I'm in the process of sending my recommendations to a client to do a major clean up of their data rack and cabling screwups and I'd like to submit a photo of a properly installed and laid out rack.

The rack I have has a cable management vertical tray on one side but none on the front. Therefore if I had a photo similar to that with cables installed I could show them what it SHOULD look like.

If you have one, please post it or forward to me via PM or email.

Thanks in advance...

Certainly is purdy!

-Hal

here's one

Thanks P2ii, that's what I was looking for...multiple patch cords without wire management...

There are 2 kinds of horizontal management in that picture.

I started with this...


and this...


about 1/3 of the way through the night...



and was almost finished, when I took this picture...

Tony, that's some fine work there!

How long did it take you from start to finish not including the purples?

Tony, that 1st photo is about the same situation that I'm dealing with. On top of that:

a) Jacks are not identified in any manner, nor is there any list in the server room

b) Original install was by Bell & properly terminated on patch panels. After that some cable jockey terminated with plugs and are plugged straight into one of the switches

c) These same cables have an orange tape labeling with some code that doesn't make any sense.

d) switches & patch panels have been found outside of the server room, but how many more are hidden????

Get the picture?

@ampleworks - This was a Friday in early April of this year. Start to finish Ray (my employer) and I started at 5:30, worked until mid-night/1am-ish. Then we went back to test, follow up the next morning for an hour or two. So about 9 crew hours labor, 18 man. The purples are 25 pair feeders (Cat5 (not "e", either) to the 1st and 2nd floors.

@MooreTel - These were sparingly identified in no logical manner... a mix between sharpie, label maker and string tags. We re-labeled what we could and threw the unknowns in a group on the lowest panel. I get the picture perfectly and wish you the best of luck! At the same time, I suggest starting with a plan, it really helps to have an overall approach to it before you're knee deep in it.

Tony -

An excellent idea. Whenever we had to work in a working CO we were required to fill out a MOP - a Method of Procedure - detailing exactly what we were going to do and how we were going to do it.

At first I objected to writing MOPs. They were a royal PITA. And then I found that writing out what I was going to do made for a much, much better job. It sharpened my focus and I found out I picked up problems before they happened. If I wrote out what I was going to do, step, by step then I found I would always have the right material with me, always have enough (of the right) manpower and the job (almost) always went well. Very well.

Have a plan. Write it up. Follow it.

Sam

Write him up for no safety glasses.

I found this post much more satisfying than the pictures of ugly work because we all know how not to do it.

Tony, How about a follow up in a year or so after some IT guys have taken it over?

Tony, I remember when you first posted pics of that job. I too would like to see what it looks like now

Awesome setup!!!!

:db: :db: