The LAN cable nightmare from the motivational poster thread... WTF?

[Soundguy]

I see lots of data closets at work and I've never seen anything like this.



I've seen much messier closets, just nothing with this many patch cables in it, what in the hell are they doing in here?

The bad ones usually look like this but I can't imagine what all that yellow data cable above is for.

[loveshackle]

You just wanted to share your out of focus picture, admit it. Was this really worth starting a thread? Really?

[Chister]

I have no doubt in my mind that THAT is a legacy SBC telco data rack room.

[Soundguy]

Originally Posted by loveshackle

You just wanted to share your out of focus picture, admit it. Was this really worth starting a thread? Really?

I just found that using google idiot, I'm simply trying to figure out what they're doing in the first picture. I can't see how they need that much cable or how it's being run. If it wouldn't have taken months and thousands of $$$ I would think the picture was staged.

[Soundguy]

Originally Posted by Chister

I have no doubt in my mind that THAT is a legacy SBC telco data rack room.

So would they just be using a shit load of patch cables going from patch panels to switches or something like that?

[Rerock]

Originally Posted by Chister

I have no doubt in my mind that THAT is a legacy SBC telco data rack room.

Agreed.

[Chister]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

So would they just be using a shit load of patch cables going from patch panels to switches or something like that?

Absolutely.
Out network room isnt THAT bad, but pretty close.
Hell. it could be a LOT worse.


Now here is the thing..
With THAT many cables... the built in cable management systems of the racks can only handle SO MUCH physical cable. WIth THAT much wiring, it just overflows.

Solution? Less port density on your racks.
But that means more square footage for rack space.

SO.. it just grows like The Blob

[Soundguy]

Originally Posted by Chister

Absolutely.
Out network room isnt THAT bad, but pretty close.
Hell. it could be a LOT worse.


Now here is the thing..
With THAT many cables... the built in cable management systems of the racks can only handle SO MUCH physical cable. WIth THAT much wiring, it just overflows.

Solution? Less port density on your racks.
But that means more square footage for rack space.

SO.. it just grows like The Blob

So at that point a single cable failure means unhooking it and leaving the bad cable in then just adding another correct or does someone actually take the time to remove the old cable?

[nahmus]

I'll have to see if I have pictures of the last cable cleanup I did. It was nowhere near that, it was actually a small room. Its just that all the servers were just sitting on the floor, PRODUCTION servers sitting on the floor, one on its side. They just bought what ever size cables were cheapest and plugged them in and left them. No patch panels just direct connnect ends... It really looked like someone just threw the cables near the servers and hopes they would work.

[loveshackle]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

I just found that using google idiot, I'm simply trying to figure out what they're doing in the first picture.

"google idiot"???

Google yourself. Type "fawking blenders with bleach and tacks" and see what comes up.

[Chister]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

So at that point a single cable failure means unhooking it and leaving the bad cable in then just adding another correct or does someone actually take the time to remove the old cable?

That all depends on the network admin at the time.

For instance, my predecessor left me shit like what you see.

OTOH, I am meticulous about my cabling. I spent one weekend at my old job and removed almost 2 industrial dumpsters full of old cable.. some of which hadnt been used in almost a decade.

[Soundguy]

Originally Posted by loveshackle

"google idiot"???

Google yourself. Type "fawking blenders with bleach and tacks" and see what comes up.

Still waiting for the funny... let me know when it arrives.

[Soundguy]

Originally Posted by Chister

That all depends on the network admin at the time.

For instance, my predecessor left me shit like what you see.

OTOH, I am meticulous about my cabling. I spent one weekend at my old job and removed almost 2 industrial dumpsters full of old cable.. some of which hadnt been used in almost a decade.

Is most of it premade patch cables of different lengths? I can't see anyone making custom patch cords in an environment like that right?

[bit breaker]

it starts with 1 cable placement. more cable management, better cable placement and multi-colored cables help a lot. usually only 1 port goes bad, not both, so moving to a new port is only necessary. I have never lost a patch cable unless the little clippy thing broke then chunk the cable and put a new one in. I have had to manage network pods where we would punch down one side, that was interesting to troubleshoot.

[Chister]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

Is most of it premade patch cables of different lengths? I can't see anyone making custom patch cords in an environment like that right?

wrong.. sorta.

MOST of the time, prefabbed patch is preferred in datacenters.. Simply because it is certified. But at the same time, there are many times that a prefab is not the right length or the right pinout. Thus you have to fab your own.

I'd probably say in my Datacenter it is about 85%/15%

Of course, this does not include the premesis wiring, which is almost exclusively custom fabbed.


I mean I can build CAT5 bale ends in my sleep.. but the factory ones are just inherently better and more reliable.

[bremen242]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

So at that point a single cable failure means unhooking it and leaving the bad cable in then just adding another correct or does someone actually take the time to remove the old cable?

yup. That is what I do in monster COs and cross boxes. If it won't pull easy, it stays.

That is with jumper wire. I imagine CAT5 stays no matter what.

*Note - not that I like doing that, but for the last 30 years every other tech did the same thing, so it'd take me 10 years just to remove everything and hope I didn't knock 20 people out of service

[bremen242]

Originally Posted by Chister

I mean I can build CAT5 bale ends in my sleep.. but the factory ones are just inherently better and more reliable.

Plus, they have those nifty molded no snag plug covers.

[Chister]

Originally Posted by bremen242

yup. That is what I do in monster COs and cross boxes. If it won't pull easy, it stays.

That is with jumper wire. I imagine CAT5 stays no matter what.

*Note - not that I like doing that, but for the last 30 years every other tech did the same thing, so it'd take me 10 years just to remove everything and hope I didn't knock 20 people out of service

and that is the big problem. Some wires... just because you touch them, they'll go bad. 8-10 years sitting in the same spot, then you sneeze on it.. and whammo.. you just took down internet to the state of new york.

[Chister]

Originally Posted by bremen242

Plus, they have those nifty molded no snag plug covers.

which themselves are both a pain and a blessing.

Soemtimes they work great.. sometimes they get in the way.

[cannoncrawler]

Originally Posted by Soundguy

Still waiting for the funny... let me know when it arrives.

looks like it is "in the mailbox"

[Chum731]

The hyena picture and the cable picture got the most response of the last batch I posted - I didn't make them though...

When i worked in Atlanta - I went with Bell South down to the phone trunk in the basement of the building I worked in with the tech. Take the yellow out of the picture and replace it with copper phone cable. It was a nightmare with little orange tags hanging all over that were problem tickets...

[Grim Reaper]

Yellow in a Telco switch is usualy Fiber.

The switches in Atlanta that I have been in never look that bad.