Data cable management

[DaveThePhoneDoctorLV]

What is your opinion about using patch panels for data cabling connections?

Most installations never actually swap the cable from one port to another. Thye add additional devices and us additionals ports but not swap them around.

I see that some installations that have been in place for a years actually have the patch cables sagging and I feel that over time this will pull on the jack connection and loosen.

Looking at a 24 port router installation. How about terminating the house CAT5e cabling on a 66 block then make up cables by using a short CAT5e cable with an RJ45 mod plug on the other end and tightly secure the cable bunble and run the whole thing to the router.

I see that most IT geeks know nothing about proper cable management and most of their installs are a mess or as I call them a "Horror Story of Wires". It is a shame that they install their system like this in most of my clients sites.

What methods have you used and what have you had to deal with with these IT guys.

 

[pbxn]

Sadly proper cable management is one of those self policing areas in IT. Theres usually a few area's that are common heavy hitters; too lazy to pop the management and lay patch in, and using a 15' patch cable for a 3' run. My old boss solved this fairly quickly for the server and network guys that abused this. He'd call me in the data center and ask for my snips, then pull the offending cable taught and snip. This obviously caused an issue but his point was taken very quickly.
As far as using a 66 block, you may run into performance issues either right away or down the road as I don't think they're rated for cat 5. About the only thing one can do is ensure that the proper length's of cable are readily available in the patch area, and more importantly easily identifyable (3', 5', 10' etc).

 

[SYQUEST]

For data that really is not a good idea. Even though Siemon and some others make a CAT 5e rated 66 block, they waste too much space, have a list of other drawbacks, and in time will probably become a big mess with adds and changes from someone who does not understand what you were trying to do in the beginning.

Also, making you own modular cables for data is not a good practice, unless you have the proper modular plugs, tools, and test equipment to verify they meet the industry standard that was established back in 2003 time for patch cords. This is a sticky point with me, because I have come across so many problems caused by self-made patch cords or cables terminated with modular plugs, instead of jacks and real patch cords or patch panels in an installation.

Planning in the IT arena has been lacking for a long time, and a lot of the people involved have no training or experience at all, and don't care. Then you get the cheap bean counters that expect everything to happen for free! For some locations you have the "IT geek of the week", that is clueless about any practice or protocol. It is a very sad state of affairs...

....JIM....

 

[mforrence]

Partly concurring with others:
1. Making your own patch cables is a bad idea. Of all customer patch cord issues, 90+ percent are self-made. And there is no real cost savings. By the time you buy the cable, modular plug (which must be made for they type of cable you're using - solid if cutting down on 66/110 block) and labor, the factory-made cables are a bargain.
2. Use the right length patch cable. On a simple install, I use one foot cables with no management panel. Patch panel to switch port. Clean and easy to follow.
3. 66 blocks rated for cat5 will function fine. I would use 110 type blocks first. See item 1 above.
Good luck
Mike

 

[DaveThePhoneDoctorLV]

thanks for all the great advice guys

 

[kwbMitel]

The absolutely nicest, cleanest, easiest to use deployment I've seen involved wiring out the the data switches to Gbit Bix connectors and using cat5 cross connection wiring. 66 blocks would be a non-starter for me. 110 blocks may have a Gbit version but I don't know.

Don't get fooled by cat5e rating. Make sure it is Gbit rated, otherwise you'll be replacing the lot in under 5 years.

*******************************************************
Occam's Razor - All things being equal, the simplest solution is the right one.

 

[Sympology]

Other tips:

Colour code cables.

For example:

A for Server Traffic
B for management (iLo's, Switch management etc etc)
C for dedicated Network > Network
D For Telephony (analogue)
E For "Alien" network, for example ADSL lines
F For ISDN
G For Real Time Traffic (VoIP / Video Conf)

Then, label every damm cable, both ends!

Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

 

[DaveThePhoneDoctorLV]

What do you like to use for a labler?

 

[Sympology]

We just use these

http://www.mayflex.com/manufacturers/sharpmark/8629/sharpmark-excel-labels---cable-labels/

but we used to have a proper labeller until some idiot left it lying around.

Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.