Necessary Tools

05
March

Written by admin. 2 comments Posted in: Network Administration

	I’ve been asked many times by people that are getting started in the Network Administration and support what tools they need. Many employers will supply tools that they feel are necessary for the job, sometimes what they’re giving just isn’t enough. Some employers will not allow you to use your own tools, where others see it as a plus if you have your own and are willing to use them. My personal feeling is, I would rather have my own, with the understanding that if I break one on the course of my job I pay for the replacement myself. This of course means that when you leave your job, your tools go with you.
Many years ago I had a job that supplied us with tools and a really nice bag. Once I left that job I decided to buy the same kind of bag. It took a while of searching to find what I had used before since when I decided to get one about 2 years had passed. I found that the kits were from Jensen Tools. I have the 4 pallet model that I bought with no tools, just empty pallets as I already had most of the tools anyway from other kits. This bag is light enough to carry around comfortably, and strong enough to carry just about anything you’d need for an onsite visit. The only real problem I’ve had with them in the past is the clips for the shoulder strap. They’re not very strong and will have a tendency to break over time. I’ve had it happen twice to me, once while I was walking up some stone stairs, the bag fell back and hit one of my ankles and almost threw me down the stairs. It appears that the newer bags have stronger clips, but I’d still recommend replacing them with some stronger ones.
Jensen has a wide variety of pallets including one that can hold your laptop as well. I’ve changed the configuration of my current bag a couple of times since I don’t really carry as much as I used to. Mostly my bag now sits locked in a cabinet in my office until I need it. But I do keep it stocked with everything I need, so below is a list of tools that I think any good Network Administrator or Service Tech should probably have on hand.
RJ45/Rj11 Crimper Impact Punchdown tool 110 & 66 punchdown bits sharp dykes (diagonal cutters) tweezers needle nose pliers small adjustable wrench small vice grips Variable bit screw driver English and Metric Allen wrenches Utility knife with extra blades Magnetic pickup tool sharpie markers flashlight tape measure Multimeter w/ continuity test soldering iron Coax Crimper Electrical tape Zip ties	IDE -> USB adapter SATA -> USB adapter Serial Cable Null Modem Adapter Serial gender changer USB -> Serial adapter 10′ CAT5 Patch cable ATX Power supply tester Array of USB cables Cordless Drill Drill bits Fox/Hound kit Alligator clip wires Tweaker set Torx Bit set USB Flash Drive Mult-Memory Card reader Lock pick set Label maker Drywall Saw Cisco console cable
There’s probably more that I’ve forgotten about. I also keep a stock of RJ45’s and RJ11’s as well as a variety of SCSI, Serial and other adapters, but not stuff I’d normally carry directly in this bag. My current employer has bought me a nice Fluke Microscanner 2, but of course, I’ll have to leave that here if I leave.