I'm looking for some solid ways to keep track of our physical infrastructure. Recently, facilities came to my office inquiring about a UPS that was supposed to be removed from our PBX system, and honestly, I had no idea what they were talking about. There's one UPS that isn't even connected to anything, which led me to realize we don't have a proper tracking system in place. This isn't just about UPSs but includes everything from switch firmware updates to downtimes. Do you recommend using a spreadsheet, a calendar, or something else entirely?
3 Answers
Everything goes into the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). That's how we keep everything organized and easy to find. It might take some initial setup, but it pays off in the long run!
If you don’t have a proper IT Service Management (ITSM) tool, it's worth considering one. Your CMDB should be part of that, allowing you to track physical assets, purchase dates, costs, and replacement cycles. Start small with physical equipment before moving onto software and virtual servers.
I've used ServiceNow before. It's quite customizable, but the interface can be a bit clunky. They even have a feature to discover assets, which helps keep things updated.
I use NetBox for tracking my infrastructure, and it's fantastic! I've been documenting everything for the past year, including sites, devices, circuits, IPs, and VLANs. It's a major upgrade from Excel sheets. Plus, it integrates with Zabbix, which is a huge bonus!
NetBox is great! When you combine it with Ansible, the level of automation is amazing.
Absolutely, NetBox's integrations with Terraform and Ansible make it super versatile. I started using it years ago, and it just keeps getting better!
Can you explain what CMDB stands for? I'm not familiar with that term.