Cable Labels - Opinion

P

PensFault

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 10, 2011
Messages
141
Howdy all. I am gearing up to wire up a new rack in a datacenter. I have not been very happy with past labling methods and would love to get some opinions and advice on things that have worked for you all. I will be labeling everything, that is to say network cables on both ends, power cables, fiber, network ports on servers, all devices, etc.

My experience has been that labels suck hard at staying stuck to the cables, they come off as the heat exhausting warms up the labels and they lose all their stick over time. Also, to be able to just read the labels without having to spin the cables around or do anything overly ridiculous is nice. So far what I have seen that looks excellent is found in this video of a recent cisco data center build: http://youtu.be/i4IrSARTUkY
Labels that are actually zip tied onto the cables, seems like it would work really well. I can't really find any good resource for such a system though. Maybe just a small hole punch? haha.

Anyway, curious to see what you all have experienced. Of course pics and links to the products themselves would be greatly appreciated.
 
i think most people just deal with the crappy sticky labels but i like that zip tie idea, i might start doing that...
 
I've been using a Brady BMP 21 label printer with their self-laminating cartridges. Very versatile and durable for our rack environments. For zip tied labels there are several sources for zip ties that have the label tag already built in.
 
I'd also vote for cable wrap type labels. The Brother Ptouch flexible labels seem to work well for me.
 
That brady labeler sounds interesting. I like what I see. Thanks for the share.

The monoprice zip tie label looks like it would be very obnoxious to work with, seems big and bulky. Thanks for the input though.

You aren't kiddin about those panduit wraps being pricey, wow! How has your experience been with them losing stickiness with exhaust heat? Do they hold up?
 
I use the Panduit labels as well, nice but pricey. There is a clear laminate part of the label that wraps back over the printed part. No problems with them falling off.
 
One other thing about cabling and labels.

Avoid zip ties. When you cut off the ends, you'll get a sharp bit of plastic which is really easy to cut yourself on. They're also a pain to work with. Velcro is much better.
 
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