---
title: Editing the hardware docs
---

# Editing the hardware docs

The hardware inventory is **one Markdown file per device** under
`docs/hardware/`. The YAML frontmatter at the top of each file is the single
source of truth. Everything you see rendered — the
[Hardware Overview](../hardware/index.md) table, the per-device **Specs** box,
the [rack elevation](../infrastructure/racks/rack01.md) SVG, and the network
graph — is **generated** from that frontmatter.

!!! warning "The golden rule"
    After editing any file in `docs/hardware/`, run **`make docs-index`** and
    commit the regenerated files. CI rebuilds the indices and fails the build if
    they differ from what you committed. This is the single most common reason a
    push goes red.

## Quick start: add a device

1. Pick a hostname following the [naming scheme](hardware-naming-scheme.md):
   `<kind-abbrev><NN>` — a 2-digit number, unique per kind (`srv`, `sw`, `pp`,
   `pdu`, `ups`, `shf`, …). Example: `srv06`.
2. Create `docs/hardware/<hostname>.md`. **The filename stem must equal the
   `hostname` field** — `srv06.md` must contain `hostname: srv06`.
3. Fill in the frontmatter (see the reference below). Write any free-text under
   `## Notes`.
4. Run `make docs-index` and commit **both** your new file and the regenerated
   index / rack files.

```markdown
---
hostname: srv06
kind: server
status: staging
location: The pile
cpu: Intel Core i5-3570K @ 3.40GHz
cpu_cores: 4
cpu_threads: 4
ram_gb: 8
storage_gb: 500
storage_type: hdd
nic_gbps: 1
rack: rack01
rack_u: 7
u_height: 2
rack_face: front
power:
  - { pdu: pdu01, outlet: 5 }
links:
  - { local: eth0, peer: sw01, peer_port: 6, speed_gbps: 1 }
---

## Notes

Donated tower; PSU replaced 2026-06.
```

## Frontmatter reference

### Required on every device

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| `hostname` | Must equal the filename stem. |
| `kind` | One of the enum below. |
| `status` | One of the enum below. |

**`kind`** — `server`, `laptop`, `sbc`, `switch`, `ap`, `desktop`, `pdu`,
`patch-panel`, `shelf`, `blank`, `ups`, `kvm`.

**`status`** — `in-use`, `staging`, `spare`, `broken`, `donated`.

### Specs (optional, shown in the table and Specs box)

| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `location` | `The pile` | Free text. |
| `cpu` | `Intel Core i5-3570K @ 3.40GHz` | Model string. |
| `cpu_cores` / `cpu_threads` | `4` / `8` | Integers; threads shown only if they differ from cores. |
| `ram_gb` | `8` | Integer (rendered as `8 GB`). |
| `storage_gb` + `storage_type` | `500` + `hdd` | `storage_type` ∈ `nvme`, `ssd`, `hdd`, `mixed`. |
| `storage` | `[{gb: 500, type: ssd}, {gb: 2000, type: hdd}]` | List form for multiple drives (alternative to the two fields above). |
| `nic_gbps` | `1` or `[1, 10]` | Number or list (rendered as `GbE`). |

### Placement in a rack

Only files that declare a `rack:` appear in a rack elevation. The rack is 48U.

=== "Front / rear (U-mounted)"

    ```yaml
    rack: rack01
    rack_face: front     # front | rear | both
    rack_u: 7            # starting U (1–48)
    u_height: 2          # height in U (≥1)
    ```

    `both` occupies the same U range on **front and rear**. Two U-mounted
    devices may not overlap on the same face.

=== "0U side rail (e.g. vertical PDU)"

    ```yaml
    rack: rack01
    rack_face: left      # left | right
    # no rack_u / u_height
    ```

    Side-rail (`left`/`right`) items are 0U and **must omit** `rack_u` and
    `u_height`.

=== "Shelf-mounted"

    ```yaml
    rack: rack01
    mounted_on: shf01    # an existing kind:shelf in the same rack
    shelf_face: front    # front | rear
    shelf_slot: 2        # integer ≥1
    # no rack_u / u_height / rack_face
    ```

    The shelf itself must be placed (have `rack_u` + `u_height`). Two devices
    can't share the same `(shelf, face, slot)`.

### Power feeds

A device draws power by listing feeds. Each feed must point at a real `kind:pdu`
file, and the outlet must be within that PDU's `outlets` count.

```yaml
power:
  - { pdu: pdu01, outlet: 5 }
```

A `pdu` device must declare a positive integer `outlets:` (e.g. `outlets: 8`).

### Network links

Links feed the network graph. `peer` is the hostname of a switch / patch-panel
/ peer device.

```yaml
links:
  - { local: eth0, peer: sw01, peer_port: 6, speed_gbps: 1 }
```

## The make process

| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| `make docs-index` | Regenerate the hardware/services indices and rack elevations from frontmatter. **Run this after every edit.** |
| `make docs-check` | Regenerate, then fail if the result differs from the committed copies — exactly what CI runs. |
| `make docs-build` | Build the static site with `mkdocs build --strict`. |
| `make docs-serve` | Live-reload local preview at `http://127.0.0.1:8000`. |
| `make test` | Run the Python unit tests (`pytest`). |

A typical edit loop:

```bash
$EDITOR docs/hardware/srv06.md
make docs-index          # regenerate
make docs-check          # confirm no drift (optional sanity check)
git add docs/hardware/srv06.md docs/hardware/index.md docs/infrastructure/racks/
git commit -m "hardware: add srv06"
git push                 # CI builds and publishes to docs.makerfloss.eu
```

On push to `main`, CI regenerates the indices, runs the drift check, builds the
site strictly, and publishes it. If you forgot `make docs-index`, the drift
check fails and nothing is published.

## Dos and don'ts

!!! success "Do"
    - **Do** run `make docs-index` and commit the regenerated files with your change.
    - **Do** keep the filename equal to the `hostname`.
    - **Do** use the [`<kind-abbrev><NN>` naming scheme](hardware-naming-scheme.md),
      2 digits, unique per kind.
    - **Do** mark unknown values as provisional placeholders and ask before
      inventing rack/power/network numbers.
    - **Do** preview locally with `make docs-serve` before pushing.

!!! danger "Don't"
    - **Don't** hand-edit generated files — `docs/hardware/index.md`,
      `docs/services/index.md`, `docs/infrastructure/racks/*.md`, and the
      `*-elevation.svg` files all carry a *"do not edit by hand"* banner and will
      be overwritten.
    - **Don't** put non-device Markdown into `docs/hardware/` — the generators
      scan that folder and expect host frontmatter. Guides like this one live in
      `docs/guides/`.
    - **Don't** give a 0U side-rail item (`left`/`right`) a `rack_u`/`u_height`,
      and don't give a U-mounted item a side-rail face — the generator rejects
      both.
    - **Don't** point `power` at a non-PDU, or use an outlet number beyond the
      PDU's `outlets` count.
    - **Don't** rename a file without renaming the `hostname` to match.