Record rack elevations

A rack in Outpost records what is mounted in one of a client’s racks and where: each device’s U position and height, on the front or the rear. Outpost draws the rack’s elevation from it, and the network map shows each placed device’s rack and U, so a technician on site knows where to look.

Racks are on the Diagrams tab of Endpoints > Network map, under Racks.

Before you begin

• Viewing racks needs discovery:read. Creating, changing, and deleting them needs network_map:edit.
• A device you place must be on the client’s network map: an endpoint, a device network discovery found, or a documented asset. Anything else can be a labeled blank panel.

Create a rack

1. On Endpoints > Network map, select the Diagrams tab.
2. Under Racks, select New rack.
3. Enter a Name, up to 80 characters.
4. Optional: choose the Site the rack is in.
5. Enter the Height in U, from 1 to 60.
6. Optional: enter Notes, such as the room or the rack’s asset tag.
7. Select Make the rack.

The rack opens on its own page.

Place devices

U numbers count from 1 at the bottom of the rack. A device’s position is the lowest U it occupies.

1. Under Placements, select Add a device, or Add a blank panel for a patch panel, shelf, or anything else Outpost does not know.
2. In the new row, choose the device under Device. For a blank panel, enter its Label, up to 80 characters.
3. Enter the U position and the Height (U), from 1 to 20.
4. Choose the Face: Front or Rear.
5. Repeat for every device, then select Save placements.

The Elevation shows the rack as you edit, including changes you have not saved yet. Rows that overlap on the same face, or run past the top of the rack, are outlined, and Outpost refuses to save them, naming the device in the way. Every blank panel needs a label. Undo changes returns to the last saved placements.

Saving replaces the rack’s whole list of placements. To take a device out, select Remove on its row and save.

Find a device’s rack from the map

Select a placed device on the network map. Its details show Rack: with the rack’s name and its units, such as Rack A, U12-13, and (rear) for a rear placement. Select it to open the rack.

Change or delete a rack

• Change it. Under Details, change the Name, Site, Height in U, or Notes, then select Save details.
• Delete it. Under Delete, select Delete rack, then confirm. The rack and its placements are deleted. The devices themselves are not touched.

Export the elevation

Select Export on the rack’s page and choose draw.io (.drawio), Image (.png), Vector image (.svg), or Visio (.vsdx). The export draws the front and rear elevations with U numbers. The .drawio file uses draw.io’s rack shapes. See Export network maps and diagrams.

Verify

On the Diagrams tab, Racks lists the rack with its Height and the number Placed. On the network map, a placed device’s details show its rack.

If something goes wrong

Symptom	Fix
Add a device is unavailable, with The map has no devices with a record to place	Network discovery has found nothing for this client yet. Add a blank panel, or turn on discovery.
Some rows overlap on the same face or run past the top of the rack.	Change the outlined rows’ U position or Height (U), or move one to the other face.
Saving names another device in the way	Another device already occupies those units on that face. Move one of them.

Next steps

• Use the network map
• Keep documented network diagrams