Same here... just clicked it because i was curious and stayed till the end. It was a joy, i feel happy and i don't know why... On to the next one... Subscribed!
You aren't paid enough. I'm an FAA certified A&P aircraft mechanic, Commercial Pilot, and Instructor of fifty years. Some of the dogs I've worked on and flown resemble that fiasco you faced, with a propeller attached to it. They say, "Even a barn door will fly if you have enough power!" After decades of DIYers thrashing that building, so many times folks just trying to get by try to perform feats that only passionate, driven, brilliant, committed, courageous folks like you, me, and just a few others can. I can tell how good a pilot one is just by how they walk up to the aircraft -- you present confidence and complete the work no matter what. I forgot how I found your video, but during my project here at home installing my networks from scratch, I got virtually nothing done, unable to keep from being glued to the display. And, you inspired me to adopt your method of eliminating punchdowns. Coincidentally, lol, I just used my punchdown tool from my netAdmin days at a huge conglomerate including 300 Toshiba laptops in the field, against a mainframe and Win and Novell 3.1.1, enormous liquid-cooled server farm with Halon fire suppression and the cleanroom atmosphere. It wasn't always like that, one college where I was IT Director, I opened the door to my server room to find towers and desktops laying in a big pile like a campfire in the corner! Thank you for doing the right thing by your clients, and taking the time to put your work out there for critiquing. I would've used a chainsaw.
Awesome! I got my start in the working world as an A&P and just slowly migrated to engineering, then IT, and ultimately the networking / cabling work. Thanks so much for your kind words.
I have no skill or knowledge in this area, but wanted to better understand what our IT guys go through. From the perspective of a non-technical person: great analytics, amazing explanation, and professional, clean result. I love seeing masters of their craft work, regardless of the industry. Great video, and yes, I watched the whole thing.
I'm studying for networking right now; this video so far has shown the application of the first few sections. It's really helpful to see the devices and processes invovled in setting this stuff up and also (thanks original installer) what not to do.
Is that professional? Such a mess in cable management can only be an Amateur. Going on here rare a mess and broken most of the standards. If I had such a mess in the server room, I would have been fired, in Russia such negligence is not acceptable.
"I have no skill or knowledge in this area, but wanted to better understand what our IT guys go through." If I could increase the number of people with that character trait with a wave of my hands, I would look as if I were clapping.
Good housekeeping begins with a good plan for organization, and stays that way by taking the time to keep it organized. The worst thing to do is do something half-assed, then vow to clean it up later when you have some time. That time may never come, or becomes a serious issue when it all becomes unmanageable.
This man is amazing. All companies should be so lucky to have him come in and fix all the garbage that "throw and goers" leave behind. This video is inspirational. I learned so much. Thank you for posting this.
I've been working in IT for over 20 years and this was an education in watching another engineers perspective. Thank you for going through that nightmare for the benefit of the rest of us that have an interest in this. Thoroughly enjoyed the process and before/after shots. Great work, and great choice on Ubiquiti!
"The security camera guy said to leave his stuff alone." Then later... "So here I replaced the switch for the security cameras and added a patch panel." Haha awesome :D
Yeah, I'm probably going to talk about this in a future Q & A video because many have noticed that! In all honesty, I took a risk doing that but that's just the kind of person I am. I'm not saying it's good -it can be downright reckless at times and has gotten me in a lot of trouble too. But I've also gotten a "crash course" in many systems because I broke them to start with!! In this case, I was fully confident that if they wanted me to put everything back the way it was with the camera system, I absolutely could.
@@FiberNinjaStudios Yeah I dont mess with other people stuff that say leave it alone. I might move it out of the way for a moment but in the end it will be like I found it and leave a card where they could find it after the see the cable management I did. This usually gets me a call back to fix their mess up too.
If you find the gear shaped settings icon in the lower right corner of the RU-vid window, you can speed the video up to 2x time while still maintaining the audio. Works wonders for this type of content.
WOW! I am not even in your business and I stayed until the end. With the knowledge you shared, I feel that I could be a halfway decent helper or wanna be apprentice. Great Job! Your customer has to be overjoyed with the difference between before and after. And your hinge point in the cabinet with the cable is pure genius. Thanks for the good documentation and excellent explanations. Especially the way you set the stage for the future technicians to come in and work. I wish more people thought like that.
WOW, I couldn't stop watching you take control of such a hopeless situation. The difference was night and day. Thank you for sharing your profession in this video. Inspiring to be sure.👍🙂
Was looking up video about patch panels. Came across your video here. I love the key stone patch panels. This video answers so many questions, I have had. Thank you for making it. Yes it's long but, I just watch it when I had time. Thanks again.
Great to hear! I've done another, shorter video about the panels but I think you're right in that seeing the panels implemented in a real-world environment goes a long way.
A Well articulated presentation , never felt I was watching for more than 60 mins non stop. A Key learning for me "do the job as if you need to service it" , a good saying.
When I started this video, I had no idea it was 2 hours long. By the time I realized it, I committed to watching straight through. I loved the final cable management. Bravo
Wow, what a night and day difference. Those runs at the end, so clean. I'd like to see an fresh new install done by you to see how it should have been done from the start.
Thanks!! It was truly a satisfying thing to step back after months of overnight visits to see the finished result. OOOOoo it would be so nice to do an install from the start but I almost never get the opportunity. Hopefully I'll get a chance this year and get it recorded on this channel for you all to enjoy!
I used to be a cable and wire installer/electronics technician, and now I am a Network Engineer... My OCD pegged when I first started watching this video. There were so many points of failure and poor patches in the current environment that I'm surprised they didn't have massive problems much sooner. Great job fixing everything and making it look and function better.
I liked the full video length. Helped to see that this process takes a long time when you're doing it right! I also learned some stuff thanks to your calm explanations
This was an amazing video. I watched it in its entirety. I felt like I was in my structured cabling classes from college all over again. This was art at its finest. Great detail, thorough explanation, and patience. Great job, FiberNinja! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
I don't mind cleaning up stuff like this but when the owner starts going "you are not allowed to touch this part or that part, etc", I'll pass. It's either everything or nothing.
Chris Go it wouldn't cost them anything. I was implying that I would rip out all the parts of the network and reinstall it. The reason he did this so is because the office was active so he could not have any downtime.
I know right!!! I haven't worked on anything nearly as bad, but when I get my computer (and other people's computers) and fix the cables, it is so rewarding!!! But I have a smaller budget, so sometimes I can't get done what I want too. Stupid best-buy... Charging $20 for a stupid adapter. RIP OFF!!! Spent $60 on 3 things. The adapter, an extension cable (6 ft) and an HDMI cable (12 foot, I think). I did this so I can reach the power and HDMI to my third monitor for my PC, but has to run in a diagonal line, B-lining straight for the PC because the other cables are too short, haha!
"Just leave my equipment alone" How about you learn how to do your job properly? Great work cleaning up the cabling and that rack. I would have thrown that CCTV group under the biggest bus at mach seventeen. That PoE hack is totally unacceptable.
I had a smile because I had a friend that temporarily did that same thing with poe until he got an injector and I recognized what the dude here did instantly but then I remembered one of the 3 cables got fucked while he wasn't at home and my friend lost the camera looking in the yard. So go figure.
This is typical. And it's more than often not the installer's fault. It's just far more complex than that. What is the worst here is that building owner doesn't recognize the value in fixing it up while the "clean-up" crew is there doing this work. Some installers cut corners just because that's how they work. Others do it only when they absolutely have to. The latter is imho ok, but should be cleaned up when there is an oportunity. The first one earns little respect with both clients and IT professionals and should consider a different practice. Correct cable runs makes things so WAY much easier in the long run. Shortcuts always bites your ass when Murphy comes out to play.
@@LifeOnHoth Agreed, alot of times the customer just doesn't want to spend the money, those on the custom POE injector were cameras(shitty off brand ones) that use a non POE/+ compliant voltage or pinout. When the original adapter/NVR fails you have to replace them all together or improvise. And obviously if they wont pay for a few cameras they certainly weren't going to pay for a new NVR/POE switch. That perfectly explains the hack job and what the camera guy said because he probably has it all working perfectly and doesn't want to have to deal with a headache customer because an installer altered his setup. I've done this, I've dealt with this and I've came behind this. Some customers are a trip, they will pay one company $10,000 for some VoIP phone but then turn away from spending a few grand on upgrading their camera setup... This is usually fixed by a "told-you-so to the customer after something is stolen and they cannot get decent footage because they cheaped out.
Yes, 2 hours is long, but I never contemplated skipping a single second. I'm the type of person who is instantly defeated by a task if the scale of work required is beyond my attention span. I like to get in and get out, otherwise I don't take it on. Call me lazy, or whatever, but the way you planned this job and broke it down into smaller, more managable tasks was educational and therapeutic. I subbed :)
This video brought back a lot of memories. I used to do this work about 10 years ago. The jobs that let you take your time and do beautiful work, were few and far between. Most of the time it was, you had this amount of time, here is what you will use, and don't miss the deadline. You did the best you could with what you were given. But the times when you were allowed to design, brought out the best and most prideful jobs I did. I'm in a different field now, but I do miss some aspects of that work.
@ADEBISI ADEBISI Can someone please block or report this bastard? Him being an ignorant twat and not appreciating the work and genius gone into this video should NOT be OUR problem!
I know this video is a few years old now but I just found it. Watched straight through. Studying for my CCNA and now I see how a professional network cabinet should look. Awesome job! Subbed and waiting for the next time you turn a rat's nest into a work of art.
Definitely a long watch, but to be honest, every minute of it was fascinating at how you dealt with issues as you came across them. Great job, and the final result looks great.
You sound like someone with a rather high degree of self-awareness --like, maybe 100% awareness!! LOL So glad you liked it! Hopefully I'll be doing a few larger cleanup jobs in the near future to highlight.
Worth every moment. Learned a ton! Rare to encounter someone with so many talents who is also super mindful of his thought processes AND can convey them in an engaging, informative way. No blaming. No cursing. No passing the buck. And no talking down to your viewers. Exquisite work of a grandmaster. Bravo!
after getting my net+ and working on sec+ soon onto ccna, i loved watching this. thanks for taking the time! i loved seeing your blackberry classic too :) made me cry thinking about my old passport!
i've watched the entire video in 1 take and i have to say you deserve it, really great job and nice to see people these days working like this. Really well done
Well congratulations!! You are a trooper. You know, you have a point there. I remember a few months ago I was on a conference call with a dispatcher I used to work with doing circuit extensions for businesses. We are required to clearly tag the cables we install and put some very specific information on the label. They started implementing requiring the techs to put their name and the date of install on the tags. I can clearly still hear the supervisor saying, "If you have a problem with putting your name on the tag, maybe you need to do a better job with your wiring." I knew exactly what he was alluding to. These installers were so sloppy it was embarrassing to see. But when you're paid a flat fee no matter how long it takes (within reason), you will work as fast as possible to get it working and run out of there as fast as possible.
I see. But you solve issues that also were not related to your specific job, like securing the frame of the door, put guard on the back of the rack, build a frame around the hvac sys and so on, and that's how you make the difference between a job done and a job well done ( i assume you did for documentation as well ). One question is do you like to work with ubiquiti stuff ? I work with them and i love the quality of the products and also the easy mantainance that they have :) Keep up your great work my friend :)
Well, it was somewhat related to my job --in this case the job was a blanket objective of making the environment better, more professional, and easier to maintain. Regarding Ubiquiti equipment, I LOVE them! From the first AP I installed, I fell in love with their products. I also see that they are constantly improving. In just 1 generation, great leaps in quality, features, and performance are gained. I think Ubiquiti is making a lot of other networking companies nervous!!
Bra. I do this for a living and lemme tell you... this is the worst work I've ever seen done to a biulding!!! You did an amazing job fixing it up! Takes major patients
Yep. Part of is lack of time/patience/knowledge/foresight/and/or laziness. I work in K-12 IT and a lot of our data cabinets are terrible. We've had many techs over the past nearly 20 years come and go and no one seems to take the time or have the time to clean out the cabinets and use the shortest length patch cable as possible. We're slowly working on it but it is incredibly tedious process especially since we have over 60 data cabinets district wide. Its a lot of work and we don't always have enough time to do it as we get random last-minute projects thrown at us regularly.
Thank you (seriously) for leaving it a single video. It was very helpful to see how others are doing this kind of work, especially the cable management. So again, thank you!
Great video Thanks for sharing. This is a perfect example of what older buildings look like for cable management a nightmare/disaster. The problem starts with the contractors that are used to setup services such as telephony (voice), data and security camera's. It's not all setup by one company, each has a different methodology to get the service up an running. I have seen patch work of cables spliced in where all are tied to the same battery backup and circuit breaker. This is why businesses need to invest in their own IT staff that has experience in telecom, cabling, routing and switching. It's a better investment than to have your routers and switches sitting on "shoe boxes" and server bezels still in plastic bubble wrap with the key still attached.
So what I would like to see you do is get a tri-pod, set your camera and show us how you dress-up/comb cables ! Would you do this in one of your next videos ?
And about the length of the video, I don't mind a 2 hour long video as long as it's informative. The way you shot this video and explained the work you've done, why you've done it and so on is really good. As for cutting it up into multiple parts, eh, I don't know. I'd say 1x120min is better than 12x10min, a giant project deserves a giant video, however it's a double edged sword. On the other hand 1x120min vs 12x10min is potato potato after the project is complete (video released/all parts released), but on the other hand some people might not have the patience to wait for the next part (and lose a view) or some people might just go "oh lord, 2 hour long video, I don't have time for this, gdbye" (and lose a view). And another thing is of course the subscriber base, some people expect regular videos while some don't. So I guess it's up to you.
I got a kick out of how in the beginning of the video you said "we were told by the security camera guy to please leave my stuff alone" -- haha.. Great video, I cant believe I stayed up this late to watch the whole thing. New sub here, thanks for the videos. =)
LOL, yeah I have to laugh at my own words on that one. Mind you, I'm a bit of a risk taker and tearing into that system was a bit of a risk. While I'm pretty confident I could put the old system back together if they didn't go for it, many here would agree that it was a risky move fraught with problems that could have arisen. Thanks for the compliments and GET SOME SLEEP!!
RU-vid FINALLY recommended something worthy of watching :D I must admit, I was saying, "What the fuck?!' A LOT when you were doing the site recon >.< You may need to clean out their server or old UPS as well.. it sounds like it was struggling >.< Watched the whole 2 hours of it.... loved it :D Subbed, hope to learn more in the future ;)
Awesome to hear that I found another subscriber that likes my content!! You were probably hearing the sound of the cooling fans running in the wall-mounted Adtran broadband modem (CPE). That damn thing would kick on and off randomly and occasionally scare me because I'd be moving cables around when suddenly a fan would turn off. I'd wonder if I had caused something to turn off for a moment and then realize it was just that stupid thing.
FiberNinja Hey - I like your video too. Same opinion - many videos in RU-vid but most shows a photo before and after. Talks long time about this and that but never show it self! But you should talk it clearer that the company self not stop to work. So you can not cut off all conections. But what you forget to show in your video - you re-connect all wall-mounted blue cables from the offices?
Nice! In my work I have absolutely nothing to do with cabeling. But I really like neat and hidden cabels in my house where I have puny ethernet network. You inspire. Thanks!
Well this is a shocker! Not only did I think no one would watch a 2 hour video about cable management that work in the industry (I was wrong) but to hear that someone that doesn't even work in cabling watched this video is amazing!! Thanks for the encouragement!!
That is a lot of useful information. Thank You. I was cleaning some cables at the reception, couple of desks and a rack recently and appreciate the mess You were fighting with.
Wonderful job, you deserve praise. I hope the hard work was appreciated. The end result has removed so much risk and simplified future upgrades, management and troubleshooting. Outstanding result 👌
Very tidy job! It may have been cool when you extended the cctv runs, to use a different colour cat6 cable so at a glance, you could differentiate the data vs cctv runs when servicing the back of the rack 😊
I would love to have seen this as 4 videos. You would have had 4 times as many views. This was excellent and made me a subscriber. Your work is fantastic.
Thanks a lot!! I'm with you actually. It was a ton of work just editing it all and I was so very hesitant to put it up there in one continuous blob. I had NO idea it would be this well received but in the future I'll definitely be releasing the longer ones in 2 different formats -being a "chapterized" broken up format, and the one, continuous video. I have my doubts I would have sat through a 2 hour video like this myself --but then again, I watch hour long videos all the time that have NOTHING to do with my work. Hell, I watch Abom's videos about large scale machining work that I have never done and never will. It's just fascinating to watch another person working and explaining all the ins and outs of their work. Thanks for the input and for the compliments
I think there are benefits to both long and chapterized, a positive with it being broken up is that they see the first one and stay to see the next, and there will be not as long as a wait in between videos, but at the same time, I love watching the long versions as it gives me a whole blob of information for me to absorb without going back over and over to remember what happened. Can't wait until the Network Tutorial coming up!!! Heard some great rumors!
Great Video! A true thorough work through a big mess to show and explain why things need to be done and fixed up and the importance of keeping things organized in a universal way as much as possible! Great job! Loved it!
Your videos explain how it really is working in IT. I just found you and subbed. I will agree with someone else and say make short videos on each topic, But I love your videos. It really amazes me how people do this bad of a job. It really makes the rest of us look bad. anyways great job on the rebuild I know that was a headache!
You are absolutely right about topics! I think I cover a lot of topics over a 2 hour period that people either don't care about or already know and it would be nice to have them separated into individual videos. I think for the next super-long project I put together, I'll do both formats. You are SOOOO right about shoddy workmanship making the rest of us look bad. I also understand that when a tech walks into a mess like that and just has a small job to do there, they're not going to stop all they're doing and rebuild it. I can easily see how a poorly managed network can evolve into a mess like this simply because there's no money for it and no one sees the need. --The fact that networks built this poorly work at all is the problem! A rats nest of a network rack will still work just fine until something breaks -and even then it's hard to see that spending thousands on a repair would have been any less if they had already spent thousands to minimize repair work in the future (if the work is ever needed). Tough all around. I pretty much expect to walk into a mess everywhere I go. That way I'm pleasantly surprised when it's actually a nice build! Thanks for the comments and input! It certainly was a big learning experience and had it's fair share of headaches. But truthfully, it was a joy to be able to tear it down and build it back exactly the way I would have wanted it. It's such a rare chance to get and I can't wait to go through another forest like this again!!
This is amazing. I'm having a difficult time placing your job description. Electrician? Low-voltage contractor? Network engineer? Carpenter? Producer of raw awesome? You have quite the hat collection going on if I do say so myself. I'm an IT guy by day, and I have always been under the impression that terminating runs with RJ-45 ends is not compliant with "category" standards (cat5e, cat6a, etc.), and that the runs must be punched down to maintain the standard that the wire is rated for and likely would not pass a cable run certification if terminated otherwise. I'm also assuming that making the existing runs pass certification would be next to impossible in this scenario as to get all of these lines certified would require all of the pre-existing lines to be completely pulled out / abandoned and new lines to be run, since the old ones had all been cut. I think the way you spliced them here is the most reliable and cleanest way they could have been brought back into service given the scenario. This brings me to my actual question. If one were to run entirely new cables, are the double female keystone style patch panels up to specification? Or is one required to use the punch-down type to maintain the standard? I really like the kind that you used here, and would enjoy the flexibility and ease of service that they offer. Just a thought. Keep the long videos coming, you just earned my subscription. 5 star quality videos right here.
Great to hear you like it!! I'm certainly going to try and keep them coming. It's not going to be as frequent as some of these weekly guys but I'll put together as much as I possibly can!
now that's a man you would want to hire who really loves his job and makes sureeverything he got his hands on was improved even if it wasn't his scope of work.
19:29 These are the messes I love to fix. It drives me nuts to see cables all over the place like at this location. Love the testing tools :) 25:59 WOW1 What a huge mess. This makes me so mad to know that person was paid when I'm not when I would never make or leave such a mess. Again I would love to clean this up for sure. 1:00:39 If they come from China then I would rather make them myself. Then again, I'm different being that I love to learn by doing everything because that is the only way I have access to it. Being a girl I was never offered any access to this kind of cool stuff so whenever I could get my hands on tools to make things, fix things, etc. it was, and still is, exciting to get that chance to do it. The point is that it all depends on the person doing the job as to why they would want to make the cables or not.
just found you and subbed. I'm a network tech. I'm very OCD on cable tidy etc. I take professionalism in my job. I make every effort to keep my client happy. I don't mind the 2 hour vid. it shows all the length without any cuts. it makes allot of sense. I know the hours I've put in like overnights and weekends etc. been there and done that lol
Well that's encouraging to hear! I'm getting mixed feedback on the long format so the next major one like this will probably be in both formats. Great to hear your attitude towards this stuff. It seems like there are so few of us in the world right now!
absolutely. very few of us actually do it right. I've seen worse. like those under the floorboards etc. how rude lol. I would be offended if that was me doing that. I would kill myself! I hate that. I would rip it all out and start new. So I would be satisfied that it is done right. most of my clients were not forthcoming on spending that kind of money until I explained how much of downtime and having to pay IT to fix it time and time over. it usually wins the argument! lol
(sigh) it's still a hard sell to convince most clients I've dealt with to spend the kind of money that gets this kind of result. It's tough because the network has actually "worked" for years. They just don't know how much of a house of cards they're living in and how much they've already spent just repairing it over the years. Still, when I get the chance and the time is right, it's a beautiful thing to complete something like this! Thanks Josh and it's so warming to hear fellow network techs out there that take pride in their work!
FiberNinja another thing, why don't you consider GoPro and have it mounted on your head and another camera on tripod. you can get two views same time, drop the clips in between your video clips. That would increase your subscriber angle and views. just a idea! :) I'm thinking of doing that myself too.
Very nice job, my heart sank when I saw that huge mass of cut blue cable :o( I guess it depends on the client's long term plans, but do you think terminating all of those cut cables in the sub-floor into a patch cabinet, then bringing them all up to the main one above would be the way forward here? Also, I agree with the person below saying about the length. Don't cut anything, but it would be nice to have a part 1/part 2 rather than two hours. It's 01:30 here now and I've just finished watching! No fibre in this one for the ninja though!
Aw man, I got so happy when I found that huge bundle of cut cables! It meant I had a good idea where most everything was ending up. I thought about trying to patch in all the lines that were there but the fact was that the the current business running there would NEVER need that many drops in the building. It will be far less expensive to simply call me back out if / when they want an extra drop re-activated than to splice them all in. I think we may have used around 10% of what's still there. One of the owners told me that when they were first taking over the building, there was a lot of bad blood between the former tenant that they pretty much think they went in and cut the cables that far away from the racks out of spite. They spent another $4,000 just to get some other tech to come in and do the terrible job I eventually tore out! Yeah, if any new projects get that long, I'm probably going to publish several formats at the same time. I personally watch very little content that is this long (but I certainly have in the past if it was very compelling). I also usually watch RU-vid for either entertainment OR answering a question. For the latter, I want VERY short videos that get right to the point. I may start making videos like that in the near future as well! Thanks so much for the kind words and feedback!
One of the things I have noticed in other areas is that there can be a lot of short videos that linger long after the details are out of date, It happens more with software than with hardware. But it would be worth putting a bit of timing-relevant info in the description. Most of this is pretty timeless, but on this one I think I would have mentioned the Keystone patch panels, and a rough idea of how old the network was.
this video was amazing. unlike other networking vids. your video explain why, how, and techniques to doing things properly. I subbed and thumbed up. PS whoever disliked this video needs to get a knuckle sandwich. nothing but quality info in the vid
LOL!! Well I was getting worried there that no one would ever post a dislike on my videos. It's about damn time!! If I don't upset someone with my content, I'm probably doing something wrong. Thanks so much for the compliments! I was soooo unsure about this one as it was so long and covered so many points that I was afraid that it would be too scrambled and not focus on a single aspect. Glad to know you liked it!!
I still watch this video and my mind is blown how technicians did such half assed jobs all over the place. Also you do everything! insane how much you can do I hope you can get some more work in crazy places during covid. You work best when you're reckless!
its a beaut to behold a true master involved in his work like this, the amount of research for a better solution and troubleshooting to figure out what goes where in terms of cables and racks, dunno what it cost the customer but that kinda work is something that sells itself, for ease of followups later/new lines and maintenance/troubleshooting later. wonderful to watch and excellent explanation and reasoning :)
You really need to make more videos like this! I know its a lot of work, of course, but man.. These are so interesting and fun to watch - yeah, I'm a nerd ;) So when you feel like it, please do more videos like this! Don't take me wrong, I like your recent ones as well.. But you know ;)
It is my hope that I can generate enough Patreon support to do this full time. At that point I think we could offer to do jobs like this for zero labor costs and have some sort of lottery to determine the next recipient.