Infrastructure management: site tagging, CMDB asset records, and device search

[durkensa]

Problem

Network admins and asset managers managing infrastructure across multiple
sites have no way to organise layouts by location, classify racks by
function, or record the operational data needed for CMDB integration.

Specifically:

• No location hierarchy — can't answer "how many sites do we have in QLD?"
• No way to classify racks by function (Network, Security, AV, Storage)
• Serial numbers and asset tags exist only on device type templates, not on
  placed device instances or rack enclosures — the wrong level for CMDB
• No support contract tracking (start/end dates, support contact/partner)
• No physical rack location (address, floor, room)
• No user-defined custom fields to match company CMDB schemas
• No way to search across devices by type, asset tag, serial, or IP

The intent behind these features is to serve operational staff who find
enterprise CMDB systems (ServiceNow, Jira Assets, etc.) overwhelming or
difficult to navigate day-to-day. Large CMDB platforms are powerful but
lack the visual, spatial context that makes rack management intuitive.
Rackula already solves the visual problem — these features bring just
enough CMDB functionality into that visual context so operational staff
can find what they need, see where it lives, and know when support
expires, without ever leaving the tool they already understand.

Proposed solution

1. HIERARCHICAL TAG SYSTEM
   Tags on layouts (location) and racks (function) using namespaced strings.

   Layout tags: country:AU, state:QLD, city:Brisbane, type:datacenter
   Rack tags: function:Network, function:Security, function:AV

   • No fixed schema — teams add levels that suit their org structure
   • Tag editor UI on layout header and rack Edit Panel
   • Autocomplete from existing tags keeps naming consistent across team

2. SITE BROWSER (in StartScreen)
   Hierarchy tree built dynamically from layout tags across all saved layouts.
   Drill down: Australia → QLD → Brisbane → 3 sites → racks
   Shows site count, rack count, last updated at each level.
   Server-connected mode: cross-layout; offline: degrades to flat list.

3. CMDB ASSET FIELDS — on both Rack and PlacedDevice
   Both the rack enclosure and every device are physical assets in a CMDB.
   Both get the same field set:
   asset_tag, serial_number, support_start (date), support_end (date),
   support_contact (vendor/partner)

   • support_end highlights red when within 90 days
   • DeviceType template values pre-fill on placement; instance owns its own
   • All fields editable in Edit Panel and available in annotation column
   • asset_tag applies to the rack enclosure itself, not just devices inside it

4. RACK PHYSICAL LOCATION
   Add address, floor, room to each rack.
   Example: "123 Rack Rd, Brisbane QLD 4000 / Level 3 / Room 123"
   Displayed on rack header in canvas and exports.
   Complements location tags (tags = navigation hierarchy, address = where to walk to)

5. USER-DEFINED CUSTOM FIELDS
   Define a field set once at layout level: VLAN, Cost Centre, Ticket Ref, etc.
   Every placed device gets those fields in Edit Panel.
   Values stored in existing custom_fields Record.
   Fields available in annotation column export.

6. DEVICE SEARCH (nice to have)
   Search across all devices by type, model, asset tag, serial, IP, or any
   custom field. Results show full location path and asset context.
   Server mode: cross-layout. Single layout mode: within open layout.

Alternatives considered

Hard-coded country/state/city dropdowns — rejected. Can't accommodate every
org's hierarchy (floor, campus, tenant, environment). Tags handle all cases
without future schema changes.

Storing all CMDB fields in custom_fields unstructured — rejected. Support
dates need special handling (date picker, expiry highlighting). Serial and
asset tag are universal enough to be first-class fields.

Tags only on layouts, not racks — rejected. Admins need to find "the
Security rack" within a site, not just find the site.

How important is this to you?

Nice to have