Raritan introduces electronic tagging for datacentre servers

Raritan has announced an asset tag system designed to locate servers and other kit in large datacentre environments, and automatically keep track if these are moved to a new position.

Available now, the Intelligent Asset Tagging system is based on electronic tags that can be read by a sensor attached to datacentre racks, identifying each server and its physical location.

Keeping track of IT assets in datacentres is a growing problem, according to Raritan, especially if technicians neglect to update records when relocating servers to a new rack or aisle.

"Even modest-sized datacentres have an enormous number of IT assets, from servers to storage to networking equipment, which needs to be tracked. Often this is done ad hoc, using Excel spreadsheets and Visio diagrams, and can become very labour intensive," said Herman Chan, director of Raritan's Energy Management Business.

Raritan's system uses intelligent asset management tags based on a one-wire ID chip with a 64-bit serial number, which attaches to each server or other asset.

These connect to an asset management sensor (AMS) bar on each rack, which in turn connects to one of Raritan‘s SNMP gateways. This provides the identity and location information (in 1U increments) to Raritan's dcTrack Infrastructure Management software, or other third-party asset management tool.

Raritan explained that the AMS bar has LED lights at each 1U position, which the Infrastructure Management software can use to indicate status. For example, a green light might indicate an available location for a server installation, while a red blinking light could indicate a server needing maintenance.

Prices start at £499 for each AMS rack sensor, with a pack of 100 tags also costing the the same, Raritan said.