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Plug into Power Cord Know How!

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Navigating the jungle of terminology, acronyms and part numbers can be daunting in the field of telecommunications. Anyone attempting to determine and buy cabling can attest to this.  Improper data cabling will cause a logical error. With power cables, using the wrong type can cause physical failure such as fires and electrical shock. The stakes are higher. Luckily the abundance of documentation and regulation assure that anyone seeking direction to deploy the correct cord can find the information they need to choose the right cord and avoid common pitfalls, damage and injury that comes with electrical failure.

Common Terminology:

Amperage (amp): This term refers to the amount of electrons that are moving in the circuit. This is also “how much” electricity there is.

Voltage: This refers to how much force is behind the electrons, or how fast the electrons are moving.

 

Attributes:

When choosing a power cord there are (3) main attributes to be aware of:

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Console to your Cisco devices from your desk!

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It is quite annoying to have to walk to the server room with a laptop and console cable in hand every time you need to make a change to your router, switch, firewall, or other network device’s configuration. Fortunately there are some easier and better ways. [Read more…] about Console to your Cisco devices from your desk!

My laptop has no DB9 serial port!

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This is a common problem these days. Almost all Cisco networking equipment is configured using a serial console cable (usually the 72-3383-01 DB9 to RJ45 cable) but most new laptops (and even workstations) no longer have a DB9 serial port.

The solution is a USB to Serial adapter. With the USB to DB9 serial adapter and a standard Cisco console cable (72-3383-01) you essentialy have a “USB Console Cable“.

Every Sys Admin should have one of these in their laptop bag right next to their “Late Night Server Migration Survival Kit” (the “just right size” bag of M&M’s we include with every order of course)

Just how fast does email travel?

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I recently found myself traveling 95 MPH on an access road here in Atlanta, zooming by all the folks going much slower on the interstate to my left. While percentage wise this was not a great deal faster than I usually travel I realized that it sure felt much faster (which was exhilarating but that’s beside the point).

That got me to thinking (for some strange reason) about the speed in which email and other web traffic travels. Most people (including myself up to that point) have never given it a lot of thought so I decided to crunch a few numbers and explain it relative to something we are all very familiar with; driving. [Read more…] about Just how fast does email travel?

A Guide to LED patch panels

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Few people label (or desire to label) all the ports of their patch panels. The result is you having NO clue what cable goes where. If you are lucky you know which ones are connected to something and which ones are not.

I used to be in the same position myself at our old building. I had a normal patch panel and a bad habit of not labeling (or remembering) which cable went where. When a new workstation was added it was quite frustrating  for me to have to figure out what port on the patch panel went to that data port at the workstation so I could connect it to the data switch. [Read more…] about A Guide to LED patch panels