A spaghetti bowl is only attractive when it's actually a spaghetti bowl, however, when working with cabling, that's a view you don't want to see. 

Working with data centers can be very challenging especially when it comes to physical hardware and cabling to be exact, so here are some tricks to help have an organized set of cables that will allow you to work, repair, and upgrade smoothly.

1. Measure twice, cut once

You need to measure the cables correctly, that's why we said "measure twice!", that's how you'll avoid the mess and the extra cost. Half a meter of additional length might not be a problem at the beginning, but those centimetres add up with time. 

In the end, you could save yourself a lot of time, headaches, and money by measuring twice and cutting once.

2. Don’t cut back on terminations

Don’t buy cheap because they’re cheap and don’t rush through the process of terminating cables. If you have cables that lose their connection if you wiggle them, you need to replace them asap. You may think you’re saving time and money, but in the end, you’re going to wind up with a monstrous headache as you troubleshoot all those terminations.

3. Keep patch cables short

If you have servers only a meter from each other, it won't help you to use a 3 meters cable between them, it looks so bad and tangled, and Tangled should be left for Disney and not for your organization. 

If you have an odd length between servers, use your termination (and testing) skills to create patch cables that reach perfectly.

4. Color code

Don't use colorful cables randomly, and make sure it's all color coded for a specific purpose. 

Make sure each color has a purpose and stick with it. That will make it easier to follow cable runs and troubleshoot issues. And yes, it also makes for a better-looking data center — which has its merits.

5. Make your design cable-friendly

Plan your data center in a cable-friendly way, and invest the time to do so. Try not to put a rack in a location where it’s impossible to successfully run a cable. Otherwise, you’ll end up with cable on the floor or hanging from the ceiling.

Plan carefully to avoid later problems, and don't forget to make sure to plan with expansion in mind. 

6. Separate Cat5 and power lines

Do not run Cat5 and power together. You might think it’s too minimal to be of concern, but those power lines can leach signal and cause interference with your Cat5. Yes, bunching a lot of Cat5 together can do the same thing, but not with nearly the ill effect of running them alongside power. Keep power and networking separate at all costs.

7. Keep cables cool

Servers and cables alike can get very warm to a level where it's dangerous sometimes. So, if you have a massive amount of cables, the extra temperature can lead to a disaster.

Design your data center in such a way that keeps your networking runs cooled, as well as the server racks.

8. Say no to spaghetti

Cabling is often an afterthought. But when you treat it as such, you are running the risk of finding yourself diving into a spaghetti bowl of networking cables, trying to resolve issues that could have been prevented with just a bit of care up front.

So, don't let it get messy, and take control over what you have to guarantee optimum performance. 

Read more: 9 benefits you get from structured cabling systems

How we can help

When it comes to tidying up, our team members are experts. So, and before it's too late, call the professionals to help you create a data center environment that is easy to maintain and upgrade: https://www.ctelecoms.com.sa/en/Form15/Contact-Us