nanog mailing list archives
Re: Cable Colors
From: Gadi Evron <ge () linuxbox org>
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:32:15 -0500 (CDT)
On Mon, 16 Jun 2008, Glenn Sieb wrote:
JoeSox wrote:Hello Newbie here (hopefully I have the correct list), I was just wondering if anyone knows of a website with recommended colors for cables for a new datacenter? I have written some things down but I don't want to get stuck saying 'darn, I wish I would have bought this color for this type, now I am stuck'. What standard color to use if voice and data on same interface etc. Thanks.Hmm. I've always done blue for "safe" or "internal" connections, red for machines on the DMZ or outside.Perhaps Blue for internal data, Yellow for internal voice, Green for data/voice?Don't know if there's a website on this, but you can definitely read about it in Tom Limoncelli's The Practice of System and Network Administration book.
Others responded with what colour goes for what. Me? I learned that these colour conventions change drastically from one place to another.
Other than which interface or network you may be using, there is the issues of "sensitive"/secret network and white/public network.
In one organization red was for the sensitive private network, and in another red meant "danger Will Robinson", public unsafe network. In yet another red was for grounded power.
Use what works for you. Warning about colours with a funny anecdote:In a more secure network I ran security for, networks were literally separated and colour coded cables were enforced.
One day a cable needed to be replaced but we ran out of the said colour. The engineer was so scared of what the then security director (before my time) would say that he didn't fix the network for .. some time... until someone smacked him on the back of the head (the security director).
To be fair the the engineer, he was really concerned about security. Security-minded networks have their own silly downsides. :)
Use what is comfortable and/or necessary, no more. Gadi.
Current thread:
- Re: Cable Colors, (continued)
- Re: Cable Colors Owen DeLong (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Shaun Ewing (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Shaun Ewing (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Nathan Ward (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Soren Telfer (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Jay R. Ashworth (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Owen DeLong (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Joe Greco (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Joe Greco (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors William Allen Simpson (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Gadi Evron (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors JoeSox (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Steven M. Bellovin (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Wayne E. Bouchard (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors David Coulson (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Steve Bertrand (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors David Coulson (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Steve Bertrand (Jun 16)
- Re: Cable Colors Jay R. Ashworth (Jun 17)