# Managing Device42

> Use when working with Device42 — device42 IT infrastructure management covering data center infrastructure management (DCIM), application dependency mapping, IP address management, and asset lifecycle tracking. Use when documenting data center rack layouts and power chains, mapping application dependencies and communication flows, managing IP address allocation and subnets, or tracking hardware assets from procurement through decommission.

- Skill: `cloudthinker-ai/managing-device42` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cloudthinker-ai/managing-device42`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-device42/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: cloudthinker-ai (https://skillmd.com/u/cloudthinker-ai)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cloudthinker-ai/managing-device42

---


# Device42 IT Infrastructure Management Skill

Manage and analyze Device42 DCIM, dependency mapping, IP management, and assets.

## API Conventions

### Authentication
All API calls use Basic Auth (username:password) — injected automatically.

### Base URL
`https://{{instance}}/api/1.0`

### Core Helper Function

```bash
#!/bin/bash

d42_api() {
    local method="$1"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"

    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -u "$DEVICE42_USER:$DEVICE42_PASS" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "${DEVICE42_URL}/api/1.0${endpoint}" \
            -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -u "$DEVICE42_USER:$DEVICE42_PASS" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "${DEVICE42_URL}/api/1.0${endpoint}"
    fi
}
```

## Common Operations

### Data Center & Rack Management

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Data Centers ==="
d42_api GET "/buildings/" \
    | jq -r '.buildings[] | "\(.building_id)\t\(.name)\t\(.address // "-")"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Racks ==="
d42_api GET "/racks/?limit=25" \
    | jq -r '.racks[] | "\(.rack_id)\t\(.name)\t\(.building)\t\(.row)\tU:\(.size)"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Rack Utilization ==="
d42_api GET "/racks/?limit=50" \
    | jq -r '.racks[] | "\(.name)\tTotal U: \(.size)\tUsed U: \(.u_used // 0)\tFree: \((.size // 0) - (.u_used // 0))"' \
    | column -t | head -20
```

### Application Dependency Mapping

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Application Components ==="
d42_api GET "/appcomps/?limit=25" \
    | jq -r '.appcomps[] | "\(.appcomp_id)\t\(.name)\t\(.device_count // 0) devices"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Dependencies for Application ==="
APP_ID="${1:?App component ID required}"
d42_api GET "/appcomps/${APP_ID}/" \
    | jq -r '.depends_on[] | "\(.name)\t\(.type)"' | head -20
```

### IP Address Management

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Subnets ==="
d42_api GET "/subnets/?limit=25" \
    | jq -r '.subnets[] | "\(.subnet_id)\t\(.network)/\(.mask_bits)\t\(.name // "-")\tUsed: \(.used_count // 0)/\(.total_count // 0)"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Available IPs in Subnet ==="
SUBNET_ID="${1:?Subnet ID required}"
d42_api GET "/ips/?subnet_id=${SUBNET_ID}&available=yes&limit=15" \
    | jq -r '.ips[] | "\(.ip)\t\(.label // "-")\t\(.available)"' \
    | column -t
```

### Device Management

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Devices Summary ==="
d42_api GET "/devices/?limit=25&sort=last_updated&order=desc" \
    | jq -r '.Devices[] | "\(.device_id)\t\(.name)\t\(.type // "-")\t\(.os_name // "-")\t\(.last_updated[0:10])"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Devices by Type ==="
d42_api GET "/devices/?limit=500" \
    | jq -r '[.Devices[].type] | group_by(.) | map({type: (.[0] // "unknown"), count: length}) | sort_by(.count) | reverse | .[] | "\(.type): \(.count)"'
```

## Output Format

Present results as a structured report:
```
Managing Device42 Report
════════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]
```

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |

## Common Pitfalls

- **API versioning**: Use `/api/1.0/` prefix — some newer features may use `/api/2.0/`
- **Basic Auth only**: No OAuth support — always use HTTPS to protect credentials
- **Pagination**: Use `limit` and `offset` parameters — default limit varies by endpoint
- **Trailing slashes**: Some endpoints require trailing slashes — include them consistently
- **Custom fields**: Access via separate `/custom_fields/` endpoints — not inline with main object
- **DOQL**: Device42 Object Query Language provides SQL-like queries for complex reporting
- **Rate limits**: Self-hosted — depends on appliance sizing and configuration
- **Bulk operations**: Use batch endpoints for mass updates — individual updates for large datasets will be slow