In the Field - I was working with a project team installing over 100 Cisco switches across three towers. Daunting as that is, it was also an active construction site, which means power is not reliable and in some cases and no elevators were available.
In this blog we will go over a quick tip that may be useful when installing multiple switches.
The project was for me and another consultant to rack and configure as many switches as we could within a three week period. The contractor I was working with was not too interested in installing the equipment (I appreciated his honesty), so we did one rack together so he can at least see what is involved.
Being more seasoned, I volunteered to rack the remaining switches and he could configure them, which was the short end of the stick from my perspective. Racking the switches involved physically retrieving the equipment from the storage room in the basement, transporting it to the relevant floors, unboxing, installing, labelling, discarding the empty boxes and wrapping the equipment with bags to protect against dust. If we had power, the other consultant configured the equipment. If we didn’t have power, we noted it and moved on.
The next day the project manager asked me if I would be able to manage the project since the other consultant would not be in that day. I asked what exactly he was talking about. He thought the two of us were racking the switches on all the floors. I chuckled and explained that one person can do it. The project manager was shocked and said that he spoke to a few network analysts and all of them said it was a two person job. He then asked if I mind showing him exactly how it did it.
As you may know, the little tips you pick up tend to go a long way. Some people call it a “lifehack,” “a hack,” but I prefer a tip or trick.
Check out this “Quick Tip” on Installing Multiple Cisco Switches:
What I couldn’t show you in the video is that it doesn’t matter if you need to install one or five switches, it the same process. The only difference is with more than one switch, start with the bottom one and use the existing switch as a shelf to support the new switch and work your way up.
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