Colocatoion/Hardware: Tools of The Trade
Definitely need to have a few good tools when working in the IT job field, let alone in a colocation. The main thing to remember is that they have to be NON MAGNETIC! Even though most IT pros know that magnets can kill hard drives and CPUs, most do not check their tools. At EVERY colocation I have worked in, there have been magnetic tools. Even at my current company, I had to remove all but 2 screwdrivers due to them being magnetic. I can not stress this enough, check!
Multi-bit screwdriver
These make it easy when working in a rack. Just change or flip the head and go from phillips to flat, large diameter to small. Most of these can also attach hex key and nut drivers. I would definitely recommend getting those attachments. I find myself having to use the hex keys on a lot of vendor supplied screws.
Multiple length and width screwdrivers
This one should be easy. You will need short and long screwdrivers. Sometimes absurdly long ones would be your savior. Definitely need a few that are thicker in the ends and even coated tips for strength. I have bent the ends of cheaper screwdrivers a ton of times on screws that are over-tightened on racks. I have also done the same by using to small of width screwdriver in a larger screw.
Needle nose pliers strait and curved
These are definitely a must! Screws fall all the time in places where you cant get your fingers. These work great for that purpose. I have also used these to bend metal and unscrew hex screws that I didn’t have heads for.
Scissors
One of the places not to skimp. Buy industrial scissors! My pairs are electrician scissors. They are extremely solid, made of stainless steal and have a ridged back on one side. The ridged back helps for straitening small cables. Thinking of the small cable pairs inside Ethernet cabling
Flashlight
Should be self explanatory. Go for small size and LED based. Makes it easier to move into position or sit on top of shelves or rails in a rack
Paperclips
Great for miscellaneous things. I have used them for pushing small power buttons, reset switches, and dip switches. They can also be used to hang cables out of the way temporarily.
Battery powered drill/screwdriver
This I can not do without. When racking or unracking one or more racks this is a need! Utilizing a power drill with screw heads will speed up any deployment and save a lot of energy from not having to twist ever screw 20 times. The drill portion is nice as well. I have had to drill a few screws that were stripped or stuck out of the rack. Of course this is a last case scenario.
Power
Multimeter
This is good for troubleshooting any power issue. Mainly used to find faults that aren’t showing on status indicators. Allows you to trace the circuit paths.
power adapters
There are multiple types of power connectors out there. Main ones to be encountered at a colocation are standard wall outlet style, clip in, and twist lock. Not to mention voltage. Depending on the customer, you can wind up with 120 or 208 AC. So make sure whatever you need to plugin can handle the voltage and you have a plug for it
Power tester
This comes in handy in a few ways. This shows if the outlet is live and has power, stability of the power, etc.
DC
When working in a DC environment, there are a few good things to keep on hand. Most telecommunications colocations outlaw zip or twist ties, so get a spool or wax string. Also, I keep fuses, fuse pullers, wire cutters, wire strippers, and termination ends.
Extension cord
This has saved me a few times. I do not always remember to bring my plug adapters or a device will not support 208 power. In this case, most colocations have 120 outlets throughout the perimeter walls. None have ever minded me using an extension cord to run a device or two while in the colocation. Also, I have also worked in a few DC colocations. AC equipment will not work on DC :)
Storage
Having portable storage is a definite need. The can solve the problem of transporting configuration files, ISOs, and pulling reports from servers, SANs, etc. I always keep a few flash drives handy since most Windows and Linux distribution recognize them. This is also good for smaller files. No need to plug in any power cables or USB cables. For all other needs, I have used external hard drives from carrying ISOs around, backup up data, and moving copies of big databases between locations. No need to kill your network connection to move a database 60 miles. External drives are cheap and easy to use. One note though, use encryption. Someone can steal these drives easily if you are not paying attention. Stay secure. Always have blank CD-RWs and DVD-RWs around. There have been a lot of times that I needed an install CD where I had the ISO saved but no media to write it to.
Rack
I always keep on hand a few cage nuts, cage screws in all sizes.
Network
As far as cabling goes, I try to keep the following in sub 1ft and up to 12 ft cables:
- strait through cables
– crossover cables
- patch cables
– fiber cabling
- Ratcheting Ethernet crimper
Used to attach ends onto network cabling. Most will do RJ-11 (telephony) as well. The key here is ratcheting. This means that you must depress the tool to a specific point before it will release. Doing so decreases the chance of a poorly terminated cable head.
* digital toner
This is also a definite must! Older can fry out switch ports or network cards. Save yourself the trouble and get an digital toner. I use one from Fluke that cost me about 160$. When working in colocation network sprawl becomes an issue. Even with good change control, it is still worth going through doing a yearly audit of what cables go where. Hostnames change, servers are replaced or removed, cables get re-used. Tracing the cables by hand can be almost impossible when they are bundled and ran between racks. This is where a good toner comes in handy. They will send a pulse down the cable that can be traced with a hand held unit. So plug it in, go to the network rack(s) and wave it around until you find the cable. Saves a lot of time and most will be able to trace Ethernet, and RJ-11(telephone).
- Also keep a few spare serial, mini serial, and USB cables.
Misc
A few miscellaneous things I keep with me are:
- pen and pater
- velcro ties. Because any other are bad to use.
- permanent marker
- labeling machine
- static strap and static pad. Always use these when working on equipment. All it takes is one time and you can burn out anything from a server to a core router.
- digital camera for taking before and after pics.
Below is a list of what was reviewed above:
Tools
Multi-bit screwdriver
with nut driver
multiple length screwdrivers
needle nose pliers strait and curved
flashlight
paperclips for pushing micro power or reset switches
Battery powered drill/screwdriver
Power
multimeter
power adapters
power tester
extension cord
Storage
flash drive
external hard drive
Blank CD-RW and DVD-RW
Rack
cage nuts, cage screws
Network
min length
strait through cable
crossover cable
patch cable
long cables
serial cable
mini serial cable
fiber cable
digital network toner
Misc
pen and pater
velcro ties
permanent marker
labeling machine
static strap
static pad
digital camera
Below are links to examples of the type of products I keep in the toolkit.
http://www.flukenetworks.com/fnet/en-us/products/D-Snips/Overview.htm
http://www.flukenetworks.com/fnet/en-us/products/Cable+Splicing+Knife/Overview.htm
http://www.flukenetworks.com/fnet/en-us/products/IntelliTone+Toner+and+Probe/Features/
Notes: I am sure that a few things were left off. If you can think of any addittions to this please email me or leave a comment. Thanks!
One thing I did leave off is hearing protection. If spending more than a few minutes in most colocations, they are great to have! I just use an ipod with earbud headphones. Better even if your budget will allow, are noise canceling headphones. Bose, Sony and a few others sell these and you do not have to have music playing for the cancellation to work. I know a few people who use standard ear-plugs (think for gun shooting) for this purpose as well.
kcollo said this on February 4, 2009 at 9:51 am