Data Center Geeks Hub

Do you know what links a data center without a proper device monitoring system and a car with a faulty engine? They are both doomed to fail – and rather sooner than later. Luckily, EasyDCIM supplies you with all the tools you need to keep your inventory well-organized and easily accessible. The 1.5.5 release we have the pleasure of announcing today, makes this process even more automated and time-effective that ever before! Quick device and user overview Our very latest edition of EasyDCIM all gravitated toward more intuitive forms navigation enabled by useful helpers and placeholders. Wanting to push this idea some further, we now added equally handy tooltips for at least several different device types in EasyDCIM. Owing to this, every time you hover over a certain device from your inventory, a pop up notification will appear with all crucial details on the given item. Of course, the tooltip contents will vary depending on the device kind, including always the most essential information you may need on the fly. For example, the tooltip of the server on the below screen includes such data as location, assigned client, status and bandwidth usage. While here you may quickly pick such specifics of the chosen PDU like its label, model, location, number of outlets, or power usage from the set interval. The complete list of supported device types includes: Server Blade Server Network (Switches & Routers) PDU Colocation CPU, RAM and HDD Items But that is not all. In the same manner you will be able to preview summary of each user and with a single glance access the list of their devices along with specific location plus aggregated traffic from last month. Extended QR codes support Another area of focus in EasyDCIM v1.5.5 are QR codes. Each data center consists of multiple interconnected appliances which most of the time are handled remotely, ensuring maximum administrative supervision. But what if you need physical access to a certain device? Unless you have your equipment properly systematized, finding the right item to work on may take more of your time than you can probably spare. For this very purpose, we introduced the possibility to label each hardware component with designated QR codes that contain the most vital information on the device and can be easily printed out from the EasyDCIM panel. To best illustrate how this simple function can optimize the management of your entire physical inventory, let us walk you through a real-life scenario: The administrator prints out the QR code for a device (a server in our case). Then, the QR code in a paper form is placed on the corresponding physical device in the server room. The data center technician scans the QR code using his smartphone. After clicking the link, a window opens up with all specifications about the device. The technician is able to quickly check which parts are to be manually added to the server, without even having to log in to the application. And here is how the entire process looks like in a live demonstration: Numerous other novelties and improvements In addition to the already mentioned cornerstones, the toolkit of EasyDCIM has been further boosted with some other practical features as well. Assigning metadata for such items like CPU, RAM or HDD Possibility to define bulk metadata values for SNMP Settings and IPMI Settings Power to block certain actions within a particular device (boot device, install operating system, activate service and more) Maintaining order in your data center inventory is one of the chores that we cannot get rid of entirely. Just yet at least. But we definitely can make it as automated, effortless, and labor-saving as possible. As always, we would love to hear what you think about the type of Admin Experience we are striving towards with each next release of EasyDCIM. If there is anything you feel like sharing with our team, the comments section is all yours! Oh, and do not forget to follow up on the remaining points of our 1.5.5 update! View The Changelog!

For the past few years we have been really busy collecting ideas and implementing new features to make your experience with our software not only maximally beneficial, but enjoyable as well. Recently we came to the realization that the more options we pack into our system, the greater the need to keep things simple. Otherwise, what would be the point of having tons of functionalities stacked one on top of the other if you had to waste precious minutes every time when trying to find something? Finally, after a series of readjustments and tune-ups we managed to reconcile the expanding arsenal of server-related instruments with the ability to navigate through them in a still intuitive and swift manner. Get ready for an intense gust of refreshment triggered by the release of EasyDCIM v1.5.4! The first wave of a sweeping change has affected several forms that you use on an everyday basis to regulate all bits and pieces of your data center operations. What we did was add practical placeholders and helpers in suitable places so that you could know instantly what the given field is responsible for, and what type of information is supposed to be provided within. No need to worry any more that you may misunderstand a vital setting and be forced to start the configuration all over again. Among the forms that were immensely simplified you will find: Add/Edit Device Form Add/Edit Item Form Mass Create Form Auto Discovering Form SNMP Device Settings Form IPMI Device Settings Form Traffic Aggregation Settings Form Base Settings Form Having all details on your clients stored in one place proves of invaluable service when you wish to monitor the status and usage of their key resources in real time. From this day on you will have the opportunity to benefit from one more type of statistics and that is the traffic aggregated on each device assigned to a specific user. Another novel feature that we just could not help but to push into motion is the automated installation of Windows Server 2019 via the Remote Provisioning Module. Care to have a look at some of the other optimizations as well? Possibility to start the noVNC session in a new window, plus stop the active noVNC session directly in the active session window. Added support for HP iLO4 and Dell iDrac 8 console Capability to paginate the API results for a series of specific endpoints Smoother device-to-rack assignment A new popup informing about the termination of a service Enhancing admin experience has been the primary guideline for further development of EasyDCIM since the get-go, and always more of a feedback-reaction kind of process for us rather than a pursuit of some arbitrarily set standards. We hope our newly born 1.5.4 update to bring your way all the flexibility needed to exploiting your company’s potential to maximum. But enough from us. Let’s now hear in the comments your thoughts on the progress we have made and all those things that you like the most about EasyDCIM v1.5.4! Tap into the full changelog!

Starting today’s post with a little trip into the past, we believe our several previous releases to be the best testament to the completely fresh approach we have taken towards the continued development of our control panel. The direction of which we are immensely proud because it is dictated in large part by the people having most experience with EasyDCIM, that is you dear customers! And so, per your special request, we are back with the release of EasyDCIM v1.5.3 that makes remote OS installation in dispersed and separate locations your new real! Automated OS installation in multiple locations While benefits derived from fully automated OS installation have been already discussed in one of our previous articles, the possibility to remotely set up a desired operating system in other independent locations and subnets through EasyDCIM is a brand-new feature and thus deserves a more detailed mention. As from the 1.5.3 version, EasyDCIM guarantees flawless support for remote applications (called slaves) that can be installed in selected locations around the world to carry out the exact tasks issued by the master application (EasyDCIM in our case). Following the freshly implemented Remote Provisioning Module, end-to-end OS installation on a server located in another country and operating within a totally different subnet than EasyDCIM, is now one of those processes that can be easily ordered from the EasyDCIM panel, sparing you the hassle of advanced switch or router configuration. Loving your newly gained powers already? Hang on in there – the list of improvement continues on! Raising the bar of Admin Experience Among the most crucial aspects directly affecting Admin Experience in any piece of software is always the integrity of its interface – how well various functions are organized, how accessible and intuitive they are, and how much time you need to spend on navigating through its different sections. Bearing this mind, we have done a thorough refreshment of our tool so that it could serve your needs even better on so many different levels. Apart from numerous adjustments focused around UI, we have also smoothed the working of several forms such as SNMP Device Settings, IPMI Device Settings, Quick Create Device, or Quick Create Item. Other components that made it on the list of our extras include: Capability to start a new noVNC session for the JAVA KVM console from the client area Widget with informative statistics on particular reports BMC Cold Reset option using the IPMI protocol now available to the client A list of practical shortcuts leading to official video guides available on our YouTube channel that will vary depending on the EasyDCIM section you are at the moment. With each new EasyDCIM update, we do our best not to fall into such traps where we focus on the big picture so much that smaller, but no less important details slip our attention completely. Hopefully, we have managed to pinpoint at least a portion of the elements that still needed some tweaks done here and there, and successfully make them an integral part of the 1.5.3 release. Be sure to expect more in the future updates as well! View The Changelog! Eager to broaden your knowledge on the ever-so-exciting topic of automated OS installation through slave applications? Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming article where all the secrets will be revealed! UPDATE (Dec 13th): The article describing our new master/slave architecture model is ready! See also: Unattended OS Installation and Windows Servers OS Installation in EasyDCIM!

Since the last major release of EasyDCIM, we have been working on a new version with all our dedication, carefully weighing what its cornerstone should be. What essential functionality EasyDCIM users would most want to get access to next. And now that we have finally figured it out, we are proud to announce that EasyDCIM v1.5.2 is officially out in the open, armed and ready to facilitate your server management process! Without dragging things out any more than necessary, let us see what novel features this vital new update presents at your disposal. IPMI protocol with Proxy server integration It is a well-known fact now that remote supervision of modern servers would be greatly obstructed, if not impossible, without such management processors as IPMI. But what is less obvious to the public is that this seemingly brilliant solution has quite a few drawbacks too, posing a serious security risk to all systems using this very protocol and connected to the Internet. To address and deal with this looming threat, the 1.5.2 version of our control panel provides administrators with the possibility to configure servers that will serve as proxy servers for all IPMI commands and KVM consoles. If you would like to read all about this specific function and how it works in practical terms, our dedicated article which is already scheduled for release will put you in the picture very shortly. ACL model for managing permissions among user groups No matter if you are currently working on the production environment or web app. You need rules defining to which parts of the system each particular user should be granted access so that your team could carry out their individual tasks effectively, but without compromising the safety of the entire infrastructure – either willingly or by accident. ACL model is one way to approach this problem. It not only shields your system against potential security breaches through advanced access control but also enables you to manage permissions on groups of users (not only each user separately) which turns out to be a huge time-saver when you need to define access to particular departments to multiple employees. EasyDCIM v1.5.2 is all about safety – our spotlight features, each briefly outlined above, are the best example of that. But a sharp eye will momentarily notice that our changelog accommodates a handful of other improvements and adjustments as well, all worthy of your close investigation. Here is a sample of some of them: Open two simultaneous login sessions separate for the administrator and the user Advanced device search tool based on the previously set filters Possibility to switch off such options as "Activate", "Suspend", "Unsuspend" per device A new bootloader in OS installation which supports booting of the older device types with network boot support Learn more about the new EasyDCIM v1.5.2 and stay tuned for the upcoming articles elaborating some more on our two keystone features! View The Changelog!   UPDATE: Two promised articles are now ready. Learn more about IPMI proxy integration and ACL in EasyDCIM v1.5.2!

After much blood, sweat and tears, we are only too ready to let this innovative beast out. Give a round of rapturous applause to the tide-turning EasyDCIM v1.5.1 which is about to add whole new layers of automated OS installation! Although we have already spilled the beans on what the centerpiece of this momentous release is, uttering those words even the second time will feel no less amazing - all the finishing touches are now complete to welcome the one and only Automatic Windows Server OS Installer! Since our previous Blog article covers pretty much everything there is to know about this keenly requested group of operating systems, we encourage you to engross yourself in this pleasurable reading straight away (if you have not done that already). Among the many useful pieces on information included in the latest publication, you will find an outline of major perks that unattended installation supplies data center admins with, list of supported Windows systems and a comprehensive guide through the entire installation process. After the long-awaited delivery of mass OS installation, it is time for the next load of big guns. Time for Windows, time for EasyDCIM v1.5.1! View The Changelog! Oh, and one more thing. Don't forget to check out our amazing EasyDCIM 3rd Anniversary offer where you will get a 30% discount for 3 months!

The road so far... It was exactly on 25th June 2015 that a team of software geeks looked at their work with satisfaction and concluded: our all-embracing control panel is officially ready to launch and change the life of data center owners forever. And this is how the legend of EasyDCIM was born! It is to hard to believe that 3 years have passed since that very moment! We came a long way. Not always smooth and not always paved with spectacular victories, but definitely fruitful in the end. Was it worth it? Looking back at what we have achieved, I think we can all unanimously agree that EasyDCIM was the best thing that happened to us. And, hopefully, to all data centers using our software which is setting ever new trends in the market. EasyDCIM has been continuously evolving throughout these 3 years and will surely keep doing that for many, many more days to come. We are strongly driven to action when seeing how many businesses are already using our tool, and how massive feedback we receive from you. It means a whole world to us because with your help we do not have to wander in the dark. We listen, deliberate on each and every one of your suggestions, assess their feasibility, and when possible – we implement them. One of the most game-changing functionalities which settled in EasyDCIM for good as per your request was the Automatic OS Installer built in our recently released 1.5.0 version. To you, it is a great opportunity to set up a series of operating systems in one fell swoop and without the need to use any third-party software. To us – a wonderful tribute to our hard three-year work. Another noteworthy features added in response to your growing needs include Network Auto Discovering which lets you save considerable amounts of time by automatically detecting all devices within a given network through the SNMP protocol, and Revision History section storing all kinds of device-related information conveniently in one place. Some other prodigious additions comprise: Remote KVM console for HP iLO3 devices Remote KVM console for American Megatrends devices Power Control Settings - definining scope of remote control over the device status, choosing primary and secondary method of device restart (IPMI or PDU) PDU Drivers - support for Enlogic & Cyberpower ATS devices Added capability to export parts assigned to a device Possibility to upload files for each element from the inventory Means to export all items at once As you can see, we have done so much already with your support. And there is still a lot up our sleeve, so stay tuned – this second part of the year will be really exciting! Let's make a toast for future to come! An anniversary party without presents is no party at all so let′s see what we have got here! Are you our long-established customer seeking to upgrade your pricing plan? When in touch with us, use the "<3 EasyDCIM" slogan, and we will arrange some exclusive deal specially for you! Still not one of the EasyDCIM happy users? Contact us and use "<3 EasyDCIM" in your message's subject to pay 30% less for any pricing plan for the first three months! Our success is your success so join the celebration and make it one for the books! Let′s get this party started! Needless to say, we simply rejoice great parties. That is why our buoyant promotion is going to last not for a couple of days, but until 31st August inclusively! See also new EasyDCIM v1.5.1 with the  Automatic Windows Server OS Installer!

One of the reasons why you love EasyDCIM is probably the extent to which it automates all sorts of processes going on under the roof of your data center. But as you will see for yourself in a few moments, the milestone 1.5.0 version of you favorite control panel brings the subject of automation to a whole new level! When a hobby becomes a nuisance As a technological geek you certainly get a kick out of the whole ritual surrounding the installation of a new server. But will the thrill be equally as intense when installing not one or a few, but a hundred of operating systems? Highly doubtful. In such a situation you will be grateful for the tools which help to automate the system implementation process along with a complete configuration. Why else is automation so important for data centers? Let us stop on this subject for a moment. The more computer devices in the company's infrastructure, the higher the cost of their implementation, future maintenance and ultimate shutdown. But money is not the only problem. Apart from the fact that your employees are doomed to lose a lot of valuable time on routine tasks, there is also the issue of increased failure rates and worse transparency of complex systems. During installation of operating system, one must also cope with hundreds of drivers, technical specifics, and other additional tasks like installing occasional patches. That is quite a lot to digest, isn't it? Luckily for you, automation solves most of these concerns - guarantees the most economic resource usage, provides you with unlimited control over various processes, and reduces the need for manual routine tasks to the minimum. Automation of operating systems - benefits The profits of implementing a solution based on automatic operating system installer are both many and tangible. For starters, automation enables to add whole operating systems along with services, applications and all additional configuration by simply duplicating the administrator-defined installation templates. The results are immediate. Since automatic deployment is simply much faster than manual installation, you can spend the saved time on, for example, making another server ready for use. What is more, EasyDCIM allows you to run multiple network installations simultaneously. Being based on configuration files and scripts, these operations do not allow for any errors – something which cannot be said about an activity performed manually by human. EasyDCIM is also a great way to standardize your configuration. By installing many identical servers, it is much easier later on to navigate through their settings, diagnose failures, anticipate possible problems, and introduce comprehensive changes. Another crucial advantage of the implementation lies in the ease of use. Although the very preparation of a complete environment and configuration of its numerous tools can be both time-consuming and quite complicated, the installation of new servers after that is a smooth sailing and should cause no trouble to even the less experienced users. The technical perspective Servers operate basing on such services as DHCP, TFTP, HTTP and kickstart answer files. Each new dedicated server is launched from the network. While downloading settings from the DHCP server, our dedicated server also detects the EasyDCIM installation server and receives from it the list of available templates - possible to implement scenarios. In the very basic one, the profile includes a specific operating system distribution and a kickstart file containing the answers for the installer. By choosing a selected profile, you can then install the desired operating system without the need to supervise it personally. When it comes to a slightly more complex scenario, profiles are enriched with additional scripts that can not only install services and user accounts but also upload appropriate configuration files and perform a suite of other tasks in the newly added systems. EasyDCIM also allows to maximally optimize the implementation of operating systems understood as the automatic installation of a complete system containing all the required configuration. The more delegated tasks, the less manual work will be required with each new server. During the installation of an operating system installation, EasyDCIM performs a series of specific actions in a fully automatic manner: 1. Based on the MAC Address field of the device, EasyDCIM regenerates the configuration file of the DHCP server. 2. The device is restarted using IPMI, PDU or a manual method and entered into the PXE boot mode. 3. The device is launched in the PXE boot mode. 4. The device requests DHCP server to assign the IP address set in the IP Address field in EasyDCIM. 5. The DHCP server assigns the appropriate IP address. 6. The appropriate bootloader file is downloaded from the TFTP server and then uploaded to the device's memory. 7. Based on the correct bootloader file, the kickstart file containing the configuration of the selected operating system is requested from EasyDCIM. 8. The kickstart file is downloaded from the specified IP address of the EasyDCIM server. 9. Automatic installation of the operating system is commenced via the kickstart file: Downloading the required system files Running the pre-installation scripts Setting the time zone Setting the language Disk partitioning Creating a user account and setting the root password Setting the parent IP address Setting additional IP addresses and network interfaces Installing additional system packages Running post-installation scripts Finishing the installation 10. Once the installation has been completed successfully, a suitable notification is sent to EasyDCIM. This principle of operation is used for most installation templates. While some templates may vary in certain respects, the operating principle remains the same. Now, let us see how this theory works in practice! [embed]https://youtu.be/0SnCG7UF1cU[/embed] Manual installation of operating systems raises more problems than being just extremely laborious. More often than not it requires unwavering attention and excellent technical know-how, too. And there is always the risk that despite your best efforts, you may inadvertently mess up a few crucial steps in the process. With the new EasyDCIM v1.5.0 already on the loose, you may take the bother of manual OS installation off your mind entirely, and do something more interesting in the meantime. Like, for example, checking out some other principal functionalities of this ground-breaking novel version: IP Address Management v1.5.3 OS Installation For EasyDCIM v1.3.0 Greater functionality connected with PDU drivers More advanced power control settings Learn more about this most anticipated edition of EasyDCIM ever and bring a boon of automation to your data center! View The Changelog!

The sheer amount of sundry data stored and disseminated in server rooms every day, hour and minute is just staggering. And given the highly competitive nature of data center industry, it should not come as shock to anyone that effective data analysis is starting to play an increasingly important role for more and more business owners. Are you one of them? Did you ever realize how much potential lies dormant in these countless figures and numbers collected right under the roof of your data center? If not – be prepared to have your mind blown away by this game-changing revelation known to the circle of insiders as 'data mining'. Reports in EasyDCIM v1.4.4 New EasyDCIM v1.4.4 was designed and developed with one primary intent in mind – to help you discover your business anew with the aid of a wide assortment of whip-smart reports. The 15 novel report types are grouped into thematic categories to let you swiftly reach the relevant content you are currently interested in. Would you like to analyze which nationality constitutes the biggest percentage of your client base, and thus better personalize your offer? It will take you only a few minutes to study the statistics generated by the client-focused reports and draw valid conclusions. Measuring the resource usage and traffic generated by network devices does not have to serve billing purposes exclusively. Thanks to the multiple reports dedicated to devices you can easily sort the values from the highest to the lowest and preview, for example, if the transfer usage has increased or decreased compared to the previous month or any other time period. Monitoring the load of devices from the last 5 minutes, in turn, will allow you to quickly detect if there is a DDoS attack attempt being made on any of the ports. Are you adopting new strategies to branch out your business? Or maybe you want to simply keep your finger on the pulse and evaluate the profitability of your data center? Whatever your goals are, the next class of reports aimed at orders and services will grant you instant access to all sorts of details related to orders from any time interval of your own choosing. Deciding on a further course of action? Making quick adjustments to improve the quality of provided services? Not a problem any more! Keeping track of your inventory items can be quite a challenge when you own dozens of them (which you most certainly do). The last category of newly implemented reports designated for inventory organization will bring much alleviation to your daily tasks by allowing you to easily sort the possessed items by their type, status, model, and display the number of racks according to their location. We are positive that through careful interpretation of the data collected within these five areas you will be able to drive effective decision-making, predict customer trends, and boost the general productivity of your data center. Although we got totally engrossed in the business of new reports, this release has many more salient points to enjoy. Let us have a look at some of them: Password Management Module v1.1.0 Usage Collector Module v1.3.1 List with application jobs New configuration fields in the general settings Streamlined polling process Learn more about EasyDCIM v1.4.4 and be on the lookout for more stirring Blog posts devoted in their entirety to freshly applied reports! View The Changelog!

In EasyDCIM we are ever guided by a holistic approach to modern data center management. One of the key services of an all-around, competitive and security-oriented business is no stranger to anyone. Colocation - the centerpiece of many data center providers is now available in our system! Going straight to the point, EasyDCIM v1.4.3 is ready for action! This time, we channeled our hard work into featuring our system with the vital component - multi-level colocation support.  We have enriched EasyDCIM with a dedicated section and widget where you can now list and manage a colocation with details on the traffic and power usage. You will be also enabled to add your devices (including PDU) and ports to a chosen colocation and assign them to your customers with just a few clicks! [gallery link="file" size="medium" ids="1387,1388,1389"] To fully reflect the new possibilities of a colocation, we have revamped the client area to let your customers monitor total bandwidth, traffic and the resource usage of their new service. [gallery size="medium" link="file" ids="1386,1384,1385"] What is more, good folks at ModulesGarden will release a dedicated WHMCS module for EasyDCIM in early March. It will empower you to automatically provision a colocation solution and bill your clients for the actual resource usage per service. Stay tuned for more info! Last but not least, we have also improved many important functionalities. Some of them are: Usage Collector Module v1.3.0 Traffic aggregation Remote control of PDU outlets Parts management Rack view System notifications It's time for colocation, but now it's your move! Learn more about new EasyDCIM v1.4.3 and expect more to show up in the upcoming weeks! Find Out More