Cable Management

The minimum radius that a 50-micron cable can be bent under full tensile load is 5.1 cm (2 in.). For a cable under no tensile load, that minimum is 3.0 cm (1.2 in.). Cables can be organized and managed in a variety of ways, for example, using cable channels on the sides of the rack or patch panels to minimize cable management. Following is a list of additional recommendations:

• Plan for the required rack space for cable management before installing the switch.
• Leave at least 1m (3.28 ft) of slack for each port cable. This slack provides room to remove and replace the switch, allows for inadvertent movement of the rack, and helps prevent the cables from being bent to less than the minimum bend radius.
• If you are using Brocade ICL Trunking, consider grouping cables by trunking groups. The cables used in trunking groups must meet specific requirements, as described in the Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide.
• For easier maintenance, label the fiber-optic cables and record the devices to which they are connected.
• Keep LEDs visible by routing port cables and other cables away from the LEDs.
• Do not route the cables in front of air vents.
• Use Velcro-type straps to secure and organize fiber-optic cables.
• Route the cables away from LEDs to keep them visible.
• The cable management finger assemblies attach to the chassis on either side of the port side of the chassis and allow for simple cable management. The cable management finger assemblies can be installed without service disruption.