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Ask Slashdot: Clever Cable Management?
sooth... writes "What clever ways have network administrators found to cleanly sort varying length patch cables within IDFs, BDFs, and MDFs or simply wiring closets? Pictures or examples are welcome."
Since not everyone is a network administrator, let's expand this to include efficient or clever management of other cables. How do you route your computer cables (internal or external), your entertainment center cables, or any other corded setup?
If you don't have a thick bundle of cables weighing several pounds, those rolls of light-duty velcro for tying plants to stakes work great for cables. A few bucks per several yards instead of several bucks for a few feet.
1) No cat5, I use wireless only.
2) When I do need to run cable, such as telephone wire for my fax machine, I put the cable in the middle of the room. Then I buy a big rug, and place it over the top of the cable.
3) When it's something complicated, like using a ladder, I always call a professional installer. The satellite company always send the most knowledable folks available.
Well, the obvious choice are different cable colors. This is easy to get with Ethernet cables. Another trick I did is buy a label writer and label both ends of a cable (by wrapping the label around the wire so it is a little "banner"). I do this for my power supplies, so I see which plug belongs in which device on top of the table, and which power supply I have to unplug (particularly useful if you have several hard disks from the same manufacturer, or ones where the power supply comes from a completely different company).
Also, I have a roll of velcro that I use to group together cables.
I found a solution which I'm pretty happy about.
Take a good piece of double-sided velcro (that will bond to itself), about 10-20cm. Get a short, screw with a large, flat head. Put the screw through the middle of the velcro strip, and screw it onto the underside of your table, somewhere out of sight. Rinse, repeat.
Now you have velcro loops that can carry all your wires really neatly, with infinite and easy reconfigurability.
(Initially, I tried gluing / velcroing the velcro strips on. It never lasted, so I went with screws instead. That really works!)
With great numbers come great responsibility!
I have an iMac, it's about 5 years old. The sound card isn't adequate for music production, and indeed has actually started making strange noises, so I have a USB audio interface. The superdrive can read DVDs but not CDs any more, so I have an external firewire optical drive. With a power supply. 3 USB ports is not adequate, so I have a USB 2.0 hub. With a power supply. And still not really adequate, as I have at least three devices that *have* to be on the main bus. The internal 160Gb hard drive is no longer adequate, so I have an external firewire drive for my music projects. WIth a power supply. I also need a backup drive, so I have another USB drive. With a power supply.
I suppose if they'd made it a bit less intimidating to open and work on I could have replaced the optical and hard drives, but in a tower *all* of this stuff could sit inside the case and run off one power supply. And might actually mount consistently. Next computer: 2nd-hand Mac Pro or a new Linux build. Much less clutter.
How do you manage the pile of external power supplies for hard disks, routers, switches, phones, etc.? Is there some way to power external computer peripherals from the ATX power supply? I have a bunch of 12V 2A wall warts that keep drawing power even when the attached device is off. I think I should be able to power these devices from the ATX 12V rail, but I can't seem to find a product that allows me to safely attach external devices to the internal power supply.
FYI, don't use lmgtfy in links. The WHOLE POINT of links is to assist people in locating information, and you're kind of being a dick who can't use the web by NOT providing that assistance (no offense, it applies to us all). So providing that assistance indirectly, with a slow, tedious lmgtfy link is almost as bad.
I think cable ties are a great way to reduce the chaos in a pile of spaghetti-style cables.
Some people dislike them, but I think they are just not accustomed to using them. Proper use of cable ties means you are not afraid to use a LOT of them, and also not afraid of cutting them open when you need to change someting. I keep a cheap diagonal cutter and a bag of assorted cable ties in every desk drawer in my house (3 "kits" in total).
Its easy to work with, extremely flexible, and best of all: cheaper than most of the fancy "solutions" you can buy.
Just stop being afraid of cutting them open when you need to!
- Jesper
My security clearance is so high I have to kill myself if I remember I have it...
At one job where I had little ability to run cables under the floor/through the walls, but had a bunch of thick multi-microphone cables plus a few other types to run I made my own "hanging cable tray" using upside-down potted plant hangers I found at Lowes,
I was only going to run them from the punch-down panel to the first audio rack, the client liked the idea so much they bought more and ran them all the way to the wall for the cables they didn't hire me for.
The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
Cable ties are too permanent. I have seen too many times where they get cut off to trouble shoot and never put back for various reasons. Use Velcro to bundle up the cables because it is easier to take off and put back on when needed. No tools required.
Choose and use good cable management trays. There are lots of choices. Decide if you want the trays to have covers or not. I like the horizontal trays to be the type without covers and the verticals to have wide gaps with hinged covers.
I don't like the Panduit Panduct type stuff (http://www.panduit.com/Products/ProductOverviews/WiringDuct/index.htm) because they require you to cut tabs out for passing more than a few cables in and out at a time. They also tend to tear up your cuticles when working with them. Also, the covers snap on and off and people put the smaller horizontal ones in the weirdest places. -- Hard to find.
You can use different cable colors for identifying certain things in your environment (wireless, printers, servers, etc). If you can't justify buying all of the cables sizes you need in all of the different colors then you can use colored tape or some other type of identifier like plastic tags. You have plenty of options.
Lastly, limit access to the wiring closets only to those that need it, have been trained, and are held responsible if it becomes a mess.
Keep the Classic Slashdot.
Dental floss, the poor man's waxed "linen" for short runs cable lacing. Zip ties leave ugly bumps every length.
Can you be Even More Awesome?!
spiral wrap sucks ass for anything you will touch more than once. might as well zip tie it, at least you can clip those off fast.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Saw this on reddit a little while ago: http://www.shelterness.com/diy-cable-organizers-of-toilet-paper-rolls/
I see you like pointless, self-flagellating work.
A whole catalog with all the pretty pictures.
The actual source, Fastenation rolls of precut velcro, each tenant uses a different color, are mandatory in my datacenter.
Every mans' island needs an ocean; choose your ocean carefully.
Agreed, really long runs of spiral wrap is no good.
Secret:
Use 2 inch lengths of spiral wrap, every foot or whatever makes sense.
Easy to add new cables, remove old without disturbing the bundle (unwrap one half, add/subtract, rewrap, repeat on other half).
Anything is possible given time and money.
You do realize that dental floss is way more expensive than actual waxed linen right? Drop by your local sewing store if you're being serious.
Don't complain about syntax, grammar, or spelling. There is no.hell like input on android.
In house cable runs are the pits, whether done by Cable company contractors, or just about anyone else these days. My Father was an old time telephone man and "back in the day" cables were ALWAYS fished through the walls, or run down the inside of closets and along baseboards. Now days the OUTSIDE of most houses around here have a web of cables running to each room where there is something that needs to have a cable connection -- whether it is for TV or telephone it does not matter. Oh, and one cable installer at my neighbors house used a hammer to just knock a hole between the garage and the LIVING ROOM to pull the cable through -- no plate, no cover just an raw open hole.
I solution I've used occasionally for manufactured cables that are too long is similar. .75 or 1 inch Polyethylene pipe joins. They are cheap and they can hold a meter or so of excess cable neatly tucked into the join. Not my idea. I'm not sure where I first saw them used to tidy up wiring.
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
Yup, velcro costs a bit more upfront, but pays off big time when you need to move something (which always happens more than you predict!).
I actually replicate an idea I saw in an (overpriced) commercial product in my wannabie server room. I basically fold one end of a velcro, and secure to desk/walls/a 1x3 laid down on the floor with screws and washers (2 for each strip).
Keeps everything ultra neat and separated (I'm one of those keep the different cables seperated types), but the big bonus is that moving something or adding something is very simple, because you undo one at a time, and all the other cables stay in place.
I have not seen a broken microphone in my 20 year IT career.
I've got a broken mic on this laptop that I'm using to type this message out on. In keeping with my near-darwin-award-esque personality, I very stupidly plugged my guitar amp into the mic port of this laptop to see if it could handle it.
I found out that it couldn't. YMMV, so go ahead and try it.
I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
I worked for years in a big operation with raised floor. The neatness up top degenerated into horror when you lifted a tile and looked underneath...raised floor doesn't eliminate the mess, just hides it from the CEO.
Whenever a guy lifted a tile and climbed down to route a cable, I'd say "Don't you bother my pet rattlesnake!" The reply would often be a bit nervous -- especially since we did indeed have rattlers at least twice.
rj
It's a solution that only works in a very limited number of cases, but when it does, the results are beautiful
I mod down anyone who says "I will be modded down for this", regardless of the rest of their comment
Like any addiction, the first step is to admit that you've got a problem. :)
Seriously, though. You've got to realize that whatever the result of your efforts is, it's still going to be non-ideal, even if it looks as uniform and as neat as humanly possible. The truth is, no matter of initial neatness will prevent someone from coming along and fucking it up, whether unintentionally and with good cause or because they're a lazy git.
At home, I will label both ends of a cable that is likely to be sitting in a pile with other cables (usually - particularly when they're likely to be confused with others and when tracing the cable will be difficult). Just a simple file folder label or piece of tape, usually. Mostly, I don't worry about it, because at home "oops, I unplugged the system" only bothers me and/or my family. At work, it's another story: everything you do should be done to help mitigate downtime and improve your ability to effectively work with the cabling.
On server racks, I prefer a handful of techniques. There are a couple principles I abide by:
* always assume the rack will get messy over time
* your original intent will not be the intent of the next person to come along
* never assume a standard, because everyone has a different idea of how things should be done, and first impressions to that effect can be wrong
* standards only make sense when the implementation requirements/specifications/etc. are identical/universal, eg. with electrical wiring or in a large hosting facility where everything is the same or there is a standard which can be applied to. This isn't usually the case with most colocated racks or with most server rooms, in my experience.
* "Do things right the first time so you don't have to do them again". This applies generally to things like figuring out which cable goes where. "Right" is not necessarily the most aesthetic or "neat" option, but it is the laziest and most time-efficient, with an eye for long-term maintenance.
The techniques are:
For ethernet:
* ethernet should not be bundled approximately 5 per group.
* ethernet cable should be a rainbow of color, with different colors in each bundle. Eg: a bundle should have blue, green, red, white, etc. not multiples of any given color. This helps drastically when determining which cable goes to which system.
* Jack ends should be labeled descriptively and dated at the time of labeling. The description should describe the other end of the cable, not the end you're labeling (eg: sw2j5 for the 2nd NIC in server 5 that goes to switch 2 jack 5, or 'svr5n2' on the other end).
* use generic (not the 'fancy' ones) velcro straps to bundle the cable
* do not bundle the bundles, especially with velcro (because it will stick to the bundle velcro and make things a mess). To hold them up and away, I prefer using 6" ball bungees (http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Bungee-Cord-6-White/dp/B000S5TWWO) or similar,
* DO NOT USE HORIZONTAL CABLE MANAGEMENT PRODUCTS. DO NOT. They make a mess of things and, more often than not, get in the way more often than not. The one exception to this is on a part of the rack where you've got a patch panel or switching which is likely to remain consistent through several server iterations.
* Do not pull the Ethernet to one side of the rack only. "Alternate" the bundles of ethernet to each side (like pigtails, sorta).
For power:
* Do not use the 6'+ power cables unless you need to. The cables are big enough and cheap enough to buy them in shorter lengths so you do not need to bundle them as much and the bundles are neater.
* Label both ends with the name of the system in question (UPS side) and the UPS in question (server side).
* Color code, if possible, by UPS. IE, if you have 2 PSUs per host, the first PSU gets black cables which go to one UPS, and the second gets grey cables which go to the other.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
One of my first network gigs, they converted from twinax to Cat5 for an army of 5150 terminals. Some glad to get rid of triax, but as they brought up the twisted pair terminals, they had trouble keeping some of them online for more than a few minutes. IBM subbed the cabling work out, and it took them weeks to give up and admit they had no idea what was wrong.
At this point the powers-that-be were discussing the problem in the machine room, and their telecom tech was feeding another stick of gum into his mouth when I asked if they could stand a little advice. I recommended they loosen the cable ties that they used to bundel up the cable runs in the room and the various MDF rooms, they were pretty but very, very tight. Solved the problem. Turns out twinax waveform at the time was essentially a square wave, and UTP is not sielded like twinax. Crosstalk was the culprit. The clue? One big complaint from users was that they would get someone else's session for an instant on the scrren, then the terminal reset and they had to log in. Another session? Not exactly, but it did sometimes paint a little of screen from another session (cable) before it flipped out. Very unusual.
This should not affect Ethernet, being resistant to all forms of interference including crosstalk etc, but no point in testing the theory. Velcro ties don't cause the crimping that ties do, and that crimping was the culprit. Compression shorts do still happen, not as often as they used to in telecom.
And yes, plant ties are the bargain. Maybe soaking a few rolls in black dye to avoid the stigma of 'plant' ties will give you the panache you were looking for. Salt water sets the dye, avoids ruboff and black fingers. Or sell green as the new black.
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
It is possible in most rack-mount (big cable complexity) systems to
get your cables routed from the source, to the edge of the array,
down (or up) the rack then across to the destination, if the wires
are long enough. This is important if a box in the rack ever
requires replacement, because all cables NOT routed to that box are out
of the way for removal/replacement operations.
It is relatively commonplace, in science labs, to see wiring tied to the
rackmount modules' handles, just to keep its loops draped on the
side, out of the way of maintenance and configure and monitor operations.
It ought to be more commonplace, IMHO.
Disclaimer: I did design comms cable systems and data rooms, but I have been out of the game for a few years. The opinions below are however based on physics, which hasn't changed too much in the last couple of years.
Cable ties are not great for cat 5e, cat6, or higher speed twisted pair cables.
The reason for this is that the zip tie gives you a point of mechanical assistance when tightening them, this gives you easily enough strength to deform the cable which can reduce its throughput. Double sided hook and loop is much better for this reason, and it is able to be reconfigured more easily. Most cable manufacturers will not permit the use of nylon ties of the cable that is installed in the walls, so you shouldn't encourage it in the office / data cabinet space either.
I have designed a server room with cable hangers near the door with different length patch leads, if that is your thing. Generally however, if you provide enough space for vertical and horizontal cableways in the rack you can use patch leads of a single length (save purchase cost, if they are cat6 leads you will need that length anyway to reduce error rates) and the extra length can be hidden in the floor or above the rack in a cable tray.
I quite like the cable managers with rounded 'fingers' that have covers that can clip off either way. Well labeled patch leads are great too!
As the "IT guy" The most important thing for you to do is consider the volume and weight of the patch cables when you are designing your rack layout, you may be able to get a super high density switch, but if you don't leave enough RU around it then you will just create yourself a headache.
We always seem have have millions of spare rubber bands in our house so, for my home office cabling needs, I affix ethernet and phone cables to the tops of the legs of my desk to prevent my kicking them by accident, using rubber bands.
Now rubber bands don't actually last that long, a few months at most, before they dry out and snap. When they snap I tend to pull everything out of my office, vacuum and mop the floors, scrub the desk down and generally file all my shit. Then I go down to the kitchen and grab another 8 or so rubber bands and set everything up again. This both works well to keep cables off the floor and provides a handy timer to remind me to tidy up my office. And best of all those rubber bands are free.
I used to have a better sig than this, but I got tired of it