CablesAndKits Blog

As the week comes to a close, today honors the brave local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice or were injured in the line of duty. Peace Officers Memorial Day is a time to recognize their service, dedication, and commitment to protecting our communities. We remember and thank them for their sacrifice.

In This Issue: The Moments That Make It Worth It | Deal of the Day | 4 Post Rack Mount | Backbone Cabling vs Horizontal Cabling | News to Start Your Day

---

The CK Daily – The Moments That Make It Worth It

Happy Friday, everyone! This week felt like a roller coaster of highs and lows, moments of success that reminded me why I keep pushing forward mixed with failures that tested my patience and perspective. Through all the ups and downs, I kept searching for the light at the end of the tunnel, holding onto the hope that better moments were waiting just ahead.

Now, with the weekend finally here, I’m looking forward to what matters most: time with family. Life is pulling us in two directions again, split between softball tournaments in Chattanooga, TN and Social Circle, GA, but somehow those hectic weekends always end up creating the memories we laugh about the most.

This week’s unforgettable moment? Trying macaroni and cheese ice cream together as a family. Spoiler alert: it was absolutely disgusting. But the laughter that came with it made every terrible bite worth it.

More than anything, I find myself watching my boys slowly grow into young men right in front of my eyes. It happens little by little, in the conversations, the confidence, the independence, and even in the way they carry themselves now. And even with how fast time moves, I can honestly say I’m loving every second of it.

Matthew

---

Deal of the Day

---

Product Spotlights & Updates

Made from 14 gauge powder coated steel, these adjustable, universal rails can be deployed in nearly any four post environment. Front to back these rails are adjustable from 20.25″ to 33.25″. Left to right, these can be installed in any 19″, 23″ or 30″ four-post rack. These mounts will occupy 1RU, or 1.75″ and hold up to 200lbs of equipment. Included are (4) 10-32 and (4) 12-24 rack screws enabling you to install straight from the box.

---

Learning Center Article – Backbone Cabling vs Horizontal Cabling

Networking designs for data centers and other facilities with very high bandwidth usage is not a simple task. In reality, there are many different networks all nested on top of each other, and keeping track can prove burdensome.

One way to help distinguish these different nests of networks is to define them by their function. That’s why you will often see mentions of backbone and horizontal networking.

---

Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Oil prices surged as Trump says China will buy US crude after Xi talks. 
• ​India’s Ola Electric to invest $208.5 million in EV, cell tech units.
• ​SpaceX’s massive new moon spaceship is finally launching next Tuesday.

Today celebrates a comfort food favorite. National Buttermilk Biscuit Day honors the warm, flaky biscuit that fits perfectly into breakfast, lunch, or dinner. What is your favorite way to eat a buttermilk biscuit?

In This Issue: Summer Starting! | Deal of the Day | Screws | Disaster Recovery Plan | News to Start Your Day

---

The CK Daily – Summer Starting!

Happy Thursday!

Like everyone else, this weekend was full of celebrating and spending time with family. On Saturday, we had a combined birthday party for my boyfriend and his brother since they both have birthdays this month. Even though the weather was still a little chilly, we grilled out anyway and started manifesting the hot summer days that are hopefully coming soon.

Sunday ended up being just as fun. We grabbed lunch at Sulley’s Steamers, played a round of putt putt, stopped for Blizzards as a treat, and later spent the evening playing Mexican Train dominoes before diving into the leftovers from the grill out. It was exactly what Alex’s mom wanted and a great way to spend Mother’s Day. We relaxed, spent quality time together, and kept it simple but it was still super meaningful.

What I’m most excited about now is that today is Alex’s little brother’s last day of school, which means we’ll get to spend even more time with him soon! He’s putting his all into AP testing right now, so hopefully he comes back home ready to kick this summer off (officially at least). We already have plenty of shows to watch together and fun plans coming, and I can’t wait!

Rachel

---

Deal of the Day

---

Product Spotlights & Updates

These are the screws that are included with the rack kit for most Cisco Catalyst switches. If you have the rack brackets for your switch but have lost your screws you can order these replacements. Some rack kits use more screws than others, order the qty that you need. This set includes 50 screws.

---

Learning Center Article – Importance of a Disaster Recovery Plan for Your Network

Networking resources allow for instantaneous communication, easy data management, and a whole bunch of efficiencies that improve your bottom line.

Unfortunately, all of those advantages come with a hidden downside. What happens if your network goes down? How can your business deal with such a problem?

---

Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• New El Niño forecast warns of a powerful shift amid hurricane season. 
• ​US producer prices surprise with largest increase in four years.
• ​Microsoft spent over $100 billion on OpenAI partnership.

Midweek comes with a refreshing trip down memory lane. National Fruit Cocktail Day reminds many of us of childhood meals and simple fruity treats enjoyed over the years. What fruit would you add to your perfect fruit cocktail?

In This Issue: Welcome to May-cember | Deal of the Day | Meraki 8x10G Uplink Module | Steps to Organize your Network | News to Start Your Day

---

The CK Daily – Welcome to May-cember

Happy Wednesday, everyone! We’re officially in the middle of what some people call “May-cember,” and honestly… I completely get it now.

I recently saw a video joking about how Mother’s Day lands right in the middle of one of the busiest times of the year. It really does feel like December all over again, just with warmer weather and a lot more pollen. Between school wrapping up, graduation celebrations, teacher appreciation week, themed school days, tryouts for next year, and camp signups, it feels like the calendar fills up overnight.

Even with all the busyness, our family always makes it a priority to slow down for a few hours on Mother’s Day to celebrate and say thank you to all the amazing moms who do so much every single day. Those moments together always end up meaning the most.

And as hectic as this season can feel, we’re also really looking forward to warmer weather, longer days, and catching some rays over summer break!

Brooke

---

Deal of the Day

---

Product Spotlights & Updates

Enhance your network’s performance effortlessly with the Meraki MA-MOD-8X10G module, designed to seamlessly add eight lightning-fast 10G Ethernet ports to your Meraki switches. With Meraki’s intuitive cloud management, you’ll have all the control and flexibility you need right at your fingertips.

---

Learning Center Article – Steps to Organize your Network

The difference between an organized and disorganized network rack is difficult to put into words. If you’ve ever stepped into a server closet and seen a complete mess, you understand the sinking feeling of having to face the tangle and insanity. That leads to a philosophy: cable management is network organization. It might not be the whole story, but this is going to be a look at the cable component of organizing your network and server racks.

---

Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Cuba to set variable fuel prices as US blockade squeezes supply. 
• ​Amazon expands 30-minute delivery service to dozens of US cities.
• ​SoftBank books a $45 billion investment gain from OpenAI.

Today brings a sweet and crunchy celebration. National Nutty Fudge Day tempts us with rich chocolate fudge packed with crunchy nuts for the perfect combination of smooth and satisfying. Are you a fan of nuts in your fudge or do you prefer it plain?

In This Issue: A Weekend Worth the Whirlwind | Deal of the Day | Tilt TV Wall Mount | Benefits of Data Center Cooling | News to Start Your Day

---

The CK Daily – A Weekend Worth the Whirlwind

Happy Tuesday, CK friends! I’m still recovering from a weekend that felt packed from start to finish.

This weekend was a complete whirlwind! Saturday was my birthday, Sunday was Mother’s Day, and somewhere in between we practically lived at the soccer fields for my daughters’ last club tournament of the season.

Friday night, I took my daughter and one of her friends to see Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour movie release. Cami had already been to two of the concerts, so it was really fun watching her relive those moments all over again. Billie Eilish even brought in James Cameron to direct the film, which made the whole experience feel even bigger and more cinematic.

The rest of our weekend revolved around soccer. Thankfully the tournament was local, but it still made for a pretty crazy schedule. The girls tied one and won one on Saturday. After the games, we went to a local restaurant called Hammerheads to celebrate my birthday. I had steamed shrimp and gumbo, and my son and I played billiards, which is one of our favorite things to do together.

The girls won their Sunday morning game to advance to the championship at 4 PM, and they ended up taking home the gold to close out their club season! That definitely made spending my birthday and Mother’s Day at the fields worth it.

After the championship game, it was a mad dash home to get grocery shopping done before taking my mom out for sushi around 8 PM to celebrate her too. Weekends like this are exhausting, but also really full in the best way.

Have a great week, CK friends!

Mandy

---

Deal of the Day

---

Product Spotlights & Updates

The LP37-810T Tilt TV Wall Mount is engineered for extra-large TVs from 60″ to 100″, offering strong, stable support and smooth tilt adjustment for an optimal viewing experience. Designed for heavy-duty performance, it supports VESA patterns up to 1000x800mm and holds even the largest screens securely in place.

---

Learning Center Article – Benefits of Data Center Cooling

Data center cooling is an important aspect of data center planning and management. While individual devices (and device clusters) inside of the data center often have self-contained cooling resources, when you pack enough hardware into a limited space, those cooling systems can be strained.

---

Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Gold falls as fading Middle East peace hopes lift dollar, oil. 
• EBay rejects GameStop’s $56 billion takeover proposal.
• ​Hantavirus outbreak: 18 Americans monitored in Atlanta and Nebraska.

Starting the week with a little indulgence. National Eat What You Want Day is the perfect excuse to set diets aside and enjoy your favorite treats without guilt. Whether it is something sweet, salty, or extra cheesy, today is all about satisfying those cravings. What food would you happily treat yourself to today?

In This Issue: A Little Chaos, A Lot of Fun | Deal of the Day | Rack Mount Kit for Cisco ISR 4330 | How Fast Does Email Travel? | News to Start Your Day

---

The CK Daily – A Little Chaos, A Lot of Fun

Happy Monday!

This weekend was a fun one, starting off with a late night Friday! Some friends and I went to a midnight Pokémon prerelease event for the brand new Chaos Rising set. We made a whole evening out of it and grabbed dinner and stopped by a café beforehand. It was a great time checking out the new cards and hanging out. The only downside was that by the time the actual prerelease started we were already running on fumes. Totally worth it though!

Saturday was supposed to be a simple movie night with friends. Dinner and the new Mortal Kombat movie. Easy enough, right? Well one of my friends had his van battery suddenly die on him in a parking lot. Luckily he was able to get just enough charge to get it over to his mechanic about 2 miles away. That 2 miles somehow turned into a 2 hour adventure thanks to some of the most unusually heavy traffic I’ve seen in a while. We still have no idea why it was so packed out there, but our best guess is Mother’s Day traffic! We eventually made it to the movie and while it had its funny moments, the story felt a bit all over the place for me.

Sunday was Mother’s Day! After church I picked up Firehouse Subs for my wife, mother in law, and sister in law and we had a little picnic outside. The weather was just gorgeous. Later we headed over to my parents’ house and celebrated with my mom over some Korean BBQ. It was a great day all around and I’m thankful for all the wonderful mothers in my life!

I hope you have a great day and a wonderful week!

Cris

---

Deal of the Day

---

Product Spotlights & Updates

The ACS-4330-RM-1 rack mount kit provides a seamless and efficient installation process. It consists of two premium brackets and a comprehensive set of screws, guaranteeing a precise fit for the router and a secure attachment to the rack. The included screws facilitate a smooth installation, enabling network administrators to save valuable time and effort.

---

Learning Center Article – How Fast Does Email Travel?

We all know that email is fast. You can send important documents through the virtual systems, and you more or less expect them to arrive instantaneously.

Yet, whenever we’re waiting for important emails, it seems like things move a lot slower.

That brings up an important question. How fast does email actually travel? How long does it take to get to a recipient, and why is it always slower when it matters more?

---

Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Oil climbs as Trump rejects Iran’s response to US peace proposal. 
• Where summer-like, record-breaking heat will hit the US this week.
• AI labs should pass safety review to get US government contracts.

Wrapping up the week with a classic refreshment. National Have a Coke Day celebrates the iconic beverage enjoyed by millions around the world. Whether you prefer it chilled, over ice, or as part of a treat, it is a simple way to enjoy the moment. How do you like to enjoy your Coke?

In This Issue: Springtime, Slowing Down, and Celebrating Moms | Deal of the Day | Cat6A Installer Kit | Fiber Optic vs. Ethernet Cables | News to Start Your Day

---

The CK Daily – Springtime, Slowing Down, and Celebrating Moms

Happy Friday! And don’t forget, Mother’s Day is this weekend!

To all the moms out there, I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day. We’re definitely looking forward to celebrating the moms in our family this weekend and slowing things down a little bit.

This past week has felt especially busy, so I’m looking forward to a quieter weekend filled with family time, good food, and hopefully a little bit of rest. The weather has also finally started feeling more like Spring around here, which has been a nice change. Everything is green again, the birds are out, and pollen is covering every surface imaginable here in Georgia. It’s a beautiful season, even if my car turns yellow overnight.

The kids are excited for the weekend too, mostly because they’ve been counting down the days until summer break. It’s hard to believe we’re already getting this close to the end of the school year. Time really does seem to move faster the older you get.

I hope you have a great weekend and a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Cris

---

Deal of the Day

---

Product Spotlights & Updates

Everything you need to complete professional Cat6A installations in one convenient kit. This Cat6A Installer Kit is designed for technicians, contractors, and IT teams looking to streamline Ethernet cable terminations, wall plate installs, and structured cabling projects.

---

Learning Center Article – Fiber Optic vs. Ethernet Cables: Which One’s Right for Your Network?

When it comes to establishing a high-performance, low-latency network, selecting between fiber optic cabling and twisted pair Ethernet cabling can significantly impact overall system efficiency.

Both cable types offer distinct advantages, but their strengths serve different priorities.

---

Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• ​Apple settles lawsuit over late Siri AI features for $250 million. 
• ​Toyota sees 20% drop in annual profit as Iran war weighs.
• US to begin revoking passports of parents who owe child support.