RackWise Service Stacks Up Nicely

Visual Network Designs RackWise 1.0, a multivendor equipment diagramming and assembly management utility, takes the sting out of creating plans to rack-mount network infrastructure equipment.

IT managers might start to see diagrams, along with exact instructions about where to place rackable network equipment and how to connect devices, including cable type and length. The service provides details about how much heat the equipment will generate and the expected power it will collectively consume.

RackWise 1.0 is Visual Network Designs first service offering. A one-year subscription costs $2,400. RackWise will be available next month.

During tests, I was easily able to populate an equipment rack by selecting vendors and equipment from pull-down lists in RackWise. The list of vendors and products is comprehensive, and I was able to find all the devices I use in the Labs. If a device is not in the product database, it can usually be added in 24 hours, Visual Network Design officials said.

The company is still filling in some information, such as power consumption and some enclosure measurements, but the diagrams I created were quite accurate and easy to work with—if a little slow to render. However, even at its most pokey, the product responded in only a few seconds.

More information is available at www.rackwise.com.