Many businesses and organizations are always looking for ways to increase their output and abilities. A thoughtful, professionally installed structured cabling system will improve organization and repairability in your data center or network operations center. Although the process of installing structured cabling is quite common now, for ultimate reliability, a trained professional will always give you consistent results. More than ever, organizations are looking for a real operational difference. For some, the idea of installing cable into a building or set of buildings is intimidating. Older, outdated building owners and operators often think that they are well past the point of unique, advanced systems. Following good practices by engaging Comp-Utility Structured Cabling Services, however could help make the process of switching to an updated structured cabling system easy.
Know Your Cables
The worst thing someone can do if they are installing structured cabling is to mix things up and lost track of what connects to where. There are two easy ways to avoid an issue of this sort. Structured cabling networks utilize copper and fiber cabling. An easy mistake to make when installing the structured cabling is to misapplication of copper and fiber. Sure, you can use both, but there are key differences that make them incompatible over the long run. For instance, fiber is made of a glass-like material, so it’s light and cannot handle the same pressure that copper can. No weight that copper can handle should be put on fiber. Made of metal, copper is a much more durable cable for heavy duty aspects of a cabling network.
Likewise, make sure to label all cables. Before connecting any cables in a new rack, you should first label both of its ends, and along the path. This ensures no mix-ups and a limited amount of problems as more and more cables get added. The label on each cable should identify the destination to ensure no wrong connections are made.
Construction/Installation
Remember, the only thing worse than no connection is a poorly-constructed connection. All cable ends should be fastened down to prevent movement, and cables should be supported at no less than 5’ intervals. Multiple cables should be bundled and tied, and run perpendicular and parallel to building structure, avoiding a spaghetti mess above the ceiling. Time is well-spent designing a rack layout to avoid unnecessarily long patch cabling between devices (Patch panels/servers/etc.).
Clear Identity, Neat and Tidy
There are two easy ways to keep cables out of the way of other tools and necessary points of entry. First and foremost, pick cables that are of the same color and destination and bundle them using ties. Cable bundles of different colors can signify the difference between data, voice, security, cameras, etc. Velcro and cable ties are the most popular form of tie thanks to their ability to hold multiple and stay fastened. Some areas require plenum-rated ties, and should be specified by the end-user. At the rack, an easy way to keep the area tidy is to use cable management. These vertical and horizontal brackets ensure cables stay clear of points of entry and vision, making sure if any adjustments or maintenance is needed, it’s not impaired by cables hanging all over the place.
General
The best way to install structured cabling network and avoid future issues is to begin with a good design and layout. Laying the cable may be easy, but maintaining a successful network can be easy if components are thoughtfully labeled and organized. Taking time now to do the intensive labeling and organizing means a lesser chance at trouble down the road.
Recent Comments