rackctl

Monitor and control rack devices from the command line or a TUI.

What it does

rackctl manages the devices in a server rack: servers, disk shelves, switches, PDUs and UPSs. Run without arguments, it opens a full-screen terminal UI with the rack drawn on the left, every device shown with its own faceplate and live status LEDs, and panels with details and controls on the right. With arguments, it works as a command-line tool, for example to switch a PDU outlet.

Status

Early development. rackctl check validates the configuration and the catalog. Device control and the terminal UI are not available yet.

Usage

rackctl check              # check the configuration in ~/.config/rackctl and summarize each rack
rackctl check -c lab/      # check the configuration in another directory
rackctl check -c lab.kdl   # check a configuration kept in a single file
rackctl rack               # draw the front view of each rack
rackctl rack homelab       # draw one rack
rackctl trace server:nic1  # follow the cables from an endpoint

check exits with code 2 when the configuration has problems, and reports each of them with its location in the file.

Configuration

The configuration is written in KDL. rackctl reads every .kdl file in ~/.config/rackctl/, subdirectories included, and each top-level node says what it holds, so the configuration can be split into files in any way, or kept in one. A rack node describes a rack, and there can be several:

rack "homelab" units=36 {
  device "router"   model="ubiquiti/er6p"     u=36
  device "patch"    model="generic/patchpanel-24" u=33
  device "switch"   model="cisco/sg350-28"    u=31
  device "server"   model="dell/r730-sff8"    u=28
  device "ups"      model="apc/sua2200rmi2u"  u=1
  device "pdu"      model="apc/ap7952"        mount="right" face="rear"
}

Each model refers to the device catalog in catalog/, which describes the hardware: its height, depth, parts and faceplate. Models in ~/.config/rackctl/catalog/ add to the built-in ones or replace them.

The cables go in a wiring node. Each line is one path, and a patch panel port names its side: b (back) or f (front), or both when a path passes through it.

wiring {
  power pdu:8 server:psu1
  net   server:nic1 patch:b-f15 switch:10
}

With several racks, a device is written with its rack, as office.switch:28. Its name alone is enough when only one rack has a device of that name, or inside a wiring that names its rack:

wiring rack="homelab" {
  power pdu:7 server:psu2
  net   switch:28 office.switch:28
}

Building

rackctl needs Rust 1.98.1 or newer.

cargo build --release
cargo test

Versioning

This project follows Semantic Versioning. See CHANGELOG.md for the history of changes.

License

Licensed under either of Apache License, Version 2.0 or MIT license at your option.