US20040178270A1 - Tracking electronic devices - Google Patents

Abstract

Tracking electronic devices that are equipped with tracking tags and that are stored in designated locations. Reading devices are distributed in locations that are recorded and that correspond to the designated locations of the electronic devices. The reading devices are activated to interrogate the tracking tags. Identification data from the tracking tags is collected to enable determining the presence and location of the electronic devices, based on the recorded location of the reading devices.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES
• This application is related to the following: co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. XX/XXX,XXX (attorney docket number 200208133-1), filed XX/XX/XX and entitled “Tracking Electronic Devices” by Pradhan et al.; co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. YY/YYY,YYY (attorney docket number 200208131-1), filed YY/YY/YY and entitled “Device Data” by Lyon et al.; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ZZ/ZZZ,ZZZ (attorney docket number 200208028-1), filed YY/YY/YY and entitled “Location Aware Sensor Nodes” by Pradhan et al., all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.[0001]
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The invention pertains to tracking electronic devices. More particularly, this invention relates to tracking electronic devices using reading devices and tags.[0002]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Electronic devices such as computer servers, telecommunications devices, and the like are often housed within cabinets or racks within a building or data center. An example of a rack may be defined as an Electronics Industry Association (EIA) enclosure and typically includes a plurality of open bays. Racks permit the arrangement of electronic devices in a vertical orientation for efficient use of space. The electronic devices are typically installed into respective bays in the rack and include servers, network switches, personal computer boards, and the like, which in turn include a number of electronic components, such as processors, micro-controllers, high speed video cards, memories, semi-conductor devices, and the like.[0003]
• The floor plan of a data center includes the racks generally arranged side-by-side in rows such as in an X-axis and Y-axis array. The locations of the racks within the data center sometimes change as do the locations of the electronic devices within bays of the racks. Moreover, racks and electronic devices are sometimes added, replaced, or removed entirely from a data center. It is desirable to track such equipment changes in a data center and thereby maintain an up-to-date geographical inventory of the location of each rack within the data center floor plan and of the location of each electronic device within each rack, bay by bay.[0004]
• Currently, however, it is burdensome to track such equipment changes in a data center along the X and Y axes (width and depth) at the rack level, but is even more burdensome to track equipment changes along the Z axis (height) at the bay level. Conventionally, the physical presence and location of electronic devices within a data center is determined manually. For example, during an inventory process, a network administrator typically walks from rack to rack around the data center and manually records the presence and location of network devices within each bay of each rack in the data center. Manual review and recordation of such information is time consuming, costly, and overly susceptible to human error.[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of tracking electronic devices that are equipped with tracking tags. The method comprises the following steps: distributing reading devices in locations that correspond to locations designated for the electronic devices; recording the locations of the reading devices; activating the reading devices and thereby interrogating the tracking tags of the electronic devices that are present in the locations designated for the electronic devices; collecting identification data from the tracking tags; and determining a presence and/or a location of at least one of the electronic devices based on the collected identification data.[0006]
• According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided another method of tracking electronic devices that includes the following steps: tagging electronic devices with tracking tags; providing a rack having bays for receiving the electronic devices; distributing reading devices in locations that correspond to the bays; recording the locations of the reading devices; activating the reading devices and thereby interrogating the tracking tags of the electronic devices that are present in the bays; collecting identification data from the tracking tags; and determining at least one of the presence and location of said plurality of electronic devices based on the recording and collecting steps.[0007]
• According to yet another embodiment of the invention, an apparatus is provided for tracking electronic devices having tracking tags associated therewith. A rack includes bays that receive the electronic devices. Reading devices are mounted to the rack and are distributed in correspondence with the bays. The reading devices are adapted to interrogate the tracking tags of the electronic devices to determine at least one of a presence and/or a location of at least one of the electronic devices.[0008]
• According to still another embodiment of the invention, another apparatus is provided for tracking electronic devices that includes a means for tagging the electronic devices, a means for housing the electronic devices in designated locations, and a means for reading the means for tagging. The means for reading is mounted to the means for housing and is distributed in correspondence to the designated locations of the electronic devices. The apparatus also includes a means for activating the reading devices to interrogate the means for tagging. The apparatus further includes a means for collecting identification data from the tracking tags, and a means for determining the presence and/or location of the electronic devices based on the means for collecting.[0009]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures in which like numeral references refer to like elements, and wherein:[0010]
• FIG. 1 illustrates a rack apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;[0011]
• FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system used in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 1; and[0012]
• FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of tracking electronic devices according to another embodiment of the present invention.[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that these specific details need not be used to practice the present invention. In other instances, well-known structures, interfaces, and processes have not been shown in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.[0014]
• In accordance with the present invention, an automatic tracking system and method is provided for tracking the presence and/or location of any tagged electronic device within a data center. The purpose of automatically tracking electronic devices is to continuously monitor the location of each and every tagged electronic device down to the specific aisle, rack, and bay where the electronic device is mounted. Thus, it is possible with the present invention to eliminate the costly, time consuming, and error-prone method of manually tracking the presence and/or location of electronic devices within a data center.[0015]
• In general, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a rack apparatus is provided in which identification technology “overlays” the rack apparatus wherein the identification technology is provided to track the presence and location of electronic devices located within the rack. The terminology “identification technology” means any system or apparatus for identifying objects such as bar code systems, magnetic stripe systems, radio frequency identification (RFID or RF identification) systems, and the like. Furthermore, the terminology “rack apparatus” is synonymous with data rack, server rack, electronics housing or enclosure, and the like. Thus, the present invention is not limited only to server rack applications implementing RF technology.[0016]
• Generally, RF systems typically include readers and one or more tags that are attached to respective objects whose identity is thereby tracked. Readers are synonymous with interrogators, exciters, transceivers, transmitter/receivers, and the like. Tags are synonymous with transponders, and the like.[0017]
• The tag is an electronic device that incorporates unique identification data, such as a number, and is generally attached to an object whose identity is desired to be tracked. Thus, the object's identity is identified by the interrogating reader which reads the number of the tag to which the object is attached. The RF system operates on radio frequency and, thus, RF systems do not require a direct line of sight between the reader and the tag. As such, the tag and tagged object may be located within an enclosure. RF tags are also known as RF transponders and may be “active” or “passive”. Active tags are continuously powered by a battery, whereas passive tags briefly acquire power from the reader upon being interrogated thereby. Passive tags typically include a coil or antenna to collect the from the reader the RF signal from which the tag derives its temporary operating power. Accordingly, passive tags are located within close proximity to the reader (typically in the range from a few centimeters up to one meter) in order to ensure that the tags collect a sufficient amount of energy to operate. Passive tags typically include an integrated circuit for storing data an identification number. Passive tags are typically desirable due to their smaller size, fewer components, and reduced cost compared to active tags.[0018]
• The reader typically includes an antenna, analog circuitry, digital processing circuitry, and a memory. The analog circuitry includes modulation circuitry for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the tag. The digital processing circuitry generates an interrogation signal which is modulated using the analog circuitry. Thus, the reader emits a radio frequency signal in the vicinity of the tag and the tag emits a response, from which the RF system determines the identity of the responding tag. More specifically, the reader transmits a coded RF signal, from which a nearby tag or tags collect energy. The nearby tag uses the collected energy to compare the coded RF signal to the tag's identification data. If the tag's identification data is the same as that encoded in the RF signal, then the tag relays its encoded identification data back to the reader. Alternatively, and as contemplated by the present invention, the RF system is configured to use the reader to interrogate the tag and then automatically relay the tag's identification data back through the RF system to the reader.[0019]
• RF components and systems, in and of themselves, are generally well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. What is not currently known to those of ordinary skill in the art, however, is the present specific application and adaptation of RF technology for tracking electronic devices within a data center, which is further described below.[0020]
• Referring now specifically to FIG. 1, an enclosure or[0021]rack10 is shown which may be, for example, an Electronics Industry Association enclosure, 78 in. (2 meters) wide, 24 in. (0.61 meter) wide and 30 in. (0.76 meter) deep. Therack10 includes opposed pairs ofmounts12 that define open bays14a-ninto whichelectronic devices16 are located. The term “rack” includes any doors, lids, or other accessories associated with the rack (not shown). One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that themounts12 and bays14a-nmerely exemplify one of any number of mounting means that are used with rack apparatus. Furthermore, the term “bay” is synonymous with slot, opening, location, position, and the like.
• The[0022]rack10 may house any number ofelectronic devices16 which may be modules, server boards, telecommunications devices, and the like, e.g., about forty (40) to eighty (80) devices. Theelectronic devices16 typically include a number ofcomponents18, e.g., processors, micro-controllers, high speed video cards, memories, semi-conductor devices, and the like. Some racks include retractable rails to which the electronic devices are slidably mounted, wherein the retractable rails permit the electronic devices to be moved between a retracted position within the rack and an extended position in which the electronic devices are at least partially extended from the rack. In any case, it is highly desirable to track the presence, identification, and/or location of eachelectronic device16 within eachrack10 in a data center.
• Using any number of readily available identification technologies, each[0023]electronic device16 is tagged with a tracking device ortag20, such as a radio frequency (RF) transponder, or RF tag, as shown. Alternatively, thetag20 may instead be a bar code tag, a magnetic tag, magneto-mechanical tag, microwave tag, and the like. In general, RF tags are typically programmed with unique identification codes that identify an object with which the RF tags are associated. In one embodiment, thetag20 may be a passive device. In another embodiment, thetag20 may be an active device having a relatively greater communication range.
• As defined herein, the terminology “tracking device” or “tag” means hardware, information, signals, and the like that are not necessarily intrinsic to the circuitry or software associated with the[0024]electronic devices16 orcomponents18 thereof. In other words, thetag20 is externally attached to a respective electronic device and is independent of the intrinsic workings of theelectronic devices16 andcomponents18. As shown, thetag20 may be encoded with any unique identification, such as medium access controlled identification of the electronic device with which it is associated.
• Before each[0025]electronic device16 is installed in therack10, it is “tagged” with respective RF tags20. As used herein, the word “attached” is broadly construed to include all types of associating an RF tag with an object to be tagged. Thetags20 are shown mounted onto a left front portion of eachelectronic device16, but thetag20 can be mounted to, printed on, or encapsulated within eachelectronic device16. Thetag20 may be attached to the respective electronic device by adhesive, by double-sided tape, by metal fasteners, and the like. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many other methods of physically associatingtags20 with respectiveelectronic devices16 are possible and the present invention is not limited to the examples set forth herein. In other words, it is not necessary to mount thetag20 exactly as shown and it is contemplated that thetag20 can be located anywhere on or in theelectronic device16, so long as the tag is within the recommended operating range of the manufacturer.
• As shown in FIG. 1, located just above each pair of[0026]mounts12 therack10 includes reading devices, coils, orreaders22a-nsuch as RF transponders, bar code scanners, magnetic pickups, and the like. Preferably, a strip of daisy-chainedreaders22a-nare mounted along a planar face of the rack such as the front, as long as thereaders22a-nare located proximate the correspondingtags20 within the operating range of such devices as mentioned above. Thus, thereaders22a-ncan be mounted in any alternative locations such as to an access door (not shown) of the rack, or to a front portion of a left insidewall24 of therack10, and care is taken to ensure that thetags20 are each attached at a uniform location on the face of each correspondingelectronic device16 so that eachtag20 aligns with a correspondingreader22a-n. Accordingly, thetags20 andreaders22a-nare distributed throughout each rack in a one-to-one respective arrangement such that eachreader22a-nis associated with arespective tag20. As will be discussed below, this one-to-one tag to reader relationship enables one to determine the presence and location of a tag and its associated electronic device by virtue of knowing the location of the corresponding reader. Moreover, it is contemplated that one or moreelectronic devices16 could occupy more than one bay location. For purposes of example only, in one embodiment anelectronic device16 occupiesbay locations14d-g. In one embodiment,readers14d-gare associated with theelectronic device16. In another embodiment, asingle reader14g(or14f, or14e, or14d) is associated with theelectronic device16 occupyingbay locations14d-g. Accordingly, it is also contemplated thatmultiple readers22a-ncould track the location of a single electronic device that occupies more than one bay location, or that one of thereaders22a-ncould track the location of such a larger electronic device.
• The location of each reader is predetermined so that the presence and location of each corresponding tag may be easily identified. Each coil or[0027]reader22a-nis of the same known size and, therefore, given any coil identity k (from 1 at the top to n at the bottom, down along the Z-axis), one can quickly identify the exact position of any given coil in inches, mm, etc. Also, the identity and location of eachreader22a-nmay initially be manually associated with its respective bay and rack location and entered into RF system computer memory. For example,reader22acan be manually associated withbay14a,reader22bwithbay14b, and so on. Then, to identify the location of any given RF tag20 (and therefore each associated electronic device16), the daisy-chainedreaders22a-nare energized sequentially, or in any desired predetermined pattern. Thus, knowing an energized coil number or identity, ergo the bay location and the RF response (if any), the location and presence of electronic devices in a rack can be accurately determined. Thereafter, whenever anelectronic device16 is removed, or moved from one bay or rack location to another, the RF system can track such movement by virtue of the known location of thereaders22a-n.
• One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the[0028]readers22a-nmay be mounted to therack10 in any reasonable manner including any of a variety of fastening devices including tie straps, hook and loop material, screws, mounting brackets, and the like (not shown). Thereaders22a-nand tags20 may be mounted in any corresponding locations, positions, or orientations on the rack to ensure that eachtag20, no matter where located in or on theelectronic device16, aligns with a correspondingreader22a-nwhen aelectronic device16 is docked to therack10. Accordingly, thereaders22a-nmay alternatively be mounted to a rear portion of theinside wall24 of therack10, to a door (not shown) of the rack, on themounts12, and the like. As shown, thereaders22a-nare daisy-chained together in series. For example, the output of onereader22a-nis connected to an input of anotherreader22a-nvia aconnector26. Alternatively, thereaders22a-nmay be connected by a connector, in parallel, such that eachreader22a-ncan be addressed independently, or may be connected in any other reasonable manner. The location of eachreader22a-nmay be designated by its correspondingrack10 and bay14.
• FIG. 1 further illustrates the[0029]readers22a-nand thetags20 according to an RF identification technology embodiment of the present invention. RFID systems are generally known to those of ordinary skill in the art and are readily available from various manufacturers including Texas Instruments of Plano, Tex. and Alien Technologies of Morgan Hill, Calif. Also contemplated within the scope of the present invention are various other systems that use tags and readers to identify objects from a distance by associating the tag with the object, such as bar code systems.
• Referring still to FIG. 1, the[0030]tags20 store unique identification codes that identify theelectronic devices16 with which thetags20 are associated and that can be read by thereaders22a-n. Thetags20 may store the unique identification codes in addressable memory and may store attributes of the correspondingelectronic device16. Each of thetags20 includes a transceiver or anantenna28. When thetags20 are within the proximate operating range of thereaders22a-nand when thereaders22a-nare activated, the antennas28 (e.g. coils, or the like) receive an interrogating signal from thereaders22a-nfrom which thetags20 convert to operating power. As used herein, the term “proximate” means located within a distance wherein thetags20 andreaders22a-nare operable with one another. Typical passive RF systems have a reader to tag operating range of about 18 inches. In practice, this range will vary depending on the output power of the readers, the geometries of the reader and tag coils, the signal frequency, and other operating parameters. In response to receiving the interrogation signal, thetags20 transmit a reply such as its identification code.
• The[0031]readers22a-nthen receive the reply from thetags20 viaantenna30. In other words, each of thereaders22a-ninterrogates a corresponding one of thetags20 to receive the identification code therefrom. Upon being energized by thereader22a-n, thetag20 steps through a preprogrammed sequence of events that addresses memory locations therein and that transmits its stored data (e.g. ID code) from the memory locations back to thereader22a-n.
• According to an embodiment, when the[0032]reader22a-nreceives data, such as the identification codes and attribute information from the electronic devices, back from thetag20, it decodes that data and transmits the data to a computer or trackingnode32 mounted atop therack10.
• Referring now to FIG. 3, the tracking[0033]node32 includes aprocessor34 and atransceiver36 for communicating with other tracking nodes (not shown) and a host computer (not shown) elsewhere within the data center. The trackingnode32 further includes volatile andnon-volatile memory38 and40 respectively. Executable code for controlling activation of thereaders22a-nmay be stored in thenon-volatile memory40. The trackingnode32 includes aninterface42 for communicating with thereaders22a-n.
• Referring again to FIG. 1, the tracking[0034]node32 may be programmed to sequentially activate thereaders22a-nfrom top to bottom, vice-versa, or in any desired pattern since the location of each reader is recorded. It is also contemplated that the trackingnode32 could simultaneously activate thereaders22a-nif desired. The trackingnode32 may query the status of any given bay14 by activating thereaders22a-nto detect the presence or absence oftags20 and their correspondingelectronic devices16. The location of eachreader22a-nis stored in the memory of the trackingnode32, such as in thenon-volatile memory42 or a separate storage device (not shown). Thus, thenode34 can correlate the predesignated or known location of eachreader22a-nto acorresponding tag20 and associatedelectronic device16. Accordingly, the trackingnode32 can detect not only the presence of any givenelectronic device16 within a bay14, but can also determine the location of a particularelectronic device16 by its identification code.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a method[0035]100 for determining the presence and location of electronic devices within a rack, according to an embodiment of the invention. Steps310-340 involve the initial setup of electronic devices within racks in a data center. Instep310, the electronic devices are tagged, such as with an RF tag as described above. Instep320, designated locations are provided for receiving each of the electronic devices, such as bays within a server rack as discussed above. Instep330, reading devices such a RF readers are correspondingly placed in locations proximate the designated locations for the electronic devices, such as on an inside wall of a server rack. Instep340, the locations of the reading devices are recorded in computer memory.
• Steps[0036]350-370 involve operation of the RF system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Instep350, the reading devices are activated by the RF system to interrogate or read the tagged electronic devices. The reading devices may be activated sequentially, such as starting from a home position at the top of the rack and ending at a distal position at a bottom of the rack and vice versa. Instep360, the identification of each present tagged electronic device is collected. The collection of the identification of each present tagged electronic device may also be performed sequentially. Instep370, based on the recording the locations of the reading devices and based on collecting the identification of each present tagged electronic device, the identification of each present tagged electronic device is associated with the location of its corresponding reader and bay so as to determine the presence and location of present electronic devices. Themethod300 is an exemplary embodiment, and it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the method is subject to many alternatives, modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
• According to the above described embodiments, the present invention is capable of tracking the presence, identity, and/or location of electronic devices within racks in a data center. As described above, each bay of each rack is initially associated with a reader such that the RF system retains the reader location in memory. Electronic devices are installed in the bays of the racks whereupon the readers read the tags associated with such electronic devices and the RF system associates the read tag data with the known reader location to, in turn, provide location information for each tagged electronic device. The RF system continuously or intermittently monitors or activates the readers so that any change in location of an electronic device is automatically tracked. Thus, the present invention eliminates the need for manual tracking or inventory of electronic devices.[0037]
• While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. There are changes that may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.[0038]

Claims (23)

What is claimed is:

1. A method of tracking electronic devices equipped with tracking tags, said method comprising:

distributing a plurality of reading devices in locations corresponding to designated locations for said electronic devices;

recording the locations of said plurality of reading devices;

activating said plurality of reading devices and thereby interrogating said tracking tags of said electronic devices present in said designated locations;

collecting identification data from said tracking tags; and

determining at least one of a presence and a location of at least one of said electronic devices based on the collected identification data.

2. The method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said distributing step comprises placing said plurality of reading devices proximate a plurality of bays within an enclosure.

3. The method as claimed inclaim 2, wherein said distributing step further comprises placing said plurality of reading devices to respectively align with said tracking tags when said electronic devices are docked within said bays of said enclosure.

4. The method as claimed inclaim 3, wherein said tracking tags are respectively attached at a uniform location on said electronic devices.

5. The method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said recording step comprises storing the locations of said plurality of reading devices in a computer memory.

6. The method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said activating step is performed sequentially by said plurality of reading devices comprising at least one of a plurality of radio frequency readers, a plurality of bar code scanners, and a plurality of inductive devices.

7. The method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said collecting step is performed sequentially on said tracking tags which comprise at least one of radio frequency tags, bar code tags, or magnet tags.

8. The method as claimed inclaim 7, wherein said determining step comprises converting said response signal into said identification data and storing said identification data in a computer memory.

9. A method of tracking electronic devices, said method comprising:

tagging a plurality of electronic devices with a plurality of tracking tags;

providing an enclosure having a plurality of bays for receiving said plurality of electronic devices;

distributing a plurality of reading devices in locations corresponding to said plurality of bays;

recording the locations of said plurality of reading devices;

activating said plurality of reading devices and thereby interrogating said plurality of tracking tags of said plurality of electronic devices present in said plurality of bays;

collecting identification data from said plurality of tracking tags; and

determining at least one of the presence and location of said plurality of electronic devices based on said recording and collecting steps.

10. The method as claimed inclaim 9, wherein said tagging step comprises associating at least one of a plurality of radio-frequency tags, a plurality of bar code tags, and a plurality of magnetic tags with said plurality of electronic devices.

11. The method as claimed inclaim 9, wherein said distributing step comprises placing at least one of a plurality of radio frequency readers, a plurality of bar code scanners, and a plurality of magnetic pickups.

12. The method as claimed inclaim 11, wherein said distributing step further comprises placing said plurality of reading devices to respectively align with said plurality of tracking tags when said electronic devices are docked within said bays of said enclosure.

13. The method as claimed inclaim 12, wherein said plurality of tracking tags are respectively attached at a uniform location on said electronic devices.

14. The method as claimed inclaim 9, wherein said recording step comprises storing the locations of said plurality of reading devices in a computer memory.

15. The method as claimed inclaim 9, wherein said activating step comprises sequentially activating said plurality of reading devices which comprise at least one of a plurality of radio frequency readers, a plurality of bar code scanners, and a plurality of magnetic pickups.

16. The method as claimed inclaim 9, wherein said collecting step comprises receiving a response signal from at least one of a radio frequency tag, a bar code tag, and a magnetic tag.

17. The method as claimed inclaim 16, wherein said determining step comprises converting said response signal into said identification data and storing said identification data in a computer memory.

18. An apparatus for tracking a plurality of electronic devices having a plurality of tracking tags associated therewith, said apparatus comprising:

an enclosure having a plurality of bays, said plurality of bays receive said plurality of electronic devices; and

a plurality of reading devices mounted to said enclosure and distributed in correspondence with said plurality of bays, said plurality of reading devices being adapted to interrogate said plurality of tracking tags of said plurality of electronic devices to determine at least one of a presence and a location of at least one of said plurality of electronic devices.

19. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 18, wherein said plurality of reading devices are located such that they respectively align with said plurality of tracking tags when said plurality of electronic devices are docked within said plurality of bays of said enclosure.

20. The method as claimed inclaim 19, wherein said plurality of tracking tags are respectively attached at a uniform location on said plurality of electronic devices.

21. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 18, wherein said enclosure is a server rack and said plurality of electronic devices is a plurality of servers and said plurality of tracking tags are a plurality of radio frequency tags attached to said plurality of electronic devices.

22. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 21, wherein said plurality of reading devices are a plurality of daisy-chained radio frequency readers being mounted to an inside wall of said rack.

23. An apparatus for tracking electronic devices, said apparatus comprising:

means for tagging said electronic devices;

means for housing said electronic devices in designated locations;

means for reading said means for tagging, said means for reading being mounted to said means for housing and being distributed in correspondence to said designated locations;

means for activating said means for reading to interrogate said means for tagging;

means for collecting identification data from said means for tagging; and

means for determining at least one of the presence and location of said electronic devices.

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