I was going to call this post, “keep thing tidy”, but somewhere there is a “small god” of tangled cables, because it does not matter how carefully cables are arranged, when you turn your back on them they tangle up without any visible intervention.
We took a new job over a couple of months back, and one of the tasks which we finally got to do last night was to sort out the server room. As with many server rooms it had been used to store kit in that had been replaced, old PCs, bits of PCs, redundant telephones etc, and as with many server rooms the Christmas decorations are kept there! As part of the sort out we:
- recycled the phones
- tested the monitors, keeping the working ones as spares
- removed the hard drives from the computers that were to be recycled
- two complete computers were refurbished to be donated to a good cause
- the spares and cables, we decided to keep, were marked up and boxed
- the wifi was moved from inside the metal cabinet to improve the signal
Behind the rack we straightened out the cables (remembering that the small god would take care of that later), but taking care that we did not disconnect anything vital to the network. We also secured the power leads with cable ties so they cannot move.
As part of the inspection we replaced a couple of the network cables we were not happy with and the mouse on one of the servers.
Once thing were tidy and the Christmas decorations back where they could be found, we then tested the network and computers so there would be no surprises in the morning.
Why spend time and money on this? Two reasons:
- good housekeeping means you do not create problems for the network and yourself
- the day there is a problem we can get quick, easy access to the hub of the network – which means we can fix your problem quicker and so reducing your losses due to “no computers”.
So if you would like Octagon to come and sort your cupboards and cables then please contact the office.
