In a recent blog, SUBCO reports on the progress of the build of its first SMAP Data Centre at its cable landing site in Western Australia. The post presents a first-hand account of the week in which the installation took place courtesy of a senior network engineer, Rick Carter: “a tight schedule, multiple contractors, and a lot of hardware to install”.
Day 1: Kicking Things Off
We landed in Perth Sunday night and got straight to work Monday morning. After navigating through security, we began by unpacking boxes held in storage and transporting all components to our designated cage.
From there, we installed cable management systems, mounted our DCN (Data Communication Network) devices, and made several physical modifications – including replacing door handles and flipping rack doors for better access. We also started applying warning stickers and prepping for patching.
Later in the day, we walked over to the location, where we installed part of the DCN patching and upgraded firmware before diving into configuration. Contractors had our PDUs installed and powered up, and cameras within the cage were also mounted. Meanwhile, Pathfinder progressed well with their first phase of cabling work.
Day 2: Cameras, Cables & Custom Mounts
Tuesday began with a supply run to 4Cabling to pick up essentials. Back at The DC, They had installed additional security cameras, and Pathfinder completed stage one of their cabling.
Bob and I installed our in-rack cameras using custom 3D-printed mounts, finished cable management across all racks, and replaced a few more door locks. We also completed the RJ45 passthroughs for DCN Async cabling and continued working through the DCN configuration.
A major highlight was the internal rack lighting — Bob got the first set installed, and the results are visible in the day’s progress photos.
Day 3: Patching, Progress & a Few Pain Points
Wednesday had its share of challenges. Cross connects and space constraints with other contractors slowed things down at times. Still, we pushed through and brought the rest of the DCN network online.
We completed most of the in-rack patching, began labelling (around 30% done), and made great progress with rack internals — lighting, temperature monitoring, camera hookups, and PDU connections. Huge credit to Bob for his meticulous work here.
Day 4: A Clear Run and Major Milestones
By Thursday, the host had completed installation of all wall-mounted cameras. With all contractors out of the cage by 2pm, we finally had full access — and made the most of it.
We got rectifiers networked and reporting into our internal systems, commissioned nearly all PDUs, and brought up a new DCN link via Superloop to provide network diversity from PE3. Cameras and temperature sensors are now fully installed, networked, and online.
Day 5/6: Easter Weekend Focus/Finish
With the Easter weekend in full swing, the Data Centre was quiet — no contractors, no distractions. That peaceful atmosphere gave us the perfect window to push through the final tasks and wrap up the build.
We completed all cabling for the rack locks and finalised rack lighting installations across the board. The last of the PDUs were commissioned, and we finished labelling for all fibre and copper cabling, bringing a new level of polish and traceability to the site.
One of the standout achievements from the weekend was a complete rebuild of the test rack, based on a new design we developed on-site. It’s a more efficient layout and will serve as the template for future test environments across our network.
Recap of the installation
Being our first SMAP site, the Perth build was full of learning moments. From cable management techniques to DCN configuration best practices, we identified several improvements that will be implemented in future deployments. Labelling, in particular, got a full redo using a much better system. Some of the early cable management strategies proved inefficient, but we found a better approach and will be rolling that out at all upcoming sites.
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