In the Frame Relay equipment room, there were some Cascade switches mounted in the racks doing Frame and ATM duty. An unusual feature of their installation at 611 Folsom was a Plexiglas shield wrapping around the back to protect the connectors and their associated cables.
All professions rely on certain tools and equipment as an essential part of their business.
Determining the specifications for such equipment often requires considerable experience in that field, and what looks good to one industry may turn out to be inadequate for another. For example, almost everyone at one time or another has needed a ladder for a particular task, and there are a number of outlets available to purchase them, such as garden shops, hardware stores, or even contractor supply houses. Among other features, the trucks had chain-drive rear ends, which not only yielded a tremendous gear reduction, but also eliminated the likelihood of a snapped axle, which could potentially set back the work for days if the disabled truck clogged up one of the few available passages while it awaited repairs. The Phone Company's specifications for their equipment is likewise demanding. Everything must be able to be mounted on the equipment racks, and all the cabling attaches at the rear in a serviceable manner.