Cable laying and disconnection of patch panels in the server room
In this article, I share my experience in organizing a server room for 14 patch panels.
Under the cut - a lot of photos.
General information about the object and server room
Our company DATANETWORKS won the tender for the construction of SCS in a new three-story office building. The network includes 321 ports, 14 patch panels. The minimum requirements for copper cable and accessories are cat 6a, FTP, since according to the new ISO 11801 standards, at least category 6 cable must be used to build a corporate network.
The choice fell on Corning products. Patch panels were chosen in stacks because they are easier to maintain and if one port fails, it can be easily replaced without wasting valuable panel space. Modules used Corning sx500, shielded, cat 6a, Keystone mounting type. They decided to buy a 42U CMS cabinet with perforated doors for better equipment ventilation and increased side space to optimize cable management and network equipment installation. In the future, a cabinet width of 800 millimeters will be very useful to us. The cable route in the server room is built from a mesh tray 300 * 50 mm with suspension on studs and collets.
The construction of the network lasted for a year, due to the varying degree of readiness of the facility. My partner and I came several times to help install the cable route and stretch the cable, but other installers did the bulk of the work. The last stage of our work at the facility was the laying and disconnection of the cable in the switching cabinet. The whole process took five days, three of which we laid the cable in trays and routed over patch panels.
Cable preparation for rack entry and cable routing
Arriving in the server room, we saw three cable entries, two went into the tray under the ceiling and one came out from the floor under the rack. Initially, we decided to shorten the links to approximately the desired length, with the calculation of a meter of margin for disconnection and marking. Some of the cables were obviously longer than necessary, which would have made further combing and traying work difficult. After cutting off the excess length, we sorted the cable into patch panels, 24 links into one panel, and combed each bundle with a PANDUIT cable bundler. Having thought over the order of input of cable bundles into the cabinet, they were fixed in the elbow with cable ties with a sequence of every 25-30 centimeters. It is advisable to understand in advance the location of the panels and lay the cable alternately to avoid interlacing. This process took us two days, the work is monotonous, but as a result it gives a visual and technical order of cable routes. When entering the rack, it was decided to make a cable reserve in the form of a loop for further convenience in a service case.
Wiring modules, arranging and mounting patch panels in a rack
Having brought the cable to the installation site of the patch panel, we secured the links to the panel organizer with cable ties, corresponding to the port number. Then they cut off the excess length of the cable again, leaving a margin of several centimeters for cutting.
During my practice I have tried many different modules of various brands. I will say that the most convenient Legrand self-clamping module. When they turn the plastic handle, the mating part is clamped and it remains only to cut off the ends of the cores, but these components are category 5e UTP, which in this case does not suit us. The Corning module consists of two components and a self-adhesive copper tape for connecting the shield. The color scheme of twisted pairs is well arranged and reduces the risk of confusing pairs when disconnected. During testing, it turned out to be less than 10% of errors, which is a normal result for 642 modules, taking into account the screen. They disconnected for about 15 hours, I was on one side of the bar, my partner was on the other. All this time I had to work standing up, there was no opportunity to build a comfortable workplace due to the proximity of the rear side of the rack to the switching room wall. The partner worked sitting, lucky). In our profession, we often have to work in uncomfortable conditions and positions. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold, crowded, too high or too low. It came to laying the cable crawling or hanging from a height on a safety belt. For this, I love my job, always new locations, tasks and solutions that often have to be invented on my own. Sitting in the office is definitely not mine, after 8 years of such adventures. So, having stuffed 14 patch panels, it's time to put everything together and see what five days were spent on. Having screwed the panels and cable organizers onto your units (after skipping the installation site of the switches) and seeing the result, you get great pleasure, I can call it euphoria. I think the customer gets less pleasure than I do when the work is done in good faith. Sometimes you donβt finish something perfectly and then itβs hard to fall asleep, you think about it, so I concluded that itβs better to do it right right away. I hope this and your rule in the work!
Network Testing with the Fluke Networks DTX-1500
Testing the network for integrity and color pinout can be done with several devices. There are simple testers with the function of core continuity and color matching, but in order to obtain network certification and a warranty on components from the manufacturer (in our case, 20 years from Corning), it is necessary to test the network with a DTX-1500 type device according to international ISO or TIA standards. The device must be verified once a year, which we successfully do, otherwise the results are not valid. Unlike a conventional tester, Fluke shows which pairs are reversed, what is the length of the link, signal attenuation and other information. When an error occurs, Fluke indicates which end of the cable has a problem, making it much easier to service the component. The device is not cheap, but it is necessary to build a large SCS. After testing is completed, the results are sent to the manufacturer for consideration and, if everything is fine, he gives a guarantee for his products.
Having finished testing, correcting all errors and cleaning, the object can be considered closed for the installer. The five-day business trip is over, and we are happy to go home. Then the work of managers and designers to provide documentation.
From the author:
I wish you to enjoy the work, from the quality of the completed projects. I am personally ashamed when the work is done badly, you constantly think about it, there is no peace. For myself, I realized that it is easier to do well right away. I hope this and your rule in the work.
Source: habr.com