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Welcome to the openDCIM WIKI

Data Center Management Basics

Data Centers have been around since the first computers were built, only they weren't called data centers, yet. However, there's a lot of talk about what exactly constitutes a data center. Is a closet with 1 computer in it a data center? What if it's in a cabinet? How about an office with desktop PC's lined up across shelved? Is there a minimum size to qualify as a data center? We, the openDCIM project, have adopted a very simple philosophy around it - if it's important enough for you to want to track it, it's a data center.

That being said, we have a very wide range of "clients" using openDCIM, with a very wide range of experience in data center management. Some of the fields and prompts in the application make some basic assumptions about the knowledge level of the user. To help bridge the knowledge gap, we have some helpful information. Not all of this is directly applicable to openDCIM, but is certainly part of the corpus of knowledge around data center management itself.

Glossary of Common Terms

Standards

Regulations

Client Requirements

  • Web browser that is reasonably standards compliant.
    • We do not support Internet Explorer 8 or earlier, in other words
    • Developers regularly test against the latest IE, Chrome, Mozilla, and Safari
    • Some mobile devices (tablets/phones) work decently. If you want to scan barcodes for input, I suggest looking at Bluetooth enabled scanners (around $200 and up).
  • Javascript must be enabled on your client
  • You must be connected to the network at all times - openDCIM does not work in a batch mode

Getting started

Several videos exist on YouTube to guide you through the process of setting up and using openDCIM. Check it out here.

Specifically, a video of the installation process is available at:

Upgrading

  • Simply untar the new version onto your server, configure, and browse to the site. The install.php will automatically run if it is present. That being said, however, there are a few more steps involved in a "best practices" upgrade.

Integration

Shared Template Repository

One of the really nice bits about openDCIM is that there is a global online repository where other users can submit Device Templates according to the guidelines and then others can download those templates to their own installation. As the userbase for openDCIM grows, so does the repository.

Do not request an API Key for the repository unless you are submitting templates to it - there is no need for an API key if you are only going to pull templates from it.

openDCIM Repository

Basic Navigation

Site Management

Daily Operations

Auditing

Reporting