Guide for Rack Cable Management

Rack mount cable management is one of the most common problems faced by network installers and IT technicians in server rooms and data centers.

A simple internet search will lead to endless reports of data center cabling failures, with network cables looking like messy spaghetti. That isn’t the way it’s meant to be.

Rack cable organizer can enhance airflow, help reduce downtime, reduce user error, and much more.

What are the Types of Rack Cable Management?

 Having cables properly managed is one of the main issues faced when dealing with server rooms and data centers.

Making cables carelessly tossed around can make your job massive hassle, even without knowing that it can destroy the wires even cause other hazards. The best thing you can do is make sure your cables are properly organized right from the start!

These are the different types of rack management to help make your life easier!

• Vertical Cable Management

As the name suggests, they are mounted vertically and operate very well to organize flow and hold cables optimally to ensure sufficient air flow leading to complex network systems that are getting overheated.

They’re also perfect for installations where you need to save space or want to have more room to extend your network in the future. These rack vertical cable management sizes up to 48U or 84 inches in height and up to 10 inches in width.

• Materials of Vertical Wire Manager

1. Multi-formed lightweight aluminum
2. Composite materials for hinge points and supporting fingers
3. Low-gloss lightly-textured polyester powder paint
4. Rolled steel

Features of Vertical Rack cable management?

• One-piece front cover that is easily removable with access from the right or left as desired, and opens 180o to allow complete access to cables.
• Self-aligning bolt positions that reduce lift and speed installation.
• Bolt does not turn when tightening nuts.
• Reasonable finger depth that allows optimum cable density and smooth transition from vertical to horizontal positions.
• No keep-out areas.
• Single central door lock provides fast and easy access to cables.
• Strong arrowhead fingers are designed to funnel cables on the base.
• Pass-through holes secure the cable while enabling the path between the front and the back.
• Rounded edges of composite material and grommets protect cable jackets from breaking.
• Single central door latch provides fast and easy access to cables.

Types and Sizes of Vertical Rack Cable Management

1. 5U Plastic vertical cable managementwith bend radius finger

• It comes with a rack-mounted cover, copper, or fiber patch panel. Designed to effectively manage the bend radius of the cable. It allows the mounting of all 19 in or 23 in EIA 2-and 4-post racks.

      2. Single D-Ring vertical cable management– 1.7’ inches and 3 inches

• It features a one-piece style. Access to MAC cables (moves, adds, and changes) is fast.
• The 1.7 “and 3” are the widely used width sizes for the single D-ring vertical cable manager.

     3. High-density vertical cable management

• It can be divided into single-sided and dual-sided versions.
• The 45U 4.9 “dual-sided vertical cable manager is the most common type in the market.
• It can also be mounted on the sides of the open frame rack.

2. Horizontal Cable Rack Management

It allows cables to be properly handled on front racks or separated from the equipment.Horizontal cable organizer is one or two rack high or higher if needed. It also ensures that your cables are well-organized and secure.

Horizontal cable management are excellent for every form of cables such as fiber, coax, patch cables, copper wiring and more.

Materials of Horizontal Rack Cable Management

• Made of copper, fiber optic and coaxial cables
• UL Listed black composite
• Low-gloss, textured paint

Features of Horizontal Rack Cable Management?

• Snap-in mounting supply keeps the rack cable organizerin place.
• The strong arrowhead fingers are molded to the base of the funnel cables.
• Strong rounded end posts protect the cable as it reaches and leaves the rack managementand retains the correct cable bend radius.
• Deep cable compartments require full cable density.
• Rounded edges to protect cable jackets from damage.
• Pass-through holes on double-sided models secure cable while allowing routing between front and back.
• Removable hinged cover opens up top or bottom, closed snaps for protected cable safety and professional appearance.
• The double-sided model covers both front and back.
• Covers remain open during installation and maintenance procedures.

Types and Sizes of Horizontal Rack Cable Management

1. Horizontal cable managementwith D-ring

• The use of the D-ring in horizontal cable management is more efficient and can be used for a wide variety ofrack cable management devices for various applications.
• Components and cables can also be easily added or removed depending on the system requirements.

Features:

• It works with standard 19 “square, round or threaded hole rack.
• Compatible with patch panel and another network cable.
• It can also provide relief of cable pressure for more secure connections.
• You can move the cables via the top, bottom, and back of the rack management.

     2. Horizontal Rack cable management with finger duct

• This is one of the common types of horizontal cable management. It offers a variety of fingers and pass-through holes in which rack cables can be routed and lessen cable strains.

     3. Horizontal Rack cable managementwith brush strip

• Increases the overall air flow within your network cabinet while helping to avoid overheating, ensuring optimum thermal efficiency.

Features:

• The strong steel frame and black powder coat provides toughness, prevents corrosion and keeps your rack looking smooth and professional.
• It allows up to 25 cables to pass while blocking the airflow.
• Made of refined metal, high-quality steel, high-density nylon bristles and, mostly come in different heights such as 1U and 2U.

How to properly choose cable manager for rack?

One of the first aspects that should be taken care of in the server rack after you have installed all of your equipment is rack management

When you don’t have a strong rack cable organizer system in place, not only do your racks look unorganized, but they can make maintenance difficult and block airflow.

With this in mind, it’s a good idea to learn about successful rack cable management techniques to help.

• Cable Management Environment

For big enterprises, you might find a good combination of a horizontal cable management with a vertical cable management in each of your server room cabinets.

For small businesses, you can choose to save some money by avoiding the deployment of vertical cable management .

• Rack Specifications

Server rack typically comes with a regular 19-inch width, although the depth is adjustable to some degree. However, rack heights are available with different rack units (1U=1.75 inches) such as 1U, 2U and so on.

The rack mount cable management is made for various rack modules just make sure you purchase the right model. Highlights, the bend radius finger bracket can be stacked to any height, suitable for high rack environments.

• Cable Manager Styles

1. Choose a horizontal cable managementwith a brush strip to avoid overheating and to ensure better cooling.
2. Choose the D-ring cable managementto allow versatile routing of massive cords in the proper bend radius.
3. Choosehorizontal cable management with finger duct for optimal cable care and security to protect fragile fibers from breaking.
4. To handle various types of cable and quantity, use different forms of rack cable management. For example, a vertical cable managementwith a bend radius finger offers extra-deep cable capacity for applications requiring wide thick cable bundles (Ethernet cables: Cat5e/6/7).

2U Cable Management

The most identifiable in my opinion is the number lying in their name. The “U”, also known as the RU, stands for the rack unit, which is the unit of measurement specified as 44.50 millimeters.

This is most commonly used to measure the average height of the 19-inch and 23-inch rack frames, and the height of the equipment that is mounted in these frames.

The 2U  rack cable management supports front-to-back and back-to-front cable run.

1U Cable Management

It is a rack-mounted enclosure with a parallel sliding cabinet. Compared to the standard design with the removable lid, this innovative design saves time and energy by removing the top cover when the installation is required.

You can slide the drawer out and add matching items to conveniently arrange your cables. and You can take other considerations when selecting the 1U rack-mount enclosure.

These can be used for patch cord links, spliced fiber pigtail storage and high-density MTP or MPO cable management.  You may, therefore, concentrate on their differences in size, installation style, length, weight, etc.

You should select the best fiber enclosure for your specific needs.

Server Rack Management

Benefits of a Successful Server Rack Management:

• System performance improved.
• Availability enhanced.
• Cooling efficiency increased.
• Maintenance and serviceability improved.
• Scalability improved.
• A roadmap for growth.

How do you manage network cables in racks cable management?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help illustrate how to do it correctly:

1. Appropriate planning –It contributes significantly to the smooth operation of rack servers. Consulting a qualified cable contractor will also be helpful.

2. Identification of cables –using colored cables as well as cable labels to make cable recognition easier. It is important during cable installation also in future improvements and upgrades.

3. Secure cables and connectors – the cables must be kept away from sharp objects as well as high-temperature areas within the cabinet. To prevent undue movement and to ease the strain on critical points.

4. Proper routing of cables inside the cabinet — to prevent blockage of network components that need modification or repair.

5. Determine the power and data cable routes- determine whether you join from the top or bottom of the server rack. Then plan the routes to split power and data cables, copper data cables and fiber.

6. Prevent thermal problems- ensure that the airflow path is very essential as a restricted airflow may cause temperature rises that would shorten the expected lifetime of the devices.

7. Record and manage your organization- it is essential to record the complete network, including diagrams, cable forms, patching details and cable counts.

Cable management solutions for 19″ rack cabinets

Network cabinets have edge and/or center switches and patch panels. Due to the high concentration of cable in these racks, the usual installation uses 19 “patch panels and standard fiber enclosures installed either at the top of the switch cabinet or, in some cases, in the adjacent cabinet, where several switches are housed in the cabinet.

Usually, these cabinets will be designed in a manner that uses rack mount patch panels and cable managers along with vertically mounted cable managers providing pathways for patch cords

• Know your cable requirements.

The first step in installing Ethernet cables is to select the type of cable you need. The use of the Internet varies from one business to another. All you need to do is identify your specifications and then shop for cables accordingly. Choosing the correct cable often depends on the type of setting in which it is mounted.

• Keep in mind the cable length.

When you know which cable to use, the next thing you need to do is estimate the length of the cable for installation. Don’t leave any unnecessary piece of wire hanging, as it can cause messiness and breakage.

• Color coding of cables.

If you’ve got one server rack with one piece of hardware in it, or you’re running a big data center, you just want color-coded cables.

When you position the cables, you should color every cable cord from both ends so that there is no ambiguity about which switch is which one. It also saves a lot of your time and energy.

There are a variety of different choices when it comes to choosing what each color is for:

a.) Cable Type

b.) Cable Purpose

c.) Cable Destination

• Secure the cables by using hooks.

Through the help of hooks, the cables that run through the wall can be connected to it. Hooking the wires even stops them from tangling with each other and getting worn out.

Just make sure you don’t use nail or staple material as it can contribute to some big safety issues.

Labeling of cables can take time, but it will save you a lot of time in the long run. Unless the cables are marked, you would easily be able to say which wire the server is running. Labels can be easily created using colored tape and a permanent marker.

• Be patient.

In case any cable needs terminations don’t hurry through it as it doesn’t do you any good but just creates more problems during troubleshooting. Network cables are very fragile and need to be taken care of properly.

Conclusion 

The arrangement of server rack cables is extremely necessary when it comes to server rack management.

The bottom line for all rack cable management techniques is that it is necessary to think about it ahead of time and be prepared to do the work during the initial installation. When this is done, a decent server rack will stay clean and easy to manage for years to come.