Abstract:
A retention device for cables includes a plurality of channels configured to receive a plurality of cables having connector ends. The retention device includes a plurality of openings extending from the plurality of channels to an outer edge of the retention device such that the plurality of cables can be inserted into the plurality of channels. The retention device includes means for removably attaching the retention device to another retention device. The retention device is fabricated to be semi-rigid.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     A data center is a facility that houses computer systems and various networking, storage, and other related components. Data centers may, for example, provide computing services to businesses and individuals as a remote computing service or to provide “software as a service” (e.g., cloud computing). The services provided by data centers are valuable to customers as the continued and reliable availability of the computing services are important to the customers&#39; services and operations. It is thus necessary to provide reliable and efficient computing services in order to minimize disruptions to customers of the computing services. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       References are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments or examples. The drawings herein are not drawn to scale. Like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures. In the figures, reference numbers may be reused to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided to illustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a mechanism for managing cables in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating another perspective of a mechanism for managing cables in accordance with the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating another perspective of a mechanism for managing cables in accordance with the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A data center may house many thousands of components, such as servers and network switches that are typically housed in equipment racks. A network switch, for example, is used to interconnect devices on a network and can have multiple ports to interconnect various devices using network cables. When a network switch fails or must otherwise be replaced, a technician typically replaces the switch by unplugging all cable connections on the connected ports. The cables are typically copper cables such as CATS with RJ45 jacks. The cables are specifically assigned a designated port and, when the switch is replaced, the technician must plug the cables back into the switch. During this process, the technician may get the cables out of order and plug the cables into the incorrect designated port. 
     The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to a device, referred to herein as a cable manager device, cable manager apparatus, or cable manager, that is configured to hold and maintain cables in general alignment to their designated ports without the need to visually read cable labels and manually keep track of designated ports for each cable when their corresponding network devices are removed and replaced. The cable manager retains cables in pre-assigned positions so that the cables can be easily removed from their ports when the cables are plugged back in the network device. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example embodiment of a cable manager or a cable retention device in accordance with this disclosure. Illustrated is a first cable manager  20  and a second cable manager  22 . First cable manager  20  can include one or more cable holding channels  24 , each with a corresponding cable entry opening  26 .  FIG. 1  illustrates an RJ45 cable  12  with a jack or connector  10  that has been inserted in one of the cable holding channels  24 . The first cable manager  20  and second cable manager  22  may be a semi-rigid material, such as foam rubber or Neoprene, so that cable  12  can be inserted into one of the cable holding channels  24  through the corresponding cable entry opening  26 . The soft material is sufficiently rigid to retain inserted cables when the cables are removed from their devices and would otherwise be freestanding. 
     The second cable manager  22  may be oriented 180 degrees relative to the first cable manager  20  so that cable are inserted into the cable entry openings of the second cable manager  22  in the opposite direction and are retained from opposite directions. By using two cable managers in this manner, the cables are less prone to being inadvertently removed through the cable entry openings during removal and replacement of the network devices. While the present embodiment is described in the context of a network switch using RJ45 cables, the cable manager may be used in conjunction with any type of connectors and cables where it is desirable to retain the relative position of a plurality of cables during removal/replacement operations. 
     More generally, local area networks and telecommunications connections often use patch panels on equipment racks to provide connections between network equipment. Patch panels typically comprise a plurality of connector locations wherein a variety of jacks, including, but not limited to, copper and fiber, may be mounted. The jacks allow for rapid connection and disconnection. One type of jack and plug arrangement for a patch panel is an RJ45-type connector. A cable manager may provide cable management to keep the various cables organized and reduce entanglement and damage. A cable manager may also provide a support structure whereon the plurality of cables may be supported to alleviate excessive bending. 
     The cable manager need not be mounted on the rack or other equipment. In one embodiment, the cable manager is made of a lightweight and semi-rigid material, such as foam rubber or Neoprene, so that the cable manager can be supported by the attached cables without the need for further support. The cable manager can thus eliminate the need for unnecessary structure in the rack or cabinet. 
       FIG. 2  shows another example of cable managers  20  and  22 . In one implementation, cable managers  20  and  22  are oriented so that cable holding channels  24  and their corresponding cable entry openings  26  are facing the cables (not shown). As indicated by the arrows, the cable managers  20  and  22  engage the cables from opposite directions so that the cables are engaged more securely. This is an optional configuration, and in some implementations, a single cable manager  20  may be used to sufficiently retain the cables. For example, it may be difficult or impossible to engage the cables from two directions depending on the rack or equipment configuration. The amount of overlap between cable managers  20  and  22  may vary depending on the length of the cable entry openings  26  and the size of the cable holding channels  24 . 
     The use of cable managers  20  and  22  without the need for any intermediate elements in the equipment rack allows for quick and easy insertion of cables without the need to remove cables and otherwise disrupt operation of the equipment. Furthermore, removal of the cable managers  20  and  22  from the cables can also be performed without disrupting operation. By allowing for easy and immediate alignment of the cables with corresponding cable entry openings  26 , immediate retention of the cables at the connection points is possible and provides retention of the designated port layout for the cables. 
       FIG. 3  provides a cross-sectional view of cable managers  20  and  22  retaining cable  12  with corresponding jack  10 . In one optional implementation, cable managers  20  and  22  may have a hook-and-loop fastener  30  (e.g., Velcro®) or other attachment means disposed on at least one surface so that cable managers  20  and  22  can be removably secured to one another after engagement of the cables. This provides for additional retention and resistance to inadvertent removal or detachment during use. 
     Cable manager  20  may include any number of cable holding channels  24  and cable entry openings  26 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , to allow for use with a variety of equipment and cable configurations. In one example implementation, a cable manager  20  can be configured with twenty-four cable holding channels  24  and their corresponding cable entry openings  26  for twenty-four RJ-type connectors. 
     The cable holding channels  24  may be adapted to provide the proper dimensions and shape for receiving and holding the cables. In the illustrated embodiment in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cable holding channels  24  are generally rounded, but may be shaped differently if the cables in a particular application are flat or otherwise non-circular. For example, the cable holding channels  24  can be rectangular, square, or oval. 
     The cable holding channels  24  may also be adapted to provide the proper opening dimensions for holding the cable  12  therein. In one embodiment, a single dimension for cable holding channels  24  may be provided that can be used for a category of network device such as an L2 switch for CAT 5 cables or for fiber optic cables. For example, the diameter for cable holding channels  24  may be ¼ to ½ inches. The relative spacing of the cable holding channels  24  may be configured to be useable with typical categories of network devices and their associated port spacing. 
     In one embodiment, the cable holding channels  24  may be sized to be slightly smaller than the diameter of cable  12  so that the non-rigid material may tightly close around the cable  12  and restrict lateral and longitudinal movement by the cable  12  through the cable holding channel  24 . 
     The cable entry openings  26  may be provided by a slit that extends from the corresponding cable holding channel  24  to the edge of the cable manager  20 . Since the material is a soft material, the cable  12  may be inserted by disforming the cable entry opening  26  until the cable  12  is inserted into the cable holding channel  24 . 
     In an embodiment, the cable manager  20  may be fabricated as a single piece. However, the cable manager  20  may also be assembled using multiple pieces. 
     While the present disclosure describes examples in terms of networks and network equipment racks, it should be understood that the disclosed principles may be applied to other types of devices and environments where cable retention is desired. 
     Networks established by or on behalf of an entity, such as a company or organization, to provide one or more services (such as various types of cloud-based computing or storage) accessible via the Internet and/or other networks to a distributed set of clients may be termed provider networks. Such a provider network may include one or more data centers hosting various resource pools, such as collections of physical and/or virtualized computer servers, storage devices, networking equipment, and the like, that may be used to implement and distribute the infrastructure and services offered by the provider network. 
     A number of different types of computing devices may be used singly or in combination to implement the resources of the provider network in different embodiments, including general-purpose or special-purpose computer servers, storage devices, network devices, and the like. 
     The above described aspects of the disclosure have been described with regard to certain examples and embodiments, which are intended to illustrate but not to limit the disclosure. It should be appreciated that the subject matter presented herein extends to and encompasses such modifications and/or enhancements that will be apparent to persons skilled in the art in view of the detailed description provided herein. 
     The various features described above may be used independently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments. 
     Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.