Avoiding Being Overwhelmed

8/9/2019 Avoiding Being Overwhelmed

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Avoiding Being Overwhelmed By

Connectivity Complexity

David Cuthbertson


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Overview Understand the Problem(s)

Standards can help or hinder New technolo challen es

Organisational challenges

Case Study(s)


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Personal Back roundPersonal Experience Industry Groups and Frameworks

Network

Troubleshooting

Infrastructure Management

Installations

Managed Services

am ngLabelling

VisualizationCommunication

ase n ng

Change Process

SkillsAwareness Toolsets


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Chan e is ConstantInformation requirements force technical change

Information and Data

Applications

Virtual

Hardware

Physical Infrastructure

Infrastructure responds to change


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Chan e Affects Mana ementGovernance & control force organizational change

RegulatorsSecurityOperationsProjects Management

Do it faster Consolidate

/ Optimize

Change

Records

No

Downtime!

Data Loss

costs Reporting

Partitioning Use of

Partners

Prevention

Physical Infrastructure Management

Practice and processes are impacted


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How Do We Co e? Adopt industry best practices where they exist

Ensure clarity on roles and practices

Make the complexity easier to manage

Clear naming, labelling and documentation

Reduce the number of data sets needed for governance and control


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The Case StudTwo data centers (co-lo)

- approx 400 rac s

- 36200 fiber/copper connections

- 5800 patches

- 600 servers

4 spreadsheets inventory + connectivity per DC

Im just over loaded and can t get others to understand

(>1.8 million cells) + >6000 other spreadsheets

Maintained by a data center manager no onsite staff


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1. Is every device in the data centers or equipment rooms currently documented,

along with how it is connected in a system that supports both planning and

operations information needs? NO

2. Does existing connectivity documentation for data centers and shared equipment

rooms use consistent naming conventions across all locations, devices and

connections? DONT KNOW

. re up ates to nventory an connect v ty ata up cate n sprea s eets,

diagrams and databases in a consistent way? PARTIALLY

When planning choices are confirmed

When devices are added / removed

With changes in backbone cabling or patching

4. Can detailed work packages be created for internal or external engineers, without

,


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The Im act On O erations Increasing project costs and delays

ver oa ng o ey eng neers n v ua s

Reverse engineering with workshops, site surveys, etc

The human factor (guess, assume, worry, forget, etc.)

Strategic initiatives often limited in scope and benefit

Asset mana ement doesnt reall hel DC mana ement

Localised attempts to retain/manage knowledge of

confi urations s readsheets, dia rams


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Information SetsDocuments

Project plans

Design and specifications

Commissioning documents / contractsManuals and procedures

Lists

Inventory actual and planned

Connectivity paths, end points

Capacity space, power, connectivity

Support warranty, maintenance

Backbone cabling - physical, logical

Topology Network, SAN, voice, power

Layouts - Floor plans, racks, cable tray

or ow anges, n er aces


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Re uestin a Connection -1SW-BHAM-09

Device DeviceConnection

Port Port23

CAT6A CopperNIC 1

Device Port Connection Port Device

SW-BHAM-09 23 To be filled in by DC team NIC 1 UK_BIRM_BLADE-03

This was the initial spreadsheet used to capture connectivity requests


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Re uestin a Connection -2SW-BHAM-09

Device DeviceConnection

Port Port23

CAT6A CopperNIC 1

Device Port Connection Port Device

SW-BHAM-09 23 To be filled in by DC team NIC 1 UK_BIRM_BLADE-03

Room RoomPort Type Colour Port Type

PositionMake

Model

Asset Number

PositionMake

Model

Asset Number

VLAN

Connection typeLength

VLAN

The spreadsheet justIP A ress IP A ressw u w


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Namin & Labellin


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Ports and ConnectionsEquipment use the physical label?

Port name

- 1 or 01 or 001?

- 2/1 2\1 2/01 SL2/1 Port 2/1 Gig 2/1 Fe2/1 Slot 2/09

- Mgmt MGT Con Console ILO Net Mgmt-

Cable Labels

1) port 2) local devices 3) end devices4) full path 5) cable unique id 6) path unique ID


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And Which Cablin To olo ?Top Of Rack

1 to 5 patches


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Multi- ath O tionsNetwork

N01

Zone A

N02

Zone B

N03

Zone C

N04

Zone D

ac s

- - - -- - - -

01-06 07-12 13-18 19-24 01-06 07-12 13-18 19-24

RACK

A01

RACK

A02

Server Racks


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Ver Multi- ath

One rack @ 6 Units = 288 modules = 1728 ports


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So Increase The S readsheet SizeDevice Port Patch PPA

Port

Patch

Panel

Back

to

Patch

Panel

PPB

Port

Patch Port Device

A Back B

A 23 05 AA AC 05 NIC 1 B

Room

Rack

Room

Rack

Port Type

S eed

Colour

Cable Label

Port Type

S eed

Port Type

S eed

Port Type

S eed

Type

Len th

Colour

Cable Label

Room

Rack

Room

Rack

Position

Make

Model

Asset Number

IP Address

Position

Make

Model

Asset Number

IP Address

VLAN Type

Length

VLANType

Length

Position

Make

Model

Position

Make

Model

Contact

Purpose

Request date

Work number

Path reference

Scheduled date

The spreadsheet data has now

u u

Project Code / Ref

Path length

grown to up to 60 columns

wide


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But With Structured Wirin4. Services3. Service2. Zone and1. Cabinet

PresentationPatchingBackbone CablingPatching

Network

Patch PatchPatch

Patch

Panel

Panel PanelPanel

Copper

Storage

KVMPatch

Panel

Patch

Panel Fiber

It makes sense to present services in patch panels


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Expand The Spreadsheet(s) a Bit More

P A BTo

B P C BTo

D P E Bto

A 23 05 AA AB 05 13 25 B3/04 3/04 B

Switch Ports

Presented

In Patch Panel

As common practice is to present Core

infrastructure services at cross

connects.

So you may be connecting to a service

,


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Define Active Device NaminDevice Name

1) Logical Name US-SW-DC02-03P

FANSTATUS

1

WS-X6K-SUP1A-2GE

SUPERVISOR1

STATUS

SYSTEM

ACTIVE

PWRMGMT

RESET

CONSOLE

DTE/DCE

SWITCH LOAD

100%

1%

PORT1

P CM CI A E JE CT

PORT 2

LINK

LINK

SW-BHAM-CORE1.Card1

2) Type of device / location Cisco 6509 DC02-B03-U2

3) Asset Number Asset HW0078732

2

3

4

5

6

SW-BHAM-CORE1.Card3

STATUS

WS-X6748-GE-TX47

48

37

38

35

36

25

26

23

24

13

14

11

12

1

2

48 P O R T

12119 107 85 63 41 2 24232

1 2219 2017 1815 1613 14 363533 3431 3229 3027 2825 26 48474

5 4643 4441 4239 4037 38

10/100/1000

GEMOD

FABRICENABLED

RJ45

SW-BHAM-CORE1.Card4

STATUS

WS-X6748-GE-TX47

48

37

38

35

36

25

26

23

24

13

14

11

12

1

2

48 P O R T

12119 1 07 85 63 41 2 242

321 2219 2017 1815 1613 14 363533 3431 3229 3027 2825 26 484

745 4643 4441 4239 4037 38

10/100/1000

GEMOD

FABRICENABLEDRJ45

SW-BHAM-CORE1.Card5

Device component Switch CardUS-SW-DC02-03P Card3

Cisco 6509 DC02-B03-U2.Slot03

C6509-E-FAN

7

8

9

WS-C6509-E

INPUT1100-240V~16A60/50Hz

INPUT1100-240V~16A60/50Hz

SW-BHAM-CORE1.Card9

Asset HW0078737

1

FANOK

OUTPUTFAIL

2

INPUTOK

SWITCH MUSTBE IN OFF O POSITION TO INSTALL/

REMOVE POWER SUPPLY. FASTENER MUST BE FULLY

ENGAGED PRIOR TO OPERATING POWER SUPPLY.

CISCOSYSTEMS,INC.

INPUT2100-240V~16A60/50Hz

INSTAL

L

RUN

1

FANOK

OUTPUTFAIL

2

INPUTOK

SWITCH MUST BE IN OFF O POSITION TO INSTALL/

REMOVE POWER SUPPLY. FASTENER MUST BE FULLY

ENGAGED PRIOR TO OPERATING POWER SUPPLY.

CISCOSYSTEMS,INC.

INPUT2100-240V~16A60/50Hz

INSTAL

L

RUN

SW-BHAM-CORE1

UX-NY0445-PROD

HP BL685C BLNY05-DC02-B03-U2.Slot03

Asset HW0078143


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Just Make the S readsheet Bi er!P A B

ToB P C B

ToD P E B

to

A 23 05 AA AB 05 13 25 3

/04

3/

04

B

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

17

18

19

20

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

17

18

19

20

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

17

18

19

20

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

17

18

19

20

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

21

22

23

24

21

22

23

24

21

22

23

24

21

22

23

24

The spreadsheet(s) become un-manageablea) Too many blank cells

b) Too big to easily comprehend and checkc) Updating is a nightmare to ensure consistency and accuracy

d) Lots of manual cutting/pasting to other spreadsheets


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And To Mana e The Re uestData Center New

Equipment Equipment

Placement

Equipment Positioning

Y

New

Infrastructure

?

Assess

Space /Power

Connectivity

N

N

Allocate

location

Create

Work Order

New

Infrastructure

Build

Design

Install

Allocate

location

Path(s)

Allocate

PP ports

Create

Work Order

Install

& Test

Patch

& Test Path

Allocate

Resources

Patch to

Equipment

Installed

And Working

ew n ras ruc ure

Connectivity

Test


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Define Infrastructure Namin1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 249 10 1 1 1 2 13 1 4 1 5 1 61 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 249 10 1 1 1 2 13 1 4 1 5 1 6

AB

B03-ABB03-5

US-NY-DC05-H1-B03-508

09

10

11

12

08

09

10

11

12

AB/

AB/

AB/

AB/

AB/

BC/

BC/

BC/

BC/

BC/

CD/

CD/

CD/

CD/

CD/

24 Port Copper Patch Panel

PP B03-AB-U5

PP B03-AB-U5 to H07-AC-U2

PP B03-AB-U5 to H07-AC-U2/H06-AG-U9

PPC B03-AB-U5 to H07-AC-U2:Ports 01 to 24

01

02

03

04

05

06

01

02

03

04

05

06

AB/

AB/

AB/

AB/

AB/

AB/

AB/

BC/

BC/

BC/

BC/

BC/

BC/

BC/

CD/

CD/

CD/

CD/

CD/

CD/

CD/

288 Port Fibre Panel

or e ec onAB-A Ports 1-6H07-AC-B Ports 7-12

PCI AB-A Ports 1-6 to H07-AC-B Port 7-126 Copper RJ45 Ports

AC-03B Ports 1-6

PFI B03-AB-03B Ports 1-6 to H07-AC-12A Ports 1-6

6 Fiber LC Ports


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Infrastructure Data Issues1. Names and labelling of devices, ports, patch panels are often

inconsistent. Keep them as simple as possible.

Use external standards if helpful TIA606B, TIA942

As equipment vendors use various names for ports, decide on your standard

Labels and administration identifiers may be different!

2. Working practices will dictate when an update is carried out

Re uest desi n issue desi n docs make chan e com lete

A spreadsheet will be locked by one user, so look at a database option

Capacity reporting, device views

Diagrams Rack layout, backbone architectures


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In PracticeIn an estate of about 400 racks

32, 000 copper / 22, 000 fiber backbone connections

9,000 paths

,

Master spreadsheet(s) with connection paths 9,000 rowsMaster spreadsheet(s) for backbone 54,000 rows

Approx. 4000 change spreadsheets identified 300,000 rows

Switch ort allocations a tab er switch /card 16,000 rows

San switch port allocations a tab per SAN switch

Plus asset list(s), 800 rack layouts, backbone diagrams


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Some Reasons To Chan e

Faster implementation time demanded

Improve switch resource utilisation Service provider / partner labor costs

Individual overload / resignation

Failed audit / compliance

Fewer accidents mistakes

Upgrades / refurbishment

Physical connectivity data highlights the current understanding of inventory

and dependency. An easy target for auditors!


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In Hindsi ht

1. Maybe a spreadsheet wasnt the best way to start

- It gives structure, but isnt best suited to data center connectivity

- Loading a database is 3 spreadsheets - 1)racks 2)devices 3)connections

2. One day you will have to establish a baseline inventory and

maintain it before you can manage connectivity- Inaccuracies in data / naming are often present in other systems

- Without resolving naming issues, audits/ data capture may be wasted

3. Managing connectivity has to cope with the real world

- Complex device build switches, servers, cabling distribution, pre-

term nate cassettes, , own re, verse pat s, etc.


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The Bi er Picture Think Forward

Physical locations

Physical connectivity Logical connectivity

Rac capacity

Port capacity

Asset lists Project plans

Work orders

Monitoring toolsets


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Reducin Data Sets Tomorrow

Excel Visio

Floor box list Floor plan

Patch panel list Backbone cabling diagram

Inventory Network diagram

Inventory Rack diagram

Inventory Server connectivity diagram


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Exam le Link Visio to Data

Embed device / link data

Standard Visio Feature!


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A More Strate ic A roach

Infrastructure

Database(s)

&

Reporting


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In Summary - When?

1. Every device in the data center and how it is connected is currently documented

2. Updates to inventory and connectivity data are duplicated in spreadsheets,

When devices are added / removed

With changes in backbone cabling or patching

3. Detai e wor pac ages or ata center c anges can e create or interna or

external engineers, without visiting site beforehand or being there during

changes.

4. Current connectivity documentation for data centers and shared equipment

rooms uses consistent naming conventions across all locations, devices and

connections


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Additional Material

www.tiaonline.org ANSI/TIA568C, ANSI/TIA606B, ANSI/TIA942

www.bicsi.org ANSI/BICSI-002

www.squaremilesystems.comFree SMS Visio utilities Downloads and videos

Webinars/videos Visio automation, documenting cabling, etc.

www.assetgen.comEvaluation software Free DCIM/CMS evaluation version

,

Avoiding Being Overwhelmed

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