with your finger.
The next automation step is to equip the equipment with optically recognizable labels with a barcode, DataMatrix, or a QR code. It is clear that reading tags using a scanner or smartphone is more convenient and faster than writing in a notebook.
')
A similar, but faster (and more expensive) method uses RFID tags.
The principle of operation is obvious.
All the above methods do not allow us to understand at what height in the rack (in which unit) the device is installed. And for the correct filling of the DCIM database it is still necessary. Therefore, they came up with a couple of improvements in the use of RFID tags and a manual RFID reader. One US company offered to install RFID tags on each rack unit. And when you read the RFID tag of the equipment, at the same time you determine the height at which this equipment is installed. The Russian invention offers similar functionality.
In this variant, additional RFID tags are installed at the top and bottom of the rack, and the rack units must be completely filled (for data centers, the use of empty unit plugs is still necessary for proper cooling). The top RFID tag indicates the beginning of the scan of the rack, the bottom completion, and information about the order of reading tags in conjunction with the height of each piece of equipment (obviously, the identifier allows you to get all the equipment data) makes it possible to clearly identify the equipment location in the rack.
A greater degree of automation, but without accurate localization of equipment inside the rack, can be achieved using a trolley with an RFID reader and antennas.
I drove the cart between the racks, and determined that it was in each of the racks.
Other methods of data center inventory (filling in the DCIM database) practically do not require personnel participation. Tracking equipment movement between racks occurs automatically. One of the simplest options is to place your receiving-transmitting device in each rack, and equip each equipment with its own transceiver of electromagnetic waves with a unique identifier. Moreover, the transceiver can be an infrared module, a passive or active RFID tag, etc ... It is clear that by changing the radiation power, you can ensure that only those tag identifiers that are near the antenna of a particular rack can be read.
The natural development of the above-described method is a multi-element composite antenna, which radiates only within one rack unit, which allows you to know the location of each piece of hardware to the unit.
That is, the antenna reads only the identifier of the transmitter and receiver of the equipment that is installed in this unit of the rack.
A similar principle can be applied if an electrical contact is used through the connector. To install a key-tablet for each equipment (touch memory, as on intercoms in the stairwell), and for each rack unit to install a “tablet” reader connector. When the equipment is installed in the rack, the “tablet” with a unique identifier is attached to the connector, and again you can get the placement of the equipment with the accuracy of a unit.
The same result can be obtained in a different way with the help of the Russian product. On the rack rail of each unit, you can place sensors that respond to the presence of installed equipment in this unit (busy / unoccupied). This way you can understand where some equipment is installed in the rack. And if on the equipment there is a usual passive RFID tag, then with the help of the RFID antenna it is possible to understand what specific equipment was installed in the units, where they worked
In conclusion, the description of the system, which was observed by my fellow Russian American: “there was a stand with two dozen computers on the network. To determine which computer specifically at which address, the administrator sent a command to open a CD to this address, and a drive was pushed on the required computer. Bingo!"
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/161477/
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