How to Manage Network Closets

Network closets, often referred to as IDF closets or telecommunications closets, are small yet vital spaces that house important networking equipment, acting as the hubs that connect various parts of an organization's IT infrastructure.

Despite their significance, network closets are often overlooked and undermanaged. Poorly managed network closets can result in network downtime, reduced efficiency, and increased maintenance costs. Therefore, it is essential to apply best practices in organizing, maintaining, and securing these spaces to keep the network running smoothly and efficiently.

Understanding Network Closets

Network closets typically contain a variety of essential components, each playing a specific role in the network's functionality. Understanding the role and components of network closets is the first step in managing these critical spaces effectively.

The most common components include:

• Routers. Devices that manage data traffic between different networks, ensuring data packets are directed to their correct destinations.
• Switches. Hardware that connects multiple devices within the same network, allowing them to communicate with each other by forwarding data to the appropriate device.
• Patch panels. Devices that provide a central point for connecting and managing network cables, simplifying the process of adding or reconfiguring network connections.
• Cabling. Various types of cables, including Ethernet cables, fiber optic cables, and power cords, are organized within the network closet to connect different devices.
• Power supplies. Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and power distribution units (PDU) help ensure that networking equipment receives a stable power supply to maintain uptime.
• Racks and shelving. Racks and shelving units help organize and secure the networking equipment, making it easier to access and maintain.

Design and Layout Considerations

Proper space planning and layout optimization are crucial for ensuring efficient, accessible, and scalable network closets. Consider:

• Space planning. Effective space planning in network closet design involves allocating sufficient space for current equipment and anticipating future growth. This includes assessing the space requirements of existing equipment to ensure adequate ventilation and access, planning for future expansion by leaving extra space for new equipment and cabling, and ensuring accessibility so technicians can perform maintenance and troubleshooting without obstruction, thus avoiding costly and disruptive renovations.
• Layout optimization. A well-organized layout makes it easier to access, maintain, and troubleshoot equipment. Key considerations include positioning frequently accessed equipment, like switches and patch panels, at accessible heights while placing heavier or less frequently used items lower. Implementing cable management solutions, such as cable trays, ties, and ducts, prevents tangling and clutter, reducing the risk of accidental disconnections. Maintaining clear pathways ensures technicians can move around easily and access equipment without difficulty, avoiding blocked access to critical components.

Cable Management and Network Documentation

Proper cable management is essential for maintaining an organized, efficient, and safe network closet, while documenting the network enables faster and easier planning and troubleshooting. Consider the following:

• Labeling. Clearly label both ends of each cable to identify the connected equipment. This simplifies troubleshooting and maintenance.
• Organizing and securing cables. Use cable trays, ducts, and raceways to route cables neatly and keep them organized. This prevents cables from tangling and reduces the risk of damage. Secure cables with cable ties or Velcro straps to bundle them together neatly. Avoid over-tightening, which can damage the cables. Ensure that cables do not obstruct airflow or access to other equipment. Proper routing and securing of cables help maintain a clean and accessible network closet.
• Separating of power and data cables. Keep power cables separate from data cables to reduce the risk of electromagnetic interference, which can affect network performance.
• Network diagrams. Map your physical network infrastructure including structured and patch cabling with network diagrams to decrease time spent troubleshooting and planning.
• Port capacity tracking. A common resource constraint in network closets is data ports. Track how many available ports each network rack has so you can purchase additional resources before you run out.

Asset Inventory

Maintaining a detailed inventory of assets, spares, and parts helps ensure successful deployments, better lifecycle management of equipment, and enables an understanding of the relationships and dependencies of the physical infrastructure. Best practices include:

• Utilizing asset management software. Implement comprehensive asset management software—not Excel or Visio—to visualize, track, and manage all network rack components. This software should allow for detailed logging of equipment, including make, model, dimensions, weight, serial number, asset tag, location, RU position, maintenance, and configuration.
• Asset tagging. Tag all equipment within network racks to facilitate easy scanning and tracking. This allows for quick and accurate updates to the asset inventory whenever equipment is added, moved, or replaced. These tags also help in conducting physical audits and ensuring that all equipment is accounted for without manual data entry.
• Regular auditing. Schedule regular physical audits of network racks to verify that the actual inventory matches the records in the asset management system. During these audits, check for discrepancies, update records, and ensure that all equipment is properly labeled and tagged. Regular reconciliation helps identify and address any issues early, maintaining the integrity of the inventory data.

Power Management

Reliable power helps maintain the continuous operation of network equipment housed in network closets. Consider:

• Rack UPSs. UPS units provide backup power during outages, ensuring that network equipment remains operational. They also protect against power surges and fluctuations, which can damage sensitive components. When selecting a UPS, ensure it has enough capacity to support all connected equipment for an appropriate duration. Then, regularly test and maintain UPS batteries to ensure they are in good working condition. Leverage data center power management software to manage your battery maintenance schedule, track key statistics such as run time remaining, battery health, and capacity utilization, and get alerted when the UPS loses commercial power.
• Rack PDUs. Rack PDUs distribute electrical power to multiple devices within the network closet, helping to manage and organize power distribution. Best practices are to choose PDUs with the right type and number of outlets to accommodate all equipment, distribute power loads evenly across the PDU to prevent overloading and ensure efficient power use, and use data center power management software to centrally monitor and manage all your rack PDUs.
• Power redundancy. The failure of a network closet may disable hundreds of end stations. To mitigate the risk of downtime, connect devices with dual power supplies to separate power circuits that can handle the load if one power source fails.
• Power monitoring. Use power monitoring software to understand the real-time health and capacity of your network racks, receive alerts for power anomalies and UPS battery issues, and track actual rack power and UPS loads to understand your power trends and battery runtime to maximize uptime.

Environmental Management

Maintaining the correct temperature and humidity levels in network closets is crucial for the longevity and performance of networking equipment. Excessive heat can cause equipment to overheat, leading to failures and reduced lifespan, while high humidity can lead to condensation and corrosion, damaging sensitive components. Key considerations include:

• Optimal temperature. Keep the temperature within the recommended range for your equipment, typically between 64°F (18°C) and 81°F (27°C).
• Optimal humidity. Maintain relative humidity levels between 40% and 60% to prevent condensation and static electricity buildup.
• Consistent environment. Avoid fluctuations in temperature and humidity by ensuring that HVAC systems are properly configured and maintained.

Continuous monitoring of environmental conditions in each network closet helps prevent issues before they cause significant problems. Implementing environmental sensors and a monitoring system helps ensure that any deviations from optimal conditions are quickly identified and addressed. Key components include:

• Temperature sensors. Place sensors at various points within the closet to monitor temperature levels and detect hotspots or overcooling.
• Humidity sensors. Monitor relative humidity to prevent conditions that could lead to condensation or static buildup.
• Environmental monitoring. Deploy monitoring software that provides real-time information on temperature, humidity, and other environmental parameters. Set up thresholds and alerts so that you are promptly informed of any potential environmental issues.

Security Measures

Protecting the physical security of network closets is critical to prevent unauthorized access and potential tampering with networking equipment. Implementing robust physical security measures includes:

• Locks. Secure all doors and access points to the network closet with high-quality locks. Use key locks, combination locks, or electronic locks with keycards or biometric access.
• Access controls. Implement access control systems to restrict entry to authorized personnel only. This can include keycard systems, biometric scanners, or PIN code access. Maintain logs of all personnel who access the network closet, including the date, time, and purpose of the visit. This helps track physical security and accountability.
• Surveillance. Install surveillance cameras to monitor and record activity within and around the network closet. Ensure cameras cover all entry points and critical areas. Regularly review footage for any suspicious activity.

Routine Maintenance

Regular maintenance is essential to ensure the optimal performance and longevity of network equipment. Best practices include:

• Scheduled inspections. Conduct regular inspections of the network closet to check for any signs of wear and tear, loose connections, or other potential issues. Establish a routine schedule for these inspections to catch problems early.
• Dust prevention and cleaning. Dust buildup can cause overheating and damage sensitive equipment. Implement a cleaning schedule to remove dust and debris from the closet and equipment. Use anti-static cleaning tools and ensure that the cleaning process does not disrupt network operations.
• Ventilation maintenance. Regularly check and clean ventilation systems, including fans and air filters, to ensure proper airflow and cooling. Replace filters as needed to maintain efficiency.
• Maintenance logs. Keep records of all maintenance activities, including inspections, cleaning, and repairs. Note the date, personnel involved, and any actions taken. This helps track the history of the network closet and identify recurring issues.

Simplify Network Closet Management with DCIM Software

Managing remote network closets can be challenging due to having no visibility into equipment inventory and configuration, a lack of understanding of rack capacity, inaccurate work orders for technicians for performing moves, adds, and changes, the inability to monitor site health and security, and having siloed tools and teams that do not communicate.

Fortunately, there is a path forward to simplify and centralize the management of your network racks. With Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software, you can monitor and manage all your global sites in a single pane of glass to improve uptime, efficiency, and productivity across your entire IT environment.

With DCIM software, you can:

• Accurately document the network. See your entire network in a single pane of glass with automatically generated network diagrams that include both active and passive (i.e., structured cabling and panels) components.
• Remotely visualize racks, devices, and cabling. See a 3D digital twin of your network racks that includes overlaid live readings from power meters and environmental sensors.
• Maintain an accurate inventory of assets, parts, and spares. Centralize and easily track your inventory of equipment in racks like UPSs, servers, storage, and networking equipment, rack PDUs, and patch panels. Plus, track parts and spares like hard drives, cards, memory modules, power supplies, and patch cables.
• Perform faster and more accurate asset audits. One person with a barcode or QR code scanner can quickly scan the items in a rack while built-in logic anticipates the next step in the process and a configurable voice response confirms the item is correct in the database or lets you know if a change is recommended.
• Monitor and alert on power and environmental conditions. Transform meter and sensor data into actionable insights and be the first to know when readings violate warning or critical thresholds to quickly remediate the issue.
• Safeguard your cabinets from physical threats. Security reporting, audit logs, and surveillance video feeds allow you to monitor who has access to various racks, how often they are accessed, and if attempts are successful or not.
• Intelligently plan capacity. Know the health and capacity of network closets with zero-configuration dashboard charts and reports. For example, see at-a-glance how many available ports each rack has so you can purchase more resources before you run out.
• Ensure redundancy. Run a failover simulation report to identify exactly which racks are at risk and what equipment will continue functioning in the vent a smart rack PDU goes down.
• Integrate tools and teams. Integrate with CMDBs, ticketing systems, DevOps tools, and BMS systems to enable a single source of truth, reduce manual effort, and enable data-driven collaboration across teams.

Bringing It All Together

Network closets are a mission-critical component of today’s distributed and complex data center environments, but they are often managed by disparate teams or overlooked.

However, when managed properly with tools that provide a centralized view of all resources and capacity across all sites, all teams can benefit.

Combine these best practices with DCIM software, and you will be on your way to dramatically simplifying network closet and remote site management and fostering behaviors that improve uptime, increase efficiency, and boost productivity.

Want to see how Sunbird’s world-leading DCIM software can make it easier to manage your network racks? Get your free test drive now.