…getting a homelab project idea, where I create LOC records for devices without a dynamic IP address so I can figure out where the f*k they are without having to keep a continuous mental map running at all times. Free up some mental bandwidth as it were.

Very, very cool function to have. I wonder how feasible it’d be to dynamically update it using GPS measurements for fleet tracking, given even Cloudflare had to patch in support.

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wowczarek 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Even without LOC, there's also TXT. In my work lab (size of a medium DC, tonnes of devices from a variety of vendors) we used formatted TXT records to store things like: rack elevations, host/port for serial access server, switched power outlet info, reservation status, loan / return info and more. With this and cnames for rack numbers/elevations, with simple scripts we could do more than either a free-but-clunky or a decent-but-expensive DC management system could, from CLI, and quicker.

	▲	teddyh 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		A reasonable compromise might be to use the HINFO and RP records? The latter even has a reference to a name where a TXT record can be placed with additional information, if necessary.

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narmiouh 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I don't know that the accuracy afforded by LOC would be enough to pinpoint objects inside a house, though the optional fields may perhaps be used to provide room/rack location.

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crote 6 hours ago | parent [-]

Lat/lon are in thousandths of a second of arc. If I did my math right, that means the worst-case precision is a hair over 3cm. Altitude is in centimeters, so on a comparable scale.

Looks to me like it is accurate enough to locate even the smallest network-connected devices! Provided someone doesn't invent wifi-connected rice grains, of course.

	▲	koolba 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Looks to me like it is accurate enough to locate even the smallest network-connected devices! This should be a standard feature of server cages. The base rack itself could have a GPS receiver and provide the relative location of each rack. That way when you nudge the rack over a few feet to make room for the foosball table it automatically updates its own physical location.

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5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[deleted]

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magicalhippo 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> where I create LOC records for devices without a dynamic IP address so I can figure out where the f*k they are without having to keep a continuous mental map running at all times

Obligatory bash.org quote[1]:

<erno> hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.

[1]: https://qdb.lol/quote/5273

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shellpipe 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Haha. Great idea, I might try this one.

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kragen 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

You could just serve up a text file over HTTP.

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stego-tech 8 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I could, but I'd rather not enable HTTP on devices that don't need it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm keenly aware there's easier ways to accomplish such a goal, but that's not the point. I have discovered something new and, as a way of practicing multiple other skills at the same time, am musing over homelab projects I could do to put it into practice and cement that knowledge.

It's just like my internal-only emoji DNS resolver: goofy, amusing, and ultimately impractical outside of the homelab, but still a great way to learn several new things together.

	▲	habbekrats 8 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		you could run ur own resolver somewhere and have ur devices update that? i think dns updates are a bit 'slow' sometimes so unsure how much u'd need to update them. if its frequent id say ur own dns resolver would be fastest as ur control the records directly on the box u query
	▲	kragen 7 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Oh, well, writing your own dynamic DNS system is certainly a great learning project.

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hughw 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

buzzkill