How to Organize a Server Room

Category: Structured Cabling
October 1, 2018

With all of the wiring your network infrastructure requires, it is easy to find yourself with a twisted and tangled web of cables. This mess can be unsightly, increase the likelihood of signal loss, and just be generally unpleasant to maintain.

Here are some tips for organizing your server room!

Server Racks

Racks are a necessity for keeping your server room organized. Switches, routers, and other network infrastructure equipment can be easily stacked in a server rack to allow for easier access. Racks can be free-standing or wall-mounted, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, so they’re relatively customizable to fit your specific server room.

Bundle and Mount

The best way to avoid a tangled web of cables is to bundle and mount them. Different tapes are available that help organize cables by function and make sure they stay connected to the equipment they belong to. Mount the cables in your rack by using different types of fasteners like cable ties, sticky-backed mounting bases, and plastic tie mounts. Mounted cables promote a better flow of air throughout your server room.

Label

Labeling your cable bundles also helps you avoid “spaghetti” cables that become tangled and messy. Knowing which cables go to which piece of equipment allows you to easily identify disconnections and other issues. Labeling also ensures that if anyone else accesses your server room, they’ll be less likely to confuse any of the wiring or interfere with anything other than the specific equipment they are there to access.

Additional Tips for Organizing Your Server Room:

• Get rid of cables that don’t work properly or aren’t needed in your server rack to reduce clutter.
• If labels aren’t your style, try color-coding cable ties to differentiate between them.
• Use an electric duster made specifically for server racks to clean dust off fans and out of crevices.
• Consider raising the floor of your server room to allow for a place to store cables out of sight.
• Stack server equipment from longest to shortest cables so that excess cable isn’t hanging in your rack.

Not feeling up to the task of organizing your server room? Hire a structured cabling company to do your server room organizing for you! The professionals at LanStar Systems, Inc. know the most efficient ways to organize your network infrastructure equipment and are happy to assist you in becoming more organized in the workplace. Contact us today for more information.

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