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November 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Cable Management: Your Full Attention Please! Cabling is sometimes jokingly called the "stepchild" of networking, because it receives too little attention from otherwise excellent network and data centre managers. However, the stats show that this is one area managers don't want to ignore: cable infrastructure typically represents less than 2% of total network cost but accounts for up to 50% of network problems! Following cable management best practices is essential to keep this "problem child" in check. More than just Aesthetics The issue of cable management is often seen as an aesthetics problem. As more organizations use data centres to showcase their IT investment, presentation has become a key concern for the data centre manager. A well organized and tidy centre can inspire confidence in even the toughest client. But it isn't just about looks. Mismanaged cable infrastructure can negatively impact server performance and overall network efficiency. Organization It is estimated that some IT managers spend upwards of 25 per cent of their time dealing with cabling issues. This lost time is almost always a result of inaccurate (or non-existent!) labeling of cables. As data centres grow and are reconfigured, cable management best practices will help you avoid headaches later. Effectively organized and clearly labeled cables mean a significant reduction in troubleshooting and downtime. Performance The impact of mismanaged cable infrastructure goes well beyond the time-consuming mass of tangled cable. The performance of the network is entirely dependent on cable integrity. Improperly placed power and data cables can obstruct airflow, which can cause serious damage to equipment that isn't adequately cooled. Lack of proper strain relief leads to bent or kinked cables, which can interrupt traffic flow and cause network downtime. What can I do? Over the years, TAB's experts have toured a lot of data centres and have had the opportunity to talk with countless managers about their problems and their solutions. We have seen what works, what doesn't, and what good data centre managers are doing about it. TAB has compiled this knowledge into a list of cable management best practices to help you with your installations: Cable Management Best Practices
While most data centre professionals understand the principles of good cable management, many admit that it's hard to implement these best practices in their own installations. Whether your challenge is space, power, cooling, lack of infrastructure (or all of the above), TAB is here to help. We specialize in pairing expert advice with the right product portfolio to help you overcome the trickiest of data center issues. For more information or a free space analysis, contact us at 800.667.4020 or visit us on the web at www.tab.ca and click the "Technical Environment Solutions" tab. Featured Product: Paramount Enclosure Cabling Options Good cable management starts with the right enclosure, and the right enclosure means a broad range of cable management options. For enclosure-to-enclosure, raised floor, and overhead configurations, the Paramount enclosure has a number of available accessories to meet any cabling challenge in your data centre. To learn more about the Paramount enclosure or the available accessories, contact TAB today 
Overhead Cable Management System
Allows users to route cables on top of the enclosure and offers separate trays for power and data 
Vertical Cable Manager
Creates a vertical trough in the side channel that allows up to 300 CAT 5e/6 fiber cables 
High Cable-Dense Organizer
Organize and manage 500+ cables front to rear in compliance with TIA/EIA-568-A bend radiuses 
Waterfalls
Provide the optimal bend radius for CAT 5e/6 and fiber cables as specified in TIA/EIA-568-A (optional). 
Side Cable Chase
Provides 8" or 12" plenum for management of network cables, power strips and power cords. Routing cables away from the back of equipment optimizes airflow and reduces heat build-up by allowing air to exhaust from the enclosure. 
Vertical Cable Distribution Spools
Manage surplus power cords or network cables (available in Side Cable Chase only). 
Active Equipment Cable Managers
Provide bend radius support for patch cables TAB Case Study: Bell Mobility Challenge As one of Canada's largest wireless communications providers, Bell Mobility's operations include a vast and rapidly changing data environment. In this environment, the ability to anticipate problems before they happen allows Bell to continue to provide the level of service that has made them an industry leader. For Sylvain Gadoury, Data Network Engineering Logistics Specialist (National), this was top-of-mind in considering purchasing new enclosures for the Ottawa data centre. He knew that as their operations had expanded it had become more difficult and time consuming for the IT staff to manage the cables efficiently. The enclosures they had standardized on five years earlier were not designed to accommodate the front-to-back cabling they now needed. Bell also needed more accessories and options for managing vertical and overhead cable runs. Knowing that good cable management starts with the right enclosure, Gadoury began to look for a new platform. It wasn't only cable management that Gadoury had to consider in choosing the new enclosure. Bell Mobility data centres run a wide range of legacy and leading edge telecommunications and server equipment from a number of different vendors. This mix of equipment presents significant mounting challenges, and a number of pieces wouldn't fit in the racks. Also, given the increasing density of the leading edge equipment that Bell uses, the cooling and ventilation requirements would soon be beyond the capacity of the current enclosures. So when the opportunity presented itself, Gadoury knew he wanted a product that would solve all of these problems without making major adjustments to the overall data centre infrastructure. And most importantly, he needed a platform that would be able to accommodate the continued growth of Bell Mobility's data centres. Bell Mobility had previously come to TAB for a switching solution, and again called on TAB's representative, Nicolas Hripko, to solve the enclosure platform issue. Process In order to make the appropriate recommendation, Hripko made numerous site visits and then sat down with Gadoury and other key members of the IT team to map out the exact scale and scope of both their immediate and future requirements. Hripko then took this information and presented it back to Bell in combination with his knowledge of current industry best practices, trends and patterns. Recommendation TAB's concluded that Bell's needs had evolved well beyond the capabilities of their current enclosure platform, and continued use of it would exacerbate and increase the problems they were having. Given the complex and ever changing nature of their data environment, TAB recommended Bell adopt a more open and scalable platform.  Specifically, TAB recommended that Bell Mobility migrate to Wright Line's Paramount enclosure in an 84" x 30" x 42" configuration with perforated front door, high cable-dense top, split rear door with fans, and dual circuit pdu's mounted on the chassis.Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to run cables from front to back with the high cable-dense top, the Paramount enclosure frame would handle a large number of cables and provide the enclosure-to-enclosure, raised floor and overhead cable access Bell Mobility needed. With the broad range of cable management accessories available for the Paramount line, Hripko knew that these enclosures would be able to handle virtually any cabling scenario that Bell Mobility might encounter. The unique dual pdu's would also offer free space behind the enclosure and allow for vertical cable management that was badly needed there. Designed to mount virtually all 19" servers on the market, the Paramount would address Bell's varying vendor requirements. For their non-server equipment, there is the option of fixed and roll-out shelving. Configured with the rear door fans, the Paramount enclosure could make efficient use of the ample cooling power already present in the data centre's infrastructure and be able to handle the thermal requirements of the increased equipment density. The ability to fit more equipment into the racks would also save on the square footage in the data centre. The unique building block design meant that Bell Mobility would be able to reconfigure and expand with ease, and without making any major structural changes. With all its advantages, Gadoury knew that the Paramount was the way forward. Hripko arranged for a test installation of the enclosure at the Ottawa data centre, where he assisted with the entire delivery and installation process. Results As Hripko said, "Bell Mobility was quite happy with the solution, no question. I think having a platform that allowed them to get their cable situation in order was a major improvement for day-to-day operations. Add to that the fact that we addressed the thermal and scalability issues, and I think it is clear why they were willing to invest more on enclosures this time around." In fact, the test was such a success that Bell Mobility has since installed significant numbers of the Paramount enclosures in data centres in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, as well as Ottawa. "We are very happy with the Paramount." Sylvain Gadoury said. "Basically accommodating specific equipment in our environment is a moving target. TAB and Paramount addressed all of our concerns in one platform, which was exactly what we were looking for. Now cable management is much easier and less time consuming, and we can fit all our equipment, even our biggest servers, into the racks. And it doesn't matter who the vendor is, it fits, which is nice. With the fans on the rear door we are maximizing our cooling ability and we can put more equipment and watts in each enclosure. Obviously this frees up space and saves on footprint. And the scalability here is going to allow us to grow without a big spend on infrastructure down the road. If you look at the how many we've bought since, I think that says it all. You really do get what you pay for." Bell Mobility and TAB will continue to work together next year on additional installations of the Paramount enclosure. Learn more about the Paramount enclosure - contact TAB today. Send this to a Friend Events & News Did you miss our recent online seminar, Data Centre Best Practices? Need a copy for your resource library? No problem! TAB has made it available for video download. Sign up now to receive your copy! |
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   A recent survey of the telecommunications industry showed that for cabling related service calls, technicians spend 75% of their service time searching for the problem and 25% actually fixing it.
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