# My first data center... advice?



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

FireInTheWire said:


> Hi Everyone!
> 
> I'm going to be working with a crew on a data center. I've done data in schools and stuff, but never in an actual data center. I'm still kinda new at this... so any general words of advice are appreciated. I've seen pictures of data centers and wow! Pretty interesting!
> 
> Thanks!


Hopefully you will have a good journeyman to work with that is willing to teach you how it works .

Make sure you watch everything closely and ask as many questions as you can so that you will learn this part of the trade fast.

Ask about what special tools you will need .

ask him to show you how to do punch down , Hopefully your eyes are good because those wires are small.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

If you are new, and it has raised floor....

Hope you like crawling around. 

You will learn a lot of new things though. Data centers are a lot different then what you have been doing

How big is it?


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## Wireman191 (Aug 28, 2011)

Data centers are very fun to work at. Be ready for big wire, and big gear.:thumbup:
Pay attention to the Battery backup, and generator parts of it if possible, You wont get this experience in vary many places.
There will be a ton of guys on the job, just do as they do.:thumbsup:


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## Mr.C (Dec 20, 2009)

All joking asides be very cautious and mindful of polarity when working with the battery banks.


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## FireInTheWire (Oct 30, 2011)

mikeh32 said:


> If you are new, and it has raised floor....
> 
> Hope you like crawling around.
> 
> ...


It's for the state, so probably kinda big.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

are you doing the low volt stuff, or higher?


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## FireInTheWire (Oct 30, 2011)

mikeh32 said:


> are you doing the low volt stuff, or higher?


Low voltage this time... the JATC said I could do this last low volt job until I get called out to a regular electrical job.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

Hope you have small fingers, and glasses 

lol


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## FireInTheWire (Oct 30, 2011)

mikeh32 said:


> Hope you have small fingers, and glasses
> 
> lol


Yeah, no KIDDING! I am lucky enough to have narrow fingers, but I actually grew my fingernails a little bit last week so I could peel the tape off of the cables and seat the little wires in the jacks without completely destroying the tip of my thumbs.

:thumbup:


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

go to radio shack, and pick up this blue stripper/punch down

it looks like this











You will learn to love it


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## FireInTheWire (Oct 30, 2011)

Oooohhh.... I'll have to treat myself! Thanks!


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

it will help with stripping the wires, and pushing them in. 

Im at the point i cant feel my finger tips anyway, but for people who dont do it often they help


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## edwards.kevin41 (Dec 7, 2011)

Hope your data center work has commenced and going on well.


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## FireInTheWire (Oct 30, 2011)

edwards.kevin41 said:


> Hope your data center work has commenced and going on well.


 This data center is very good training for me. I've never done one before, so I am not used to dressing things in absolutely perfectly pinstriped like this. The company I'm working for is trying to give a good impression to our customer, so it has to be *perfect*.

It's kinda sad though... this will be the last communications job I do- I start the electrical apprenticeship in like 10 days! I know I can take the lessons learned here and apply them somewhere in electrical world.


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## running dummy (Mar 19, 2009)

You have the right attitude. I'm currently on a data center job in iowa and love this type of work. it's slow going but everything has to be perfect. we are doing temperature control...


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## jackson26 (Dec 28, 2011)

Data center is a facility for the storage, management and information of data organized to a particular business. Actually, every organization has a data center.

Best Of Luck:thumbup:


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## bullheadpond (Jan 6, 2012)

Be open minded . Data it people are usually very picky. Watch your color code well. If its cat5e or cat6 it will be either 568b or 568a wiring. Make sure 1&2 and 3 & 6 are pairs as well as 4&5 and 7&8. Many people think it doesn't matter because it just wire passing a signal but it does matter especially once the systems starts getting close to maxing out. Basically follow the color codes and don't bend the wires any where near a right angle and you should do fine.


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