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The NP2 system around an opening for blades or chassis switches.
Note the coiled cables in the deep NP2 trays.
One undocumented feature is the ability to move the unit while it is wired up in place.
Simply remove the cover so that you can get a screwdriver to the mounting screws,
remove the screws, put the cover back on, and pull the unit towards yourself. It will move
a couple of inches, which doesn't seem like much, unless you are trying to get to
something on the back of the rack between a couple of NP2 units and switches. It's pretty
easy to put back into place as well - just push the unit back with the cover on, and then
adjust it so that you can line up the mounting screw holes. Total time to try this was 2
minutes.
Another nice thing about the NP2 is the way it fits into wall mounted cabinets. Most swing
away cabinets don't have room for vertical cable management, and using the NP2 doesn't
require verticals.
The last standout feature is the cost of the system. This is by far one of the most cost
efficient methods of cable management I've seen. Take a look at the system, what it
includes, and price it yourself. We looked at quotes that we verified that showed the
system to be up to 50% cheaper than the solutions that we've used in the past. That
should make the bean counters happy.
Summary:
The Neat Patch NP2 kit is a simple but very effective step forward in cable management
for IT departments. We had both very experienced engineers and very new to the IT
world guys try wiring racks with the NP2, and the all found it to be simple and
straightforward to use. Not one of them had an issues with the system, or problems that
they could forsee with using it.
I also think that this is a great way to do rack cable management. I do see that it may or
may not fit in your current environment. Neat Patch is very willing to assist you in
installing this system, up to the point of actually doing engineering drawings of your racks
to show you the best way to install the system. That said, there are some existing
environments out there that wouldn't be a great fit for the NP2. These are mostly closets
that have chassis switches with extensive wiring to the floor that doesn't have enough
slack in it to rearrange the racks. And that's being a bit nit picky about it - almost every
closet I'ver worked with would either benefit now, or have significantly benefitted from the
Neat Patch system.
The only other issue we heard about during the testing involved the difficulty of the
removing cables from switches and patch panels around the installed NP2. This is
attributable to a combination of the cable boots being very stiff, and the fingers on the
NP2 being equally stiff. Neat Patch is aware of this, and is preparing to switch to a
different cable head configuration to alleviate this problem. On the other hand, once the
cables are installed with the NP2 system, the number of times that you'll have to move
cables will be very small.
Overall we found the Neat Patch NP2 kit to be a keeper. The concept is great. The
execution is great. The support is exemplary. The price is definetely right. And add to all
that closets that are the envy of your peers, and you've got a winning product.
http://www.serverroomstuff.com/reviews/cables/052005/05032005-a2.asp (2 of 3)5/11/2005 11:42:51 AM
Summary of Contents for Neat-Patch NP-2K6
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