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Hardware Management

Hardware management in NopeSight CMDB provides comprehensive tracking of all physical and virtual infrastructure components. With AI-powered discovery and intelligent categorization, you can maintain accurate, real-time visibility of your entire hardware estate.

Hardware CI Types​

🖥️ Servers​

Physical and virtual servers including:

  • Physical Servers: Rack-mounted, blade, tower servers
  • Virtual Machines: VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, cloud instances
  • Containers: Docker containers, Kubernetes pods
  • Cloud Instances: AWS EC2, Azure VMs, Google Compute

💻 Workstations​

End-user computing devices:

  • Desktops: Traditional desktop computers
  • Laptops: Portable computers
  • Thin Clients: Zero and thin client devices
  • Mobile Devices: Tablets, smartphones (MDM integrated)

🌐 Network Devices​

Network infrastructure components:

  • Routers: Core, edge, and branch routers
  • Switches: Core, distribution, access switches
  • Firewalls: Hardware firewalls, UTM devices
  • Load Balancers: Application delivery controllers
  • Wireless: Access points, wireless controllers

💾 Storage Systems​

Data storage infrastructure:

  • SAN: Storage area network arrays
  • NAS: Network attached storage
  • Backup: Tape libraries, backup appliances
  • Cloud Storage: Object storage, block storage

Hardware Attributes​

Core Attributes​

Every hardware CI includes:

Basic Information:
  - Name: Unique identifier
  - Serial Number: Manufacturer serial
  - Asset Tag: Internal asset number
  - Model: Hardware model
  - Manufacturer: Vendor name
  - Location: Physical/logical location
  - Status: Active, Inactive, Decommissioned

Technical Specifications:
  - CPU: Processor type, cores, speed
  - Memory: RAM capacity, type, slots
  - Storage: Disk capacity, type, RAID
  - Network: NICs, MAC addresses, IPs
  - Power: PSU configuration
  - Firmware: BIOS/UEFI version

Extended Attributes​

Additional tracking capabilities:

Lifecycle Information:
  - Purchase Date: Acquisition date
  - Warranty: Start/end dates, coverage
  - Lease: Lease terms and expiry
  - EOL/EOS: End of life/support dates
  - Refresh Date: Planned replacement

Financial Information:
  - Purchase Price: Original cost
  - Current Value: Depreciated value
  - Maintenance Cost: Annual maintenance
  - Total Cost: TCO calculation

Environmental Data:
  - Power Consumption: Watts/BTU
  - Cooling Requirements: CFM needed
  - Rack Position: U location
  - Weight: Physical weight

Discovery Methods​

Agent-Based Discovery​

# Windows Discovery Agent collects:
- WMI hardware information
- Registry data
- Network configuration
- Installed software
- Running processes
- Event logs
# Linux Discovery Agent collects:
- DMI/SMBIOS data
- /proc/cpuinfo, meminfo
- lspci, lsusb output
- Network interfaces
- Disk configuration
- System logs

Agentless Discovery​

SNMP Scanning

Collected Data:
  - System description
  - Interface information
  - CPU/Memory utilization
  - Environmental sensors
  - Component status

VMware vSphere Integration

Virtual Machine Data:
  - VM configuration
  - Resource allocation
  - Host mapping
  - Datastore usage
  - Network assignments

Hardware Lifecycle Management​

States and Transitions​

Automated Workflows​

New Hardware Onboarding

  1. Automatic discovery on network connection
  2. AI classification of hardware type
  3. Auto-population of specifications
  4. Relationship mapping to services
  5. Compliance check execution
  6. License allocation (if applicable)

Hardware Refresh Planning

// AI-powered refresh recommendations
{
  "server": "WEB-PROD-01",
  "age": "5 years",
  "warranty": "Expired",
  "performance": "Degrading",
  "recommendation": "Replace within 90 days",
  "suggested_model": "Dell PowerEdge R750",
  "estimated_cost": "$8,500"
}

Relationship Mapping​

Hardware Dependencies​

Impact Analysis​

When managing hardware, NopeSight automatically:

  • Maps dependent services
  • Calculates business impact
  • Identifies redundancy gaps
  • Suggests mitigation strategies

Best Practices​

1. Discovery Configuration​

  • ✅ Schedule regular discovery scans (daily minimum)
  • ✅ Use both agent and agentless methods
  • ✅ Verify credentials regularly
  • ✅ Monitor discovery success rates

2. Data Quality​

  • ✅ Standardize naming conventions
  • ✅ Maintain accurate location data
  • ✅ Update lifecycle information promptly
  • ✅ Regular data validation audits

3. Automation Rules​

Auto-Classification Rules:
  - If OS contains "Windows Server" → Type: Server
  - If RAM > 64GB → Category: High-Performance
  - If Virtual → Parent: Hypervisor Host
  - If Warranty Expired → Flag: Review Required

4. Integration Points​

  • Monitoring: Real-time status updates
  • Ticketing: Incident correlation
  • Procurement: Purchase order tracking
  • Finance: Asset depreciation

Hardware Reports​

Standard Reports​

  1. Hardware Inventory

    • Complete hardware listing
    • Specifications summary
    • Location mapping
    • Age analysis

  2. Warranty Status

    • Expiring warranties
    • Out-of-warranty devices
    • Maintenance coverage
    • Renewal recommendations

  3. Capacity Planning

    • Resource utilization trends
    • Growth projections
    • Bottleneck identification
    • Upgrade recommendations

AI-Generated Insights​

{
  "insight_type": "hardware_optimization",
  "findings": [
    {
      "server": "DB-PROD-03",
      "cpu_utilization": "15%",
      "memory_utilization": "20%",
      "recommendation": "Consider consolidation",
      "potential_savings": "$2,400/year"
    }
  ]
}

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Discovery Failures

  • Check network connectivity
  • Verify credentials
  • Review firewall rules
  • Confirm SNMP community strings

Duplicate CIs

  • Review discovery identifiers
  • Check serial number conflicts
  • Merge duplicate records
  • Update discovery rules

Missing Relationships

  • Run relationship discovery
  • Check network topology
  • Verify application mappings
  • Manual relationship creation

Next Steps​