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Server Rack Diagram for SAM

FormerMember
FormerMember

I am looking to make a server rack diagram in SAM. I'd like to gather some ideas from all of you to get started.  Have you setup a server rack for your application monitors?  If so how do they work and what do they look like?

  • I do this for networking equipment, but it's the same concept for servers.

    Take a look at my thread here:  Re: Network Atlas - Racks and Switches

  • room_view.jpgrackview.jpg

    I started off by doing just the rack views of my server room and then thought Id take it to the next stage and create an uptime view of the room showing the Rack layout and and added the group node on top of each rack, which drill down to my rack view now.

  • How did you come up with this design? I'm looking at doing something exactly like this, but don't know how to get started.

    Thanks!

  • You can use any image created in visio in Network Atlas to get started.  I created the following for a mock up.

    Server Room.jpg

  • While johndunn1970 is freaking amazing, and I do like mharvey visio diagrams too (and used similar in the past), I find them both to be harder to maintain if you end up swapping gear around.  I went with a really simple "rack" layout.  I basically coloured some cells in Excel, took a screen shot, saved it as a JPG and then used it as a background in Atlas, and drew simple squares for the servers to match the U positions.  You can see it at work in this thread.  These tend to be easier to maintain, if you pull a server, you just delete the shape. Add a server, draw another shape.  I do love the above two examples, if I had enough time to maintain, I'd probably do the same.

    Edit: I forgot you actually mentioned application monitors. If there are specific applications we wanted to represent on the rack diagrams as well, I'd throw a circle shape with status next to the server.  The rack will change color in the overall datacenter view shown in the previous thread.  There are very few we do that for at the rack level though, as we have application level maps that break out servers by tier.

  • I had started working on a similar idea with network equipment, specifically chassis, where I drew out the pieces in Visio as well.What I plan to do some day is have a script in the back end that runs a tool like Image Magick or GD and dynamically builds the picture that is shown based on polled data. I think the same could be done with a server rack, though, I guess some might find it easier to just manually re-draw the Visio diagram whenever the rack is updated.

    Anyway, I think this is a great idea!

  • Thanks for the compliment  Jonathan . I think you would be surprised how easy to maintain it is after the initial time investment.  I simply have a jpg file for each model of server (Luckily we are 99% Fujitsu Servers.  So once you have google'd and copied the pics for each model.  It becomes a simple matter of drag and drop onto the cab afterwards.

    Did you come up with one in the end, I'd be interested in the results.

  • There are definatley tools out there to do that.  I managed to get a copy of Fujitsu System Architect which is used by their Pre-Sales team.  As they discuss solutions with the customer, they click on  different hardware that would be required, in the form of tick boxes switches, servers cabs etc and once complete it builds a picture of the CAB with the parts fitted.  You can download the public version fro free from their site

  • Zach, did you ever come up with a preferred layout?  Believe it or not, apart from the server room layout which I did in google Sketchup.  The rest I did in Windows Paintbrush

  • I Forgot to say Jonathan. We are constantly moving kit around also, but once you have a folder created of your various hardware types (courtesy of Google Images) Your only dragging the servers on and off your rack image. My default background is an empty cab. The servers are additional overlays that I can move, add and delete. It has also saved me time trying to work out if I have enough space in the rack for something new without having to go and count if I have 6U free