Sorry for a possibly dumb question.
So I'm getting ready to wire my house up for gigabit in the next few days, and one guide I came across mentioned a patch panel being optional. That got me trying to figure out in what circumstances they would be useful.
I am putting 3 outlets into the house, each with a 4 jack wallplate on them (though I only have a 8 port switch so they won't all be wired up, but I don't have more than 6 devices that can even be hard wired anyway). I'm planning on running this cable up through the wall, into the attic, then down into a hole in the laundry room ceiling and into my gigabit switch that'll be resting on a shelf near the ceiling. I was planning on terminating the cable with an RJ47 plug and going straight from wall jack into the switch.
The only vague reasons I could find to use a patch panel was because of cable breaks, which didn't totally make sense to me since you have to have another cable anyway to go from the patch panel to the switch.
Can anyone give a good reason why you would or would not use a patch panel?
Thanks,
So I'm getting ready to wire my house up for gigabit in the next few days, and one guide I came across mentioned a patch panel being optional. That got me trying to figure out in what circumstances they would be useful.
I am putting 3 outlets into the house, each with a 4 jack wallplate on them (though I only have a 8 port switch so they won't all be wired up, but I don't have more than 6 devices that can even be hard wired anyway). I'm planning on running this cable up through the wall, into the attic, then down into a hole in the laundry room ceiling and into my gigabit switch that'll be resting on a shelf near the ceiling. I was planning on terminating the cable with an RJ47 plug and going straight from wall jack into the switch.
The only vague reasons I could find to use a patch panel was because of cable breaks, which didn't totally make sense to me since you have to have another cable anyway to go from the patch panel to the switch.
Can anyone give a good reason why you would or would not use a patch panel?
Thanks,
To set up an MT Crimp database, the user documents the network components, such as PCs, hubs, patch panels, wall jacks and cables, using the system's pre-defined classes and equipment libraries. Cable certification then uploads results from the OMNIScanner, PentaScanner or CertiFiber products.
Contents
In this chapter, we will take a step by step approach to create patch panels from scratch to end result.
The goal
The example is simpler in nature, but this will cover the basics of how to add patch panel connections in device42.
![Network patch panel define Network patch panel define](/uploads/1/2/6/2/126244252/508301709.png)
End goal is:
- Patch Panel A is connected to Patch panel B : Panel A Panel B
- Patch panel A is patched to switch-01
- Patch panel B is patched to devices in the same rack as Panel B.
This will give us devices connectivity with switch ports.
![Manager Manager](http://www.1000ftcables.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/diy-home.jpg)
Creating Patch panel models
Before we add the patch panel, we need to create the template. In this example, this is a singular patch panel with 48 RJ-45 ports. Steps taken:
- Devices > Assets > Patch Panel Model > Add
- Add name, port type, # of ports etc. for the model.
- Save
Creating patch panels
- Go to Devices > Assets > Add
- Give name Panel A, choose type “Patch Panel”, Choose the model created above.
- Save
Repeat the same steps for Panel B, just change the name to Panel B in step 2.
Adding the Back connections or termination
- Go to Tools > Templates & Bulk Operations > Panel Back Connectivity.
- choose Panel A, Port From: 1, Port To: 48 and Panel B, Port From: 1 and optionally, cable type.
- Click Continue.
Now Panel A and Panel B are terminated to each other.
Patching switch ports to panel A
In this example, ports from switch-01 are patched to Panel A. (You can create switch ports in bulk using switch templates as discussed under Switch Templates)
The tedious way to do this will be to add each switch port to each panel port. But we are not going to do that.
Recommended way to do the same is to use API Excel import option added in v5.2.0.
Steps:
Steps:
- Go to Tools > Import > API Import(xls)
- Download sample excel file from “Create or update patch panel ports” in that page.
- Our columns will look like this: number patch_panel_id switch switchport
- Add the rows for panel port #, panel ID(available from Asset list view/from APIs/or get using Hover over in the status bar), switch name and switch port name.
- Import the Sheet.
Upon import, you can see the switch ports connections on Panel A.
Patching devices to panel B
In this step, we will use the same sample excel sheet downloaded in step above.
Column layout will be a little different and will look like this: number patch_panel_id device obj_label1
Once we add the values to excel and import it, the panel B will show following.
Patch panel layout
Now if you go to Patch panel layout for Panel B and hover over any port or device, you will see the full visual path for that port.
Switch port level connectivity
You will see the patch panel connectivity from each switch port view as well.
Device level connectivity
Similarly, in the device view/edit page, you will see the patch panel connection under the tab “other”.
This concludes our chapter on how to create a patch panel layout in device42.