Infrastructure assets are anything from a switch, phone systems, Wi-Fi controller and access points, over a router to a backup library and firewalls, as well as storages and UPS. The settings allow you to add more types, should you need any.
You can print asset labels, that you can tag to all the systems on the shelf help you in your daily operations to quickly identify a system and get basic information right away without consulting the database.
Besides the common fields, you can define a management system that manages this specific asset and if it is part of a cluster or e.g., switch-stack or even a datacenter. Further is a semi-inventory function via the confirmed by fields available, that you should click any time you have seen / worked on the asset physically, so you have an ongoing inventory confirmation.
Infrastructure assets can also have IP addresses assigned, if needed. MAC addresses can be added manually, what can be a great help tracking an asset via a switch CLI etc.
Incidents can be related to a server as well, so you can see if e.g., vendor service was called for repairs, or the system was part of a bigger issue that you tracked.
Further are their Checklists which are a great asset in standardizing your configurations and deployment steps to keep everything as uniform as possible.
DNS Entries are especially important and easy to oversee. This is very important if you use aliases and other fixed DNS pointer, even external DNS pointers in the public domain.
Certificates often are on one or more systems and cause major issues when they expire. But even if you are proactive and replace them, there is often this one forgotten relation that the certificate was used at as well. If you track them well in the application, you will make your life a lot easier and avoid unnecessary downtime.
Available fields and references
- Type – can be defined in settings
- Hostname
- Asset Tag
- Description
- Department
- Location
- Employee
- Make
- Model
- Serial number / SN
- Express code
- Warranty Company, End Date and Parts Time
- Warranty End Date also defines the replace on date, so you get notified, what also can just be a reminder to extend the warranty of course
- Management System
- Datacenter
- Cluster / Stack (switch stack)
- Backed up and Backup Notes
- this helps finding systems that aren’t backed up via filtering and finding out why or finding any systems that are backed up and notes about how they are backed up or other special notes about the backup of them
- Status Notes
- Deployment Status, Date and Ticket reference – can be defined in settings
- Loaner – loaned out and expected back on date
- Powered On – power status, might be deployed but powered off?
- Purchase Date, PO number and ticket reference
- Finance Nr. / Reference
- Retired Date and Reference
- Confirmed by and on (last seen)
- IP address(es)
- MAC addresses (manual)
- Certificates
- DNS Entries
- Checklists
- Incidents
- TAGs
- Notes
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- Last edited on and by
- Record history