Farewell to Chaos: I Developed a Cable Label Formatting Tool
As an engineer who “does a bit of everything,” my career began in network engineering. Although my main focus today is cybersecurity, I’m still occasionally assigned to data center implementation projects. Over the years, I’ve seen quite a few DataCenter — some impressive, some less so.
A newly built DataCenter is usually flawless: cables are neatly arranged, racks are aligned, and everything looks immaculate. Even the team leader is in a good mood during inspections. However, as an organization grows, new devices are inevitably added to the DataCenter — and here’s where the problem starts. These additional installations are often handled by different vendors, each with their own standards of workmanship.
Take the simplest example: cable labeling. Some vendors, eager to finish quickly, skip labeling altogether — as long as the network works, they consider the job done. It might save them time, but it leaves a massive headache for whoever maintains the system later. Others might label a cable vaguely as “IPMI Management” (Out-of-Band Management). But in a DataCenter with dozens or even hundreds of devices, which one does this cable actually manage?
That’s why I firmly believe standardized cable labeling is essential. Every cable-related operation should include proper labeling — it’s not just a matter of discipline, but of professionalism and respect for others. My advice: don’t lose your humanity..
But there’s another practical issue: a cable has two ends. How can we generate standardized labels for both sides quickly and efficiently? In today’s fast-paced environment, technical skills are important — but efficiency is what truly sets you apart among peers of similar capability.
To address the problem of inconsistent and inefficient labeling, I developed a small utility script in my spare time. Calling it a “tool” might even be an overstatement given how lightweight it is. Initially, it was just a command-line script. However, when a former classmate asked to use it, he found the CLI cumbersome to deploy and run each time. So, I let AI help me build a web-based frontend (since frontend development isn’t really my strength) and deployed it as a web application. For those who prefer local deployment, the full source code is open on GitHub.
Tool Overview: Cable-Label Tool
This is a lightweight cable label formatting tool designed to quickly generate standardized cable labels by uploading Excel data.
Online Access
Link: Cable Label Formatting Tool - bytesycn
Access Notice:
The online service is currently available only to IP addresses located in China (including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan).
Due to security policies, requests from foreign IPs are blocked by Tencent EdgeOne.
Output Example
Local Deployment
If you prefer to deploy and use it locally, you can obtain the source code from the GitHub repository:
GitHub: https://github.com/hz157/cable-label
git clone https://github.com/hz157/cable-label.git
How to Use
- Download the template: Obtain the standard Excel template file.
- Fill in the data: Enter device information for both ends of each cable, along with its purpose.
- Upload the file: Upload the completed Excel file to the web interface.
- Select a style: Choose from 9 preset label styles.
I hope this tool helps fellow engineers who are suffering from cable chaos — and brings more order and standardization to our data centers.