Most data centres are designed to not have faults and failures. Problem with this is that Shit Happens! and if you are not prepared then everyone runs around like headless chickens when the inevitable Murphy visit takes place. Here are some compulsory (and optional) useful stuff for a data centre...
Security cables. Servers like domain controller chassis's and hard disk require extra physical security. Use security cables to secure them.
External 7-in-1 reader including 1.44 drive. Buy it here.
External DVD/CD reader-writer. Buy it here.
Ethernet tester. The testers from VeEX are a good choice!
Wireless KVM extender. Buy them here. Put these on the crash trolley. This allows technicians to work on a sever from a comfortable location.
Flipcharts. Buy them here.
Standby portable generator. By them here. Keep it in the storeroom. When all else has failed it will provide a small bootstrap. It can also be used to provide lighting in difficult to reach areas or used to power a sump pump.
Reflective jackets. Buy them here. Use during power failures and emergencies. Focus! I said the jacket.
Yokogawa power monitors. Clamp on power monitor. Buy it here.
Wire baskets. Don't just dump it on the shelves! Buy them here.
Galvanized metal shelving. Use in storerooms, test and staging areas. Buy them here.
Sharp MFP. Use to print out those wall charts.
LCD panel TV. Use wih PVR and as a display for monitoring. Buy it here.
DSTV PVR.
Permanent marker. You need to label those CDRs.
Fruit. Those guys in the data centre never see enough sun. Give them some nutrients.
Flowers. Data centres are not the most pleasant places to visit. Brighten it up as no-one can be grumpy with flowers in the place.
Nokia N82. Record those meetings and listen to some music MP3's on the side. Also useful to take pictures for SOPs.
Go green in your data centre. Keep some real golfish instead of those dumb screensavers.
ITIL wall chart. Download it from here and print on colour A3.
Whiteboard markers to be used with the whiteboard.
Mobile phone station charger. Connect this to dirty power and not the data centre power! (or else your'll trip you servers!
Calculator!
Rat trap! You'll be surprised what happens beneath the data centre tiles, (and those missing mice?)
Velcro straps. Best way to keep those cabinets tidy!
Anti-static mats.
Webcams. Capture images of those people entering the data centre.
Vespa. Perfect for fetching Nandos.
Bar stool. No need to stand in front of the console the whole day!
Grapefruit diet tablets. Especially for Farouk and Jacques! Buy this one here, which has grapefruit in a pill.
Clipboard. Great for checklists! Use with the pencil and paper.
Fire extinguishers. For when things become too hot to handle in the data centre.
Aluminum ladder. How are the lights going be changed?
LCD monitor arms. Efficient and effective use of space.
Duct tape is a universal problem solving tool, e.g. tie up your annoying boss.
PTouch label machine. Label everything! But it here.
Strange how everyone had stiffies and floppies but when the CD/DVD rewritable came along no-one keeps them in their desk drawers anymore? Use these to keep a backup copy of all your documentation!
Swing bins. A data centre needs to be tidy! And in a crisis they are excellent buckets! You'll thank me when it saves your server when that unexpected leak hits you!
This is not about watering the data centre. It is the reverse. You will need this to attach to the Robusta.
Every data centre needs a wall clock, whether it is a Westminster chime clock or a cuckoo clock! Have one for each time zone. The cuckoo clock is for german time and the Westminster one is for London time.
A digital voice answeing machine will faciliate communications. No more missed updates or misunderstandings. During a major incident technicians can phone in and the time stamps will keep tags on the expanded incident lifecycle. But this one here, and you'll never miss a communication ever again.
Suckers. In an emergency you don't need to be spending a large amount of time search for these (or end up using a Leatherman). A data centre needs to have a number of these available at regularly spaced intervals.
Leakfrog is a small water detection alarm. In a data centre there might be sensors collected to some really expensive building management system but it is prudent to always have a fallback and this little device is a good choice. Buy them here.
Cluedo provides a great lesson in investigating incidents in a data centre. Keep one around for techies to hone their investigation skills.
Suduko is great to hone those problem management skills. Otherwise try out this version here.
Hand trolley. Don't strain yourself trying to carry those servers without it! Buy them here.
Coffee mugs for those strong coffees to stay awake. Usually a few vendors will give you some!
Fleece jacket. Data centres are cold. I still have my Madge one!
Flexible shaft ratcheting screwdriver.
The Red Swingline Stapler. No other colour will do! Buy it here.
Pencil and paper. More problems have been solved using this combination than any other set of tools in history! Alan Turing - 1948: "A man provided with paper, pencil, and rubber, and subject to strict discipline, is in effect a universal Turing Machine."
The standard data centre uniform. It was good enough for Tom Selleck in Magnum PI.
Crash Trolley. Although KVM or IP KVM should be functional in each data centre a number of crash trollies with screen, keyboard and mouse should be available. Lose the mouse, use the rat trap!
Leatherman.
Memory stick.
Mini bar fridge. Nothing like a Coke for those late nights.
Ditto. Coffee.
Baking soda - when those batteries explode you need this to neutralize the mess.
Torch with replacement batteries. When the lights go out and to see in those gloomy areas under the tiles.
Portable industrial fans. When an Air handling Unit fails this puppy will redirect air flow from one area to another. Also very useful in large moves.
FM radio. The best for news updates and when things really become boring.
Two-way radios. Still the best means of communication. Charge using the cell phone station charger!
First Aid Kits. You never know when the sky is going to fall on your head.
Multi-coloured hard hats. As much for safety and construction and identification in a crisis. Go talk to the man with the green hat.
Electric cord reel. Never use the server power racks for the vacuum cleaner or any other work. A data centre should have enough dirty power points so that the whole data centre is covered by the length of the electric power cord reel.
Industrial wet and dry vacuum clear for dust removal and minor spillage. Buy one here. A data centre needs to be clean and dust free. Maybe also try the good old WAP. Water is the data centre is a big problem and it was not just Noah that was cursed! These guys can do the light spill but for the big jobs you need a sump pump...
Superslurper! Once the Leakfrog has beeped then it is time to haul out the Karcher Submersible Dirty Water Pump SDP9500
Digital camera. Best way to log an incident! Buy it here.
Temperature gauges. Nothing lie eyeballing for a second opinion. Buy the bog standard wall type here or maybe one that is integrated with a clock here.
Whiteboard. Johnnie Walker (or someone as famous) said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. The whiteboard is the first step in the documentation journey. Buy one here, or the mobile version here.
If you have a boss (or beanie) who is real shirty, then this little piggy bank will do! Buy one on ebay, here. Save up for each item as you go along or take donations from visitors to the data centre! In many data centres, the useful equipment in this list will not be found. This is often due to short sighted budget cutting individuals who end up losing millions when a major incident happens that could have been averted with an item worth a few bucks.
Wireless KVM extender. Buy them here. Put these on the crash trolley. This allows technicians to work on a sever from a comfortable location.
Flipcharts. Buy them here.
Standby portable generator. By them here. Keep it in the storeroom. When all else has failed it will provide a small bootstrap. It can also be used to provide lighting in difficult to reach areas or used to power a sump pump.
Reflective jackets. Buy them here. Use during power failures and emergencies. Focus! I said the jacket.
Yokogawa power monitors. Clamp on power monitor. Buy it here.
Wire baskets. Don't just dump it on the shelves! Buy them here.
Galvanized metal shelving. Use in storerooms, test and staging areas. Buy them here.
Sharp MFP. Use to print out those wall charts.
LCD panel TV. Use wih PVR and as a display for monitoring. Buy it here.DSTV PVR.
Permanent marker. You need to label those CDRs.
Fruit. Those guys in the data centre never see enough sun. Give them some nutrients.
Flowers. Data centres are not the most pleasant places to visit. Brighten it up as no-one can be grumpy with flowers in the place. Nokia N82. Record those meetings and listen to some music MP3's on the side. Also useful to take pictures for SOPs.
Go green in your data centre. Keep some real golfish instead of those dumb screensavers.
ITIL wall chart. Download it from here and print on colour A3.
Whiteboard markers to be used with the whiteboard.
Mobile phone station charger. Connect this to dirty power and not the data centre power! (or else your'll trip you servers!
Calculator!
Rat trap! You'll be surprised what happens beneath the data centre tiles, (and those missing mice?)
Velcro straps. Best way to keep those cabinets tidy!
Anti-static mats.
Webcams. Capture images of those people entering the data centre.
Vespa. Perfect for fetching Nandos.
Bar stool. No need to stand in front of the console the whole day!
Grapefruit diet tablets. Especially for Farouk and Jacques! Buy this one here, which has grapefruit in a pill.
Clipboard. Great for checklists! Use with the pencil and paper.Fire extinguishers. For when things become too hot to handle in the data centre.
Aluminum ladder. How are the lights going be changed?
LCD monitor arms. Efficient and effective use of space.
Duct tape is a universal problem solving tool, e.g. tie up your annoying boss.PTouch label machine. Label everything! But it here.
Strange how everyone had stiffies and floppies but when the CD/DVD rewritable came along no-one keeps them in their desk drawers anymore? Use these to keep a backup copy of all your documentation!
Swing bins. A data centre needs to be tidy! And in a crisis they are excellent buckets! You'll thank me when it saves your server when that unexpected leak hits you!
This is not about watering the data centre. It is the reverse. You will need this to attach to the Robusta.
Every data centre needs a wall clock, whether it is a Westminster chime clock or a cuckoo clock! Have one for each time zone. The cuckoo clock is for german time and the Westminster one is for London time.
A digital voice answeing machine will faciliate communications. No more missed updates or misunderstandings. During a major incident technicians can phone in and the time stamps will keep tags on the expanded incident lifecycle. But this one here, and you'll never miss a communication ever again.
Suckers. In an emergency you don't need to be spending a large amount of time search for these (or end up using a Leatherman). A data centre needs to have a number of these available at regularly spaced intervals. Leakfrog is a small water detection alarm. In a data centre there might be sensors collected to some really expensive building management system but it is prudent to always have a fallback and this little device is a good choice. Buy them here.
Cluedo provides a great lesson in investigating incidents in a data centre. Keep one around for techies to hone their investigation skills.Suduko is great to hone those problem management skills. Otherwise try out this version here.
Hand trolley. Don't strain yourself trying to carry those servers without it! Buy them here. Coffee mugs for those strong coffees to stay awake. Usually a few vendors will give you some!
Fleece jacket. Data centres are cold. I still have my Madge one!
Flexible shaft ratcheting screwdriver.
The Red Swingline Stapler. No other colour will do! Buy it here.
Pencil and paper. More problems have been solved using this combination than any other set of tools in history! Alan Turing - 1948: "A man provided with paper, pencil, and rubber, and subject to strict discipline, is in effect a universal Turing Machine."
The standard data centre uniform. It was good enough for Tom Selleck in Magnum PI.
Crash Trolley. Although KVM or IP KVM should be functional in each data centre a number of crash trollies with screen, keyboard and mouse should be available. Lose the mouse, use the rat trap!
Leatherman.
Memory stick.
Mini bar fridge. Nothing like a Coke for those late nights. Ditto. Coffee.
Baking soda - when those batteries explode you need this to neutralize the mess.Torch with replacement batteries. When the lights go out and to see in those gloomy areas under the tiles.Portable industrial fans. When an Air handling Unit fails this puppy will redirect air flow from one area to another. Also very useful in large moves.FM radio. The best for news updates and when things really become boring.Two-way radios. Still the best means of communication. Charge using the cell phone station charger!First Aid Kits. You never know when the sky is going to fall on your head.Multi-coloured hard hats. As much for safety and construction and identification in a crisis. Go talk to the man with the green hat.Electric cord reel. Never use the server power racks for the vacuum cleaner or any other work. A data centre should have enough dirty power points so that the whole data centre is covered by the length of the electric power cord reel. Alternatively, if you need to sort out some dust in a cabinet here is a smaller and more convenient alternative. Buy one here.
Digital camera. Best way to log an incident! Buy it here.Temperature gauges. Nothing lie eyeballing for a second opinion. Buy the bog standard wall type here or maybe one that is integrated with a clock here.Whiteboard. Johnnie Walker (or someone as famous) said that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. The whiteboard is the first step in the documentation journey. Buy one here, or the mobile version here.
If you have a boss (or beanie) who is real shirty, then this little piggy bank will do! Buy one on ebay, here. Save up for each item as you go along or take donations from visitors to the data centre! In many data centres, the useful equipment in this list will not be found. This is often due to short sighted budget cutting individuals who end up losing millions when a major incident happens that could have been averted with an item worth a few bucks.
