Tips To Maintain Your Network Wires And Cables At Home, In The Office, and In Data Centers
Network cables are different from your average electrical cables because they transfer information; therefore, there are several specific rules on maintaining these cables. The rules are especially strict when it comes to data center cabling. Read this blog for tips on how to keep your network safe and efficient.
Overall Network Cable Maintenance Tips
- Always Label Your Cables At Each Side and Color-Code Them
Cable labeling is a golden rule because it allows maintaining and repairing the cables on the spot without getting confused about these cables. Color-coding wire and cable allow for even faster identification. If the network cable is supposed to be running at great lengths, it might be useful to assign the color to its destination.
- Bend Cables Only Up To 90°
Avoid bending cables sharp because it may damage the structure of the cable and interfere with the data transmission.
- Use Managers, Hangers, and Ties To Route Cables
Using these devices, you can tie cables that go in one direction. However, manage the cable to make sure that there is no electromagnetic interference between them. This is especially important if power and network cables are running in close proximity to each other.
- Maintain your cables regularly and terminate immediately when necessary.
Do not leave your cables hanging there; inspect them for potential damage and replace all damaged cables to avoid risks. Clean the cables from dust with the dry cloth and ensure there is enough cooling space for them to strive.
Cable Maintenance Tips That Are Specific For Data Centers
Data centers function like an organism that never stops, and each failure may result in very significant financial damages. Therefore, the rules for maintaining data center cables are more complex than network and communication cabling in homes and offices.
- Make Sure That The Cabling in Your Data Center Adheres To Standards.
There are several standards that all data centers have to follow regarding their cabling.
ANSI/TIA-942 is the standard that deals with the overall architecture of cabling in the data centers, including essential management of wire and cable, the distances between cables that should always be accommodated, and the way the space should be organized.
ISO/IEC 24764 is the standard dedicated to determining types of cables that are approved for data centers on a worldwide level.
ANSI/BICSI 002-2014 is the standard that deals with the design of the data center, including all construction and planning. The plan on how the cables should be located is part of this standard.
- Have A Data Center Cabling Plan
Not having a plan for cables in data centers will definitely turn out to be a nightmare, so keep everything on track. This includes testing and certification at all times, writing up all types of cables used in the data center together with the plan of their maintenance, and planning for all the future changes that may occur in the data center in advance. Pay special attention to planning the installation of new hardware, as it may interrupt the current location of the cabling.
- Choose In Favor Of Pre-Manufactured Turns and Pre-Terminated Cabling, and Always Know The Size Of The Cable You Need
Choosing pre-manufactured turns of cables instead of building them from scratch helps to significantly save on costs because these turns already have an appropriate bent radius, which saves time and costs needed for the installation of these cables.
Moreover, the cables should also be pre-terminated because they already have installed connectors and are pre-tested by the company that manufactured them.
You have to know the exact sizes of the cables you need before the installation because extra loose cables installed onsite are a safety hazard one can trip over.
- Keep Copper And Fiber Cabling Apart, And Mind The Electromagnetic Interference
Copper cabling should be kept apart from fiber-optic networks because the former is way too heavy and may damage the light and fragile fiber optics. Moreover, all cabling, especially copper cabling, should be kept away from the high power lines because of the risk of electromagnetic interference, even though data center cabling has moderate to high protection from all types of influence.
- Invest Into Structured Cabling Always
There are two major types of cable structure in data centers: structured cabling and unstructured cabling. Structured cable has structured connections running through all the major distribution areas. Structured cabling always has benefits over unstructured because they last longer, are more flexible, and provide you with the maximum possible uptime.
