S 5.144 Removal of IT cabling

Initiation responsibility: Head of IT

Implementation responsibility: Building Services Manager

When IT cabling is definitively not needed any more, it must be properly removed. While the tertiary cabling is often used for as long as the building itself, with the secondary cabling and the internal cabling in server and technology rooms, the existing cables are more frequently replaced by higher performance cables.

Unfortunately, the old cables are often not actually removed when new cables are installed, but the new cables are often simply placed on top of the old cables. This applies to cable trays, and especially to raised floors. Such practices make it more difficult to locate cables and increase the existing fire loads. In addition, the reduced flow of air may cause climate control problems afterwards. It is therefore recommendable to plan the allocation of cables to cable trays in consideration of possible later removal and checking of the new cables installed. A resulting expansion of the cable trays must be taken into account early on. For this reason, an overview of the cables no longer needed should be created, and this documentation must be used to determine which cables should be added/removed. Finally, the documentation containing the inventory of IT cables must be updated.

Review questions:

• Are cables which are no longer needed removed in order to reduce the fire loads, to improve the overview, and possibly to guarantee the supply of cold air?
• Is there an overview of cables which are no longer needed?