Get On, Clip In, Fall Off

Tools for the machine room

Having preached recently about (among other things) the need for every machine room to have a toolbox, here are some further pontifications about exactly what tools should be in that box. I write this because a lot of pre-cooked tool kits are just not right for this application - rinky-dinky PC toolkits don't have the heavy stuff and the big screwdrivers while more mechanically-minded toolkits don't have the stuff needed to navigate the intricate innards of computers. I'll admit that sometimes it is tempting to repair a computer with a lump hammer, but that's not always productive as far as getting the machine back into service quickly is concerned.

The other thing to take into account is the number of service engineers and other assorted technical types who'll turn up without their own tools, or without just the right size of screwdriver, or without the serial cable that's necessary to talk to the piece of kit they're here to fix. I've had this happen a number of times, owing to a combination of suppliers failing to supply their guys with the tools they need to do their jobs and service engineers, particularly in London where many of them get around by Tube, wanting to travel light.

What I'd recommend from experience is to buy a reasonably-sized toolbox with a lift-out tray. Don't get one that's briefcase-shaped and insists on every tool going in its own little elasticated loop, get one that's box-shaped which things can just be thrown into. Then buy one of those PC toolkits that comes in a wee zip-up case and chuck that in the bottom. This takes care of all the little nut-spinners and so on that are needed when working inside machines. Get one with an antistatic wrist strap (while the risks of static damage are at least slightly exaggerated, mostly by suppliers of anti-static wrist straps, these things are a sensible precaution to take whenever possible) and a soldering iron. You may never need the soldering iron, but if it comes to the crunch and you suddenly find you need one, you'll be glad it's there. Consider it to be an insurance policy.

Once you've done that, it's time to fill the box with the rest of the useful goodies you'll need:

• Lots of screwdrivers, preferably ones with comfortable grips. Large and small flat-blade and crosshead should do you - just make sure there are plenty of them. Screwdrivers disappear remarkably quickly. Some people suggest issuing everyone who asks with their Own Set Of Screwdrivers, but to me this seems far too anal, not to mention making it extremely likely that just when you need them all the screwdrivers will be locked in peoples' desk drawers. Easier to just have lots of them. Electrician's screwdrivers will hopefully never be needed for their insulating qualities but I find them comfortable to use as regular screwdrivers anyway, so you might as well get a set of those too.
• You might never need them, but get a set of Allen keys, jeweller's screwdrivers and TORX drivers as well. (If you have Macs in your workplace, I believe the indispensable tool is a TORX 8 driver). Chuck them in the bottom of the box.
• You will definitely need a pair of decent heavy-duty wirecutters, a Stanley knife and (if you don't strip wire with your teeth like I do, which is both irresponsible and dangerous) wire strippers.
• An RJ-45 crimping tool and the corresponding doodad for stripping Cat 5 will come in very useful - even if you have one already that's used for general work, keeping one in the machine room box is a good plan. Throw in a handful of blank RJ-45s and a couple of inline couplers as well. If you don't have the pinouts for straight and crossed patchcords embedded in your brain (I always forget how that weird twiddle in the middle works), consider printing them out and taping them inside the toolbox lid.
• Tape, tape and more tape. Get a few different colours of insulating tape and, if you have three-phase power, make sure you have the relevant phase colours. You might find gaffer tape and masking tape useful as well.
• For the heavier work, a pair of pliers, an adjustable spanner and a soft-blow hammer will be useful.
• Spare bits and pieces of rack-mounting hardware are essential - screws, washers, cage nuts (if your racks need them) and one of those springy steel cage-nut tools should be readily available.
• Cable ties of various sizes - both releasable nylon (cutting them off can be a pain) and Velcro for taming the cable jungle.
• It's unlikely that you'll have to replace any fuses now that MCBs are standard everywhere (the only fuse that's needed replacing in my machine room in the last three years was the 100A fuse in one of the output phases of the UPS), but having a few spare plug fuses is probably a good idea.

Other things I'd suggest having to hand in the machine room include:

• Spare SCSI cables for every SCSI connection standard in use at your site.
• A comprehensive collection of serial cables, labelled to indicate how they're wired. Serial cables are one of the biggest pain-areas in system administration, especially if you have a heterogenous mixture of hardware. If you haven't done it already, consider using something like the Yost Serial Device Wiring Standard to make life easier. If you do this, keep plenty of adaptors in stock. I do recommend considering putting the work in - it will make your life much, much easier in the long run.
• A few Cat 5 patchcords of various lengths (including at least one really long one) and, if you have space, a box of cable in case you need to make up anything special.
• Spare mains cables, extension cables and multiway blocks. When you really, really need one right now and there aren't any spares, you will understand why. Try and stash these somewhere that passing people who need one for their office won't nick them.
• If you have a raised floor, get two tile lifters rather than one. Anyone who's ever been working under the floor at the same time as anyone else with all the accompanying cries of "Who's got the tile lifter?" will understand why.
• Label stuff! Buy a labelling machine and use it religiously. Don't buy a really cheap one as you'll be using it a lot. Having inherited a machine room three years ago in which virtually nothing was labelled, I can't emphasise this enough.

I think that's just about everything. I've doubtlessly forgotten something or another - if I have, or if you think I'm just plain wrong, then feel free to comment.

Posted by mpk at May 17, 2004 12:48 PM | TrackBack