At my workplace I run cable off and on when needed. I thought I'd share some tips I've learned throughout the years.
- Document all cabling - Keep diagrams of where cables are being run in walls and ceilings. If you have a CAD layout of your workplace, even better. You should have a spreadsheet of each of the wires, patch panels, switches and hubs so you can quckly track down a particular wire to a specific location and port.
- Label the cables - Invest (I say invest, because it takes time and some money) in labels for the cables themselves. You can buy specialty sheets of laser labels made for cables or a Brother type label maker. In many cases we pull out the cable in a hallway to label them on the floor before running them in a ceiling.
- Cable management - Use zip ties, velcro and whatever else is needed to keep the cables tidy and neat. In the ceilings, use cable hooks or trays. Try not to have any cables laying directly on suspeneded ceiling tiles. Try to keep wires grouped together as long as possible before it branches off to a particular room. By that I mean don't take shortcuts with cable to save a few feet.
- Avoid interference - Try to stay away from light fixtures and wires carrying power. I once heard that if you have to cross over a flourescent light fixture, do it perpendicular to the ballast.
We are still trying to overcome some bad habits that have developed over time and simply because we didn't know better in the early years. Improper cabling techniques will cost time and money, so try to do it right the first time. (or at least from now on)
We just got in a new motherboard here at work to upgrade one of our machines. Looks pretty nice.
I don't know if Asus is trying to change their image, but in addition to Asus motherboards being Rock Solid, they are now also Heart Touching. I thought I was the only one who felt that way when they got a new motherboard.
