Device network management
What it is
Network Management turns a drawn device into a managed one. You enable it per device in the Rack Editor properties panel, give the device a management IP and SSH credentials, and CreaRack starts tracking its live status. It also unlocks the device’s network actions: SSH terminal, configuration backups, and port/SNMP reads.
Credentials follow a set-once model. You type them a single time in the SSH Config form and they are stored on the server. From then on, every SSH session or backup sends only the device ID — the Local Agent fetches the credentials server-side over its own authenticated channel. Your browser never receives them back for these operations.
How to enable it on a device
- Open the Rack Editor and click a device. The properties panel opens.
- Tick the Network Mgmt checkbox. The network buttons row appears.
- Click SSH Config and fill in the form:
- IP Address (required) — the management IP. Each IP can belong to only one device; duplicates are rejected on save.
- Port — SSH port, default 22.
- Vendor — leave on autodetect or pick the platform.
- Username and Password (required).
- Enable Password (optional) — for devices that need privileged mode.
- Click Test Connection to verify, then Save Configuration.
After saving, CreaRack runs an immediate health check through the Local Agent and the status display updates. Devices provisioned through the Auto-Provision wizard arrive with this section already filled in.
Saving the configuration requires an admin role. Viewers see the status but not the edit buttons.
How to read the status
The panel shows a compact status strip: Status dot, IP, and Vendor.
| Dot | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green (online) | The device answered the last check |
| Red (offline) | The device did not answer |
| Gray (unknown) | Never checked, or no IP configured |
How the check works (force check)
Each time you open the panel, if the status is unknown, offline, or has never been checked, CreaRack re-checks the device on the spot:
- Private IP (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, 172.16-31.x.x): the check goes through the Local Agent, which probes the device from inside your network.
- Public IP: the CreaRack server opens a TCP connection to the SSH port (3-second timeout) and records online/offline with a timestamp.
The server never probes private addresses itself — without a running Local Agent, a private-IP device stays gray.
What the buttons do
Once Network Management is on, the panel shows:
- SSH Terminal — opens an interactive SSH session to the device.
- SSH Backups — view and trigger configuration backups.
- SSH Config — edit the management settings (turns green when configured).
If the device also has a discovery profile (SNMP data from Auto-Provision), four more appear: Refresh Ports, Compare, Refresh SNMP, and Device Info.
Troubleshooting
- Status stuck on gray for a private IP — the Local Agent is not running. Start it, reopen the panel.
- “IP x.x.x.x already assigned to another device” — two devices cannot share a management IP. Find the conflicting device and fix one of them.
- “Please save the rack first” — a brand-new device must be saved to the database before you can configure SSH or open a session.
Related
- [[crearack—network—network-tools]] — diagnostics from the Terminal page
- [[crearack—network—cable-report]] — printable cabling report
- [[crearack—racks—ssh-desde-rack]] — SSH straight from the rack
- [[crearack—network—auto-provision-wizard]] — discover and provision devices in bulk
- [[crearack—terminal—local-agent]] — the bridge into your private network
Véase también
- [[crearack—network—network-tools]]
- [[crearack—network—cable-report]]
- [[crearack—racks—ssh-desde-rack]]
- [[crearack—network—auto-provision-wizard]]
- [[crearack—terminal—local-agent]]