Hardware

Introduction to the “Hardware” Segment

The Hardware segment in Docusnap365 enables detailed documentation of all physical devices within an IT infrastructure. It forms the foundation for comprehensive asset management and provides a complete overview of the physical components supporting the operation of the IT landscape. Documented devices include servers, workstations, network components, storage systems, and more.

Documented Hardware Types

The “Hardware” segment covers a wide range of device types, including:

• Servers
  Physical and virtual servers with information on CPU, RAM, storage, and remote management.

• Computers
  Workstations and laptops, including details on hardware components and installed operating systems.

• Switches
  Documentation of network switches, including port configurations, VLANs, and other network protocols.

• Storage
  Enterprise storage solutions such as HPE (Alletra, Primera, 3PAR), with details on volumes and RAID configurations.

• SNMP Devices
  Monitored devices such as routers, firewalls, or climate control systems managed via SNMP.

• Printers
  Details such as model, location, connection status, and consumables.

• Monitors
  Documentation of displays, including model, resolution, and links to workstations.

• Nutanix
  Hyper-converged systems with integrated server, storage, and virtualization functions.

Dependency Center: Connections

Compared to other segments, the Dependency Center in the “Hardware” area offers a particularly detailed visualization of the relationships between various components and other segments of the IT infrastructure.

Key Connections in the Dependency Center

• Hardware to Hardware

  • Computers to monitors: Documentation of connections between workstations and their attached monitors.
  • Servers to storage: Links between physical servers and external storage systems.
  • Switch to switch: Representation of physical and logical connections between network switches.

• Hardware to Networks in the “Networks” Segment

  • Switches to logical information: Links between physical switches and VLANs or subnets in the network.
  • VMware vSwitches to networks: Representation of network connections in a virtual environment.

• Hardware to Management Services

  • VMware hosts to management services: Links between physical VMware hosts and their management services, such as vCenter.
  • Nutanix to management services: Connections between Nutanix hardware and Nutanix management solutions, such as Prism.

• Hardware to Systems in the “Systems” Segment

  • Systems with VMware as the operating system: Links between VMware hosts and the virtual machines running on them.
  • Servers and workstations to operating systems: Physical systems are directly linked to their installed operating systems.

Documentation Goals

The documentation in the “Hardware” segment pursues several key objectives:

• Comprehensive IT Overview
  Connections between hardware components and other segments provide a complete view of the entire IT infrastructure.

• Resource Planning and Optimization
  An overview of hardware resource usage supports capacity planning and helps identify bottlenecks early.

• Transparency and Traceability
  The documentation offers clear traceability of relationships between physical devices, networks, and virtual environments.

Conclusion

The “Hardware” segment in Docusnap365 provides comprehensive documentation of physical IT components. Through the diverse connections in the Dependency Center, a holistic view of the infrastructure is achieved, essential for daily operations, maintenance, and long-term planning. This detailed representation promotes transparency, increases efficiency, and supports a proactive IT strategy.