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Better spare parts tracking with updated module in v5.7.0

We have redone the spare parts management module in v5.7.0. In this post, we will discuss the changes along with the thought process behind the changes and also answers some questions.

Spare parts management was originally introduced in Device42 in v3.1.1. For reference, here is a past post for the original module release: /blog/2012/07/hardware-components-spare-parts-management/

Parts Grouped and Parts Individual

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The Menu Options:

  • Parts Grouped = the part models. A part model is like a template; however, unlike hardware or pdu templates, the total number of unit of this part is stored in the model record.
  • Parts Individual – the list of individual parts with no grouping by model, similar to list of rooms, racks, devices, etc.

(You may be asking at this point, why we called this “Parts Grouped” instead of something like “Model List”. To be honest, we realized the confusion too late. In v5.7.1, we will change “Parts Grouped” to “Model List”.)

Adding Parts Models

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From the Model List (which we navigated to by choosing “Parts Grouped”), you can add a new Parts Model. Each part that will be added to Device42 must be associated with a Parts Model. Click the green plus sign to add a type of part not in the list.

Adding and Tracking Parts

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After creating a Parts Model, actual parts can be added via “Add another Part”

  • Each line can contain one or more parts, but all the parts in the line must share the same “Checked out to” assignment.
  • Each line must have a “Checked out to” assignment. The assignment choices are Storage Room, Device, or RMA.
  • If you choose Storage Room or Device assignments, you have the option to choose existing objects (where an object is a Storage Room or Device) or create new objects.
  • If you are tracking serial numbers, you can only have one part per line.

The image above reflects the following parts each with one of the supported “Checked out to” assignments:

  • 4 units in the storage room IT Lab New Haven
  • 1 unit with serial number recorded, assigned to device NHCTWS001
  • 1 unit out for RMA

Master Parts List

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If you navigate to Datacenter | Parts | Parts Individual, you will see a list like the one in the image above.

As mentioned earlier, the Parts Individual list is the master list showing each part that is being tracked in Device42. As shown above, the list is similar to other lists in Device42, and includes an Action menu and the ability to search, sort and filter(not shown).

Parts associated with a Device

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As shown above, parts associated with a device can be viewed from the Hardware tab of a device record.

Part History

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As shown above, changes are tracked and recorded to each part’s detail page.

Question: What happens to my current data?

Current data will be migrated automatically into the new format.

Question: What happens to my current APIs?

Current APIs around CPU, memory, harddisk and HW Components have been adjusted to get and send data to the new module. So these will still work and we will be adding a new API call around the new module.

Question: What else is cooking for this module?

These are some of items on the to do list for us. Please share your suggestions in the comments below or by sending us a support request.

  • Add reporting around spare parts.
  • Add a more streamlined single API call to retrieve and add/update the data.
  • Look at how auto-discovery can automate some of the spare parts tracking.

Purchases Update

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As shown above, the ability to associate purchases and contracts with Parts, Rooms and Buildings has been added.

Search Improvements

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Global search now supports multiple keywords previously available only via List search.

Better spare parts tracking with Device42

Manage your spare parts easily with Device42 by downloading a free 30 day trial at: /download/
Current users can grab the update file from: /update/

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