Server/workstation NIC visual/Audio ping back from Switch port

April 30, 2012

Posted By:  Thadin

2 Votes

Status: Archived

Promote

Before most people end up with a detailed network diagram which shows you what server is plugged into what port you may sometimes franticly run around your server room trying to locate that one floor point that just seems to evade you.

my idea is that you add an extra light and a small sound device onto all network cards and program your switch's to be able to "ping" one of their ports which in turn triggers the light on the network card and a "Beep" for 10 seconds or so. making tracking what servers or work stations are plugged into what port on the switch.

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  • Jun 28, 2012     Comment Link

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    Posted By: kfkernel

    The idea of being able to tell where a server or workstation is connected without have to follow the cable is good idea. But i do not fancy this particular solution. For most switches it is possible to get this information through LLDP or CDP. I guess there is software for most operating systems that can collect LLDP/CDP information. So there should not really be a need for extra hardware in this case. But i would love the idea of being able to craft these ping commands if the communication is not secured, the whole office would start to beep ;) 

    IMHO, a nice feature for Dell Servers would be the ability to display some LLDP/CDP information on the front LCD panel. When it comes to hypervizors/hosts for virtual systems they often have a lot of network cables.