Called in on day off...

[RichS]

Background: I work IT support for a school.

Summer is my busiest time of the year; new equipment being pushed out, improvements made, new staff or staff moving into new rooms, etc.

My bad knee decided to be even worse over this Summer (short story - only 1 good ligament, going to PT for it now, but surgery might have to be done). So, I'm not moving as fast as I usually can, and ladders are impossible, which leads into this:

One teacher had to move into a room that's been empty for over a year. I get called into the room because the network cable for the phone is too short. The custodial staff and myself come into the room; the network cable in the room is a light red, and it's about 8" too short. There's also a note on the cable:

'I would like a grey cord instead of this bright orange, Too Bright, Ugly!'

OK, then...We make a few comments on the note , I get a grey cord to the staff, they'll have to work on going up the ladder to replace the cord in the ceiling. I go on with the tasks I have to get done, only to be called into the Superintendent's Office.

Apparently, he was informed of the note. Said the note was unprofessional, and if it worked who cared what color it was? He did ask me about a replacement, I said that I left a replacement cord with the Custodial staff, and that was the last I heard of it - until yesterday.

I just finished doing some work on my car, when my phone got a text from the school about the phone in her room not working 'since Saturday'. So I have to make a run to the school on my holiday off (phone needed for emergencies, school started today) and find out that the replacement cable never was put in.

I made a quick extension, and got the phone working. Hope the teacher likes blue...

[earl colby pottinger]

Sorry, but no

For the company I worked for the answer for colour change in some schools would probably be NO!

The reason is wire colours are chosen to show what function they do.

Telephone usually is grey, network cables are blue or green depending on speed, black is for the low voltage power lines (usually 12 volts AC/DC).

In some schools (maybe most now) the phones are now internet phones so they use the same network cables like the computers. If possible we don't mix colours with different functions.

[notalwaysright]

I did my internship in IT at a school district. Yeah, some of those teachers were basically SCs. They'd beg for something expensive, then they never used it, decided that it was "in the way" and instead of calling IT they'd take it down themselves and stick it in a closet. Not always even a classroom closet. One expensive projector was found in a small storage closet adjacent to the kitchen.

[RichS]

If possible we don't mix colours with different functions.

Used to be that way here, we had red for network and blue for phones a long time ago. Problem is that we've had so much new tech put in that different colored cables were used everywhere to the point that when I started, I toned every connection to see where it went to and documented it.

Haven't had it updated between two wireless systems, a new phone and camera system, and I've been so busy the last couple of years. I'll have to do that on the next big break, unless my wish comes true and they update all of the network cable.

[lordlundar]

Yeah, had a couple of sites that required specific colour cable. In one case it was aesthetics (black network cable to match all the others in visible areas) and another for ID purposes (matching from switch to distro panel). With the first I've had people ask me if I could use another colour. I flat out told them the decion is made well above my pay grade so a change isn't going to happen.