I have been doing some research on Datacenters and this is one of term that i have yet to wrap my mind around. I would appreciate if someone in the field could explain in simple terms what exactly does it mean.
Datacenter Cross Connect – What Does ‘Cross Connect’ Mean in Datacenters?
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Honestly, don't try to misrepresent yourself as someone you're not. If you haven't done DC work before, don't try to make it sound like you know what you're doing -- when it comes to doing the job, they'll assume you have knowledge you don't, give you some job you can't do, you'll stuff it up and you'll be thought of as incompetent (or dishonest).
Instead, in the interview, highlight that your skills are self-taught, and that you learn really fast. If they're really after an entry-level position (rather than, say, an experienced tech they want to pay entry-level wages for), then they'll understand that the right applicant won't know what they're doing, but will be able to learn quickly -- something you should be able to demonstrate.
For an entry-level DC tech position, the questions I'd be asking would be the sort that would examine the candidate's ability to both follow direction and learn quickly -- past jobs, education, that sort of thing. Given the job is largely physical in nature, I'd be inclined to give them a practical test -- say, a pre-wired (not perfectly neat) half rack and some (decommissioned) servers and networking gear, and get them to audit it. Attention to detail, accuracy, and speed would all count. Then probably give them a few change requests ("recable port X-Y to port Z-AAA") and ask them to execute them. They can ask whatever questions they feel are appropriate, and I'd give reasonable supervision (they're entry level, after all), but it's mostly about their ability to listen, ask reasonable questions, and learn.
For an experienced DC tech position, I'd have the servers in a pile on the floor and tell them to go rack it all up. Neatness, speed, and accuracy count for the most in this situation, and while questions are allowed, if they're the sort that show that you're a web developer who's trying to bluff me into hiring you as an experienced DC tech... <grin>
In no particular order here are some suggestions that have been helpful to me over the years-
Can any of the equipment in those racks be eliminated, upgraded or consolidated? It's hard to tell what's there, but in my experience these kinds of messes tend to be aggravated by gear that should have been pulled out years ago.
Once you've got some idea of the minimum set of equipment then consider how best to lay it out. The criteria here may vary, but grouping by technology type or business function might make sense. Clearly the proximity of high density devices (i.e. switches) and patch panels and such will immediately be apparent.
Use cable management!!! There are both horizontal and vertical cable management solutions. Use both - horizontals around patch panels and other significant concentrations, verticals next to switches and to facilitate risers.
It's always surprising, but how power cables are routed should be considered. UPS units in the bottom of racks, PDU selection and diversity all need to be considered before pulling a cable.
Keep inventory of common cable lengths. It's late at night and you want to go home. A 3' cable is what's necessary but the closest you have handy is 5'. This is how these kinds of messes develop.
Documenting is part of the game, but the importance of labeling cannot be overstated. With clear labels and efficient/clean cabling the number of mistakes will be vastly decreased and troubleshooting simplified.
Limit who can pull cables!!! Differing styles and degrees of attention to detail can yield chaos pretty quickly.
Best Answer
A cross-connect is any connection between facilities provided as separate units by the datacenter.
In other words, if you rent a cage, you can run cables betweeen your various racks and they are not really considered "cross connects".
But typically a user facility is a rack. Consider the uplink to a network provider. The line that runs from you to the telco's rack is a cross-connect. Any other between-rack cable run falls in this category. Even if the datacenter is bundling network access, it's still a cross-connect. (It's also typical to have a meet-me room that is the center of all the cross-connects, it's a patch-panel room or cage.)
This matters a lot to the datacenter because the crossconnect uses their overhead cable trays and typically comes with both a setup and a monthly charge.
Update: If itemized, the charge can be $100 - $300, and can depend on various things like the type and speed of the line.
I should also add that sometimes people will unfortunately use "cross-connect" in its literal english sense when referring to any kind of a network connection, even if it's in a datacenter context. I've seen fiber metro links between different buildings and uplink bandwidth contracts quoted as "cross-connects.