Finding Lost IT With RFID

CWmike writes "Vendors are increasingly trying to sell users on the idea that they need to stick RFID tags on IT equipment to keep track of it. Users are interested in this technology because they would much rather automate inventory tracking then go server-to-server with a bar code scanner and clipboard. But the new push for RFID tags in data centers also hints at a larger issue: There may be a significant amount of equipment that can't be located. And while out-of-sight, out-of-mind is not always bad, there's a least one nagging problem: 'Ghost server' systems, which may still be drawing power but perform no work and may be difficult to locate. One vendor at the Afcom data center conference suggests IT shops get some 'GPS for your assets.'"

Comments

Tried pinging those lost servers?

[loconet]

Obligatory bash.org quote:

#5273 +(30069)-
<erno> hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.

Re:Tried pinging those lost servers?

[Anonymous Coward]

There's the classic "Cask of Amontillado" "Novell server drywalled up in room for years, keeps on ticking". Teh slashdots talked about it back in 2001, but there are plenty of "lost BSD boxen" stories out there, too.

Lots of "found" servers too. Years ago when I worked for a small IT support outsource department (4 guys, some phones and a van) we were packing up the office to move to new premises. Underneath a pile of boxes that were under a desk we found a running server. We had no idea what it was for, other than it had network and power cables running into our server rack. So my boss said "Yank the power, see who screams!". 30 seconds later, one of the owners of the company came running down the stairs demanding to know why his production VM server hosting clients was down. Problem solved :)

poorly implemented...

[way2slo]

The RFID systems I have seen in the field are poorly implemented. Most were thick, think 9v battery, tags that were either attached via zip ties or velcro. Even if it was securely attached, most were attached to removable face plates, while others were attached to the rear and would actually prevent you from pulling out the server and/or damage the cabling if you did, as it tended to hang down and catch on stuff. (snap off fibers, pull out power cords, etc.) They offered no assurance that that piece of equipment was in the room since they could easily be separated from the tag. Even with this system, you'll still need people to visually verify it anyway.

How often do you actually lose a piece of hardware? This is a solution to a problem that does not exist.

Barcode or your own SN sticker followed up by visual inspections is cheaper, safer, and more reliable compared to the RFID solutions I have seen out there.

The Server of Amontillado

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=6505527

By John Rendleman
InformationWeek
April 9, 2001 06:58 AM

The University of North Carolina has finally found a network server that, although missing for four years, hasn't missed a packet in all that time.

Try as they might, university administrators couldn't find the server. Working with Novell, IT workers tracked it down by meticulously following cable until they literally ran into a wall. The server had been mistakenly sealed behind drywall by maintenance workers.

Re:OS/2 server "missing" for 2 years

[$RANDOMLUSER]

That's nothing. I once heard of a Win2K server that hadn't been rebooted in over 2 weeks.

Re:If you're too disorganized for barcode scanners

[xaxa]

The primary motivation for this technology -- last time I was told about it -- was in hospitals. Expensive equipment is wheeled around a lot, and people sometimes need to know where it is now. An RFID scanner in rooms/doorways and tags on the equipment could tell you this -- so long as the tag was resistant to being bashed against a doorway.