If you’re planning a trip to a data centre soon, you’ll want to make sure you bring everything with you that you’ll need. We’ve listed some of the essential equipment that our Beaming technicians have in their kit when visiting a data centre.

(We’ve also turned this into a PDF – find it at the bottom of this checklist)

  List of works to be carried out: step-by-step notes with equipment names and ports to be patched into

  Laptop: always best to have a laptop with you in case of any last-minute plan changes

  Laptop charger: you never want to be caught short on battery life!

 Velcro: it is useful for multiple reasons, mostly to neatly arrange ethernet, fibre, and power cables

  Cage nuts: to mount your server rack equipment

  Power cables: 3-pin kettle leads are handy, but datacentres mainly use female-male type kettle leads

  Ethernet cables: these are the cables most often used to connect devices in a rack in the data centre, a variety of lengths and colours would be recommended

  Fibre optic patch leads (if required): some equipment connects via fibre for one reason or another, therefore, it is helpful to have some Fibre patch leads

  Multitool: to open boxes, and other uses

  Screwdrivers: to securely mount equipment in racks – it’s always a good idea to have a few different types in case there’s any equipment that may need dismantling.

  Pliers/cable snips: for removing any existing cable ties

  Network termination tools: in case you need to cut/re-terminate any ethernet cables.

  USB console cable: some equipment can be accessed via a console cable if you are directly connected, so it’s always handy to have one to hand

Below we’ve listed some ‘nice-to-haves’:

  Labeller: To label all of your equipment/leads.

  Brush plates for cables: helps keep things neat and tidy whilst supporting the controlled temperature environment.

  Cable management bars: These allow you to organise your cables neatly, so that they don’t get tangled or damaged, and it is clear to see which cable leads to which piece of equipment.

  Colour-coding documentation: If you’re using different coloured cables for different functions, make a list and ensure you have the documentation for this.