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From: snorthc@pokey.nswc.navy.mil (Stephen Northcutt)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Designer Colored Thinnet
Message-ID: <1990Aug16.201204.15627@relay.nswc.navy.mil>
Date: 16 Aug 90 20:12:04 GMT
Sender: news@relay.nswc.navy.mil (News)
Reply-To: snorthc@relay.nswc.navy.mil (Stephen Northcutt)
Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center
Lines: 36
Keywords:spaghetti cabling

The organization here is modeled after the feudal (futile?) system.
Every group of 10 or more workers is their own empire with
their own network.  Of course we keep a central organization
(my group) so that there is someone to blame when things go wrong.

The problem I am seeking help with is spaghetti cabling.  All
these little nets, and subnets, and multi-port repeaters and
bridges and routers are hard to keep track of. Especially
since many groups want their own cable.  So along the halls
are many strands of cable, the older cables are not even labled,
but we don't allow that anymore.

We would be too far gone to be saved except for one thing.  The
ceiling insulation here is asbestos (cough cough).  So soon we
have to move out, while they disbestos us.  As part of that
effort the contractors are going to rip  out all of the wires.

When we rewire, we want to be much smarter about how we do it.
One thing that might help is colored cable.  I know where to
get thick ethernet in yellow, blue, metallic yellow and orange.
Does anyone know of a source for thinnet (rg-58a) in colors.
Yes, we will have labels, but it would be better to have some
idea what a cable does, at any point.  Also, then the Autocad
drawings we make could be adjusted to match cables.  It would
also be better for phone support... instead of "are you on the
48 or the 49 subnet", we could ask "are you connected to the 
blue cable or the yellow cable".  Finally, we could assign
groups that give us a lot of grief *special* colors.

Thank You

===================================================================
Stephen Northcutt (snorthc@relay.nswc.navy.mil)
Work: (703) 663-7745
Home: (703) 371-4184
Paper Mail: Code E41, NSWC, Dahlgren VA 22448