Add runner group metadata to the runner list

Release notes

With the new runner registration method, runners can now be in groups if they share the same authentication token, which means they have the same configuration. Runner groups will be added to the list of runners to make it clear that they have the same configuration. This will help reduce the number of duplicate runners on the Runners pages, allowing users to manage fewer runners at once.

Problem to solve

As part of New Runner creation workflow in Admin Area > Ru... (#383139 - closed), a user can register runners using the same authentication token, meaning they have the same configuration. When this happens today (using the registration token), runners are populated in their own rows as their own entities, even though they have the exact same configuration and may even be spun up on the same machine. This causes the UI to be cluttered and makes it more difficult for admins to manage their runners.

Intended users

• Priyanka (Platform Engineer)

User experience goal

The user should be able to tell the difference between a runner and a group of runners in the list view.

Proposal

• Use the data from the most recently contacted system_id for runner groups in the table (status, IP address, last contact, version, jobs, etc.).
• Add a badge to indicate there is more than 1 runner in a group.
• 🎨 Designs in design management
• ✨ Figma file

Further details

Permissions and Security

Documentation

Availability & Testing

Available Tier

Feature Usage Metrics

• We can monitor the number of visits to the detail pages and see if it increases after this feature is added.

What does success look like, and how can we measure that?

1. We should no longer see a bunch of runners clogging up the UI for Kubernetes purposes - gitlab-runner#3692.
2. Admins should be able to get more information on a problem with a runner by drilling into details.

What is the type of buyer?

Is this a cross-stage feature?

What is the competitive advantage or differentiation for this feature?

Links / references

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