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Device Management

Devices are the building blocks of your rack layout. This guide covers everything from adding basic devices to creating custom device templates with advanced metadata.

Device library

Section titled “Device library”

The device library contains all available devices for your rack layouts.

Built-in devices

Section titled “Built-in devices”

Rackula includes a starter library with 43 generic devices organised into 12 categories:

  • Servers (1U, 2U, 4U)
  • Network equipment
  • Storage devices
  • Power distribution
  • And more…

Searching and filtering

Section titled “Searching and filtering”
  1. Open the Devices panel in the left sidebar
  2. Type in the search box to filter by name or model
  3. Press Enter to select the first match
  4. Use keyboard arrows to navigate results

Drag-and-drop placement

Section titled “Drag-and-drop placement”
  1. Find a device in the library
  2. Click and drag the device toward your rack
  3. Position indicators show valid drop locations
  4. Release to place the device

The device snaps to the nearest valid U position. Invalid positions (collisions) are highlighted.

Adding devices

Section titled “Adding devices”

From the library

Section titled “From the library”
  1. Open the Devices panel in the left sidebar
  2. Browse or search for a device
  3. Drag the device onto your rack

Quick add

Section titled “Quick add”

Double-click an empty U slot in your rack to create a blank device at that position.

Device properties

Section titled “Device properties”

Basic properties

Section titled “Basic properties”
Property Description
Name Display label for the device
Model Model number or identifier
Manufacturer Device manufacturer
Category Type classification (determines default colour)
Notes Documentation and comments

Physical properties

Section titled “Physical properties”
Property Description
U height Size in rack units (0.5U–100U)
Weight Device weight with unit (kg or lb)
Full-depth Toggle for full-depth vs half-depth devices

Appearance

Section titled “Appearance”
Property Description
Colour Custom colour (overrides category default)
Front image Custom device image for front view
Rear image Custom device image for rear view

Device face

Section titled “Device face”

The device face determines where the device appears in front/rear views:

Face Front view Rear view Use for
Front Visible Hidden Standard servers, switches
Rear Hidden Visible Rear-mount only equipment
Both Visible Visible Full-depth equipment

Advanced device metadata

Section titled “Advanced device metadata”

For detailed documentation, Rackula supports advanced device metadata.

Network interfaces

Section titled “Network interfaces”

Document network ports on the device:

Field Description
Name Interface label (e.g., “eth0”, “MGMT”)
Type Interface type (1GbE, 10GbE, 25GbE, etc.)
Management Flag for management-only ports

Power ports (input)

Section titled “Power ports (input)”

Document power connections:

Field Description
Name Port label (e.g., “PSU1”, “PSU2”)
Max draw Maximum power draw in watts
Allocated Allocated/planned power in watts

Power outlets (output)

Section titled “Power outlets (output)”

For PDUs and UPS devices:

Field Description
Name Outlet label
Feed leg For three-phase power (L1, L2, L3)

Device bays

Section titled “Device bays”

For blade chassis and modular devices:

Field Description
Bay number Slot position
Installed device What’s installed in the bay
Status Empty, occupied, reserved

Inventory items

Section titled “Inventory items”

Track internal components:

Field Description
Component Component type (RAM, CPU, HDD, etc.)
Quantity Number installed
Description Details (e.g., “64GB DDR4 ECC”)

Other fields

Section titled “Other fields”
Field Description
Part number SKU or part number
Serial number Device serial
Asset tag Internal asset tracking
External links URLs to documentation, vendor pages
Custom fields User-defined key-value pairs

Creating custom devices

Section titled “Creating custom devices”

  1. Open device library

    Click the device library button or use the sidebar.

  2. Click “Add Device”

    Find the add button at the bottom of the library.

  3. Enter basic details

    • Name (required)
    • Model and manufacturer
    • Category

  4. Set dimensions

    • U height (0.5U increments supported)
    • Full-depth toggle

  5. Add images (optional)

    Upload front and/or rear images for visual representation.

  6. Save device

    The device appears in your library, ready for placement.

Device images

Section titled “Device images”

Custom images per device type

Section titled “Custom images per device type”

When creating a custom device, you can add default front and rear images that apply to all placements.

Image override per placement

Section titled “Image override per placement”

Override images for specific placements:

  1. Select the placed device
  2. Open the edit panel
  3. Scroll to the Images section
  4. Upload a custom image

This is useful when the same device type has visual variations (different faceplates, labels, etc.).

Image indicators

Section titled “Image indicators”

In the device library, icons indicate image availability:

Icon Meaning
📷 Front image available
📷📷 Front and rear images
— No images (placeholder shown)

Editing devices

Section titled “Editing devices”

Single device

Section titled “Single device”

  1. Select the device

    Click on the device in your rack.

  2. Open edit panel

    Double-click, or click Edit in the toolbar.

  3. Make changes

    Update any properties.

  4. Save

    Click Save or press Enter.

Multi-device selection

Section titled “Multi-device selection”
  1. Hold Shift and click additional devices
  2. Or drag a selection box around multiple devices
  3. Selected devices highlight together
  4. Edit applies to all selected devices

Moving devices

Section titled “Moving devices”

Drag to move

Section titled “Drag to move”

Click and drag a device to reposition within the rack. Position indicators show valid drop locations.

Keyboard movement

Section titled “Keyboard movement”

Select a device and use:

Key Action
↑ Move up 1U
↓ Move down 1U

Leapfrog behaviour

Section titled “Leapfrog behaviour”

When moving with keyboard, devices leapfrog over obstacles:

  • If the target position is blocked, the device jumps to the next available position
  • This prevents devices from getting stuck behind others
  • Movement stops at rack boundaries

Collision detection

Section titled “Collision detection”

Rackula prevents device overlap:

  • Invalid positions are highlighted during drag
  • Drops are rejected if they would cause collisions
  • Consider device face (front/rear/both) when planning
  • Half-depth devices can share U positions with opposite-face devices

Copying and duplicating

Section titled “Copying and duplicating”

Duplicate device

Section titled “Duplicate device”
  1. Select a device
  2. Press Ctrl+D (or Cmd+D on Mac)
  3. The duplicate appears offset from the original
  4. Drag to final position

Copy between racks

Section titled “Copy between racks”
  1. Select device(s)
  2. Switch to target rack (tabs or sidebar)
  3. Paste with Ctrl+V

Deleting devices

Section titled “Deleting devices”
Method Action
Keyboard Select and press Delete or Backspace
Context menu Right-click → Delete
Edit panel Click Delete button

Undo and redo

Section titled “Undo and redo”

Device operations support full undo/redo:

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+Z Undo last action
Ctrl+Shift+Z Redo
Ctrl+Y Redo (alternative)

Undoable operations include:

  • Place device
  • Move device
  • Remove device
  • Update device properties
  • Update device face or name
Section titled “Related guides”