Network installation setup is a vague description for a couple IT scenarios that generally play out within a new business. Disclaimer: The lovely world of cable management and IT has plenty expressions that mean the same thing or the layman only understand one expression used to describe a certain technology but it’s the wrong expression. I will try to clarify these issues and their many expressions in this post. Perhaps, emphasize in BOLD the IT lingo so you can hang with the big boys and girls here in San Diego. Anyway, where was I? Ah riiiight…. Network installation setup scenarios:
Scenario #1
The commercial space is wired meaning the network drops are installed and hopefully tested, toned, and marked with a number (1a, 1b, etc.) so that you are pretty confident that they work properly. Network drops are ethernet cables running from a central location to the wall plate where voice and data jacks are located. Again, these wall plates with voice and data jacks are marked in numeric fashion. That central location can be the wiring closet. The main closet MDF and the additional closet for a big office is the IDF. A fiber drop is ran in these larger offices from the MDF to IDF to maintain optimal speeds throughout the network and network devices comprising of routers and managed switches.
This scenario is ideal if it is in fact already wired. This means the IT guy can interpret the Network Installation setup as consultation on the ideal network devices for the organization’s processes and workflow. Typical Network Devices include:
- Router – The routers you should be concerned with are basic home office routers that have limited functionality and the routers that do everything else. The most important features of the “everything else” routers are intrusion detection, segmentation, and QOS.
- Switches – Switches come in many different sizes. 8, 16, 24, and 48 ports are typical switches. Managed is ideal for larger networks for managing and segmenting traffic. Unmanaged switches are found in environments under 50 users but manage switches are creeping into these environments because the cost has dropped significantly and their features are too beneficial to pass up.
- Access Point – The laymen has several names for this hardware. The most commonly heard expression of late is “wireless” when referring to the access point. “Where are you going to place the wireless” What?
- Tablet
- Laptop
- Workstation
- Server
What is segmentation?
The average Joe thinks that they must maintain a separate internet connection from their service provider to secure their traffic from guest traffic. The more sophisticated routers can segment or separate traffic without having to purchase another modem. Grabbing a new modem or internet service is called a circuit and perhaps upgrading that circuit’s speed is money better spent than maintaining two mediocre circuits.
Scenario #2
The commercial is not wired or whoever did the wiring should be slapped. You are now entering the realm of cable management. Perhaps, some people call it cable installation but cable management is an art when done right.
Cable Management basics at the closet:
- Enclosure
- Rack
- Shelf
- Patch Panel
- Power
![Network Instalation Setup]()
Enclosure Case
The enclosure secures the equipment, the rack stacks and mounts if the equipment is “rack mountable”, and the shelf or shelves can place equipment that is not rack mountable. Rack mountable servers come in “blades” with the smallest at 1U, double that is 2U, etc.
You can immediately tell a botched cable job when the cable drops ran did not include a Patch Panel. Patch Panels are crucial piece to keeping a network stable and organized.
Outside the closer cabling stuff to consider:
- Cat 5e or Cat6? – The installer can advise on this. The amount of spool cable to purchase is obviously dependent the length of cable runs.
- Face Plates
- Mounting Brackets
- Insert Jacks
The theme here is to keep it clean. The three items above make for a pretty wall jack or jacks for plugging in your network devices. IMPORTANT: The more runs, the better. Try to have a 1 to 1 ratio for network devices. We do not want to see mini switches degrading your network’s performance.
Network Installation Setup Diagrammed
Write it out, map it out, consider everything, talk to someone, or you will miss something. You can then consider routers, switches, and Access Points once you get to this point. Maybe you can get rid of that second circuit? Here’s some hardware to consider if you are going for a little more sophisticated setup
- Sonicwall TZ 215
- 24 Port Switch
- Access Point
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