GUI-Based Asset-Tracking Tools For a Datacenter?

toruonu writes "How do you keep track of what's in your datacenter, where it is, what it's connected to and what is it doing right now? I mean I have built a datacenter from scratch over the years and I have machines from Sun, IBM, HP, Supermicro. I have machines that are simple workernodes and machines that are heavy grade storage consolidation machines. Then there are tens of switches, some for interconnect, some for management and don't get me started on the UPSs etc. So how does one keep any kind of decent track of such a system as the current form of twiki pages with various tables just doesn't cut it anymore and I'm looking for a freeware solution that could actually show me a visual representation of the various nodes in the racks, their connections and dependencies. Just to give a simple example, if I'm going to disconnect UPS #3 right now and swap switch #5, which machines should I even consider taking offline?" (The best-looking such system I've seen was being used at OSCON at a display booth for the Open Source Lab, and I think it was home-grown. Anyone who can shed light on that system?)

A spreadsheet

[Dice]

Rows for hosts, columns for PDU, switch and console ports. Additional rows for asset tag information, unit manufacturer, model number, serial number. Last row for notes on the system, e.g. any historical hardware issues that may be relevant.

Pay for it.

[NeutronCowboy]

This problem has several paid solutions, all of which work fairly well, and make maintaining a data center the job of one person, instead of 20 people looking at a spreadsheet and log files. I haven't found an open-source package that is nearly as competent as the integrated solutions offered by HP, IBM and others. Warning: sticker-shock is included. Bonus: PHBs like looking at pretty pictures, and all the commercial tracking software produces pretty pictures. Your PHB looks like a super-hero to his PHBs, and you become an invaluable asset to your PHB for making him look good.