Hello,
We are trying to adopt an Up/Down patch panel and switch configuration. Up down is great but the reuslt ends up covering up half of the labels in the top row for the cables that patch upwards.
Are there patch panels put there where all the labels are in the middle of the panel? Im not finding any products online with the search terms I can think of.
Posted Mar 28, 2021, 3:58 PM UTC
We don't label our patch panel ports, we label the panel itself. When you look at a box at a desk, it's labeled with [closet][panel][port], like 1P3D23 where 1P is the closet, 3D is the panel, and 23 is the port.
Why would you not label both ends? Do you hate your future self?
1RU 48 port modular patch panels don't have room for individual port labels. Besides, why bother? I can count to 24.
The patch panel side comes pre-labeled 1 -24. We usually letter ours anyway, so port 10 in the second patch panel down in the BDF would be BDF-B-10.
i plan to label the patch panels acording to BICSI after reorganizing all our IDFs. It would end up being very similar to what you are suggesting.
The scenario i am thinking of is regarding customer cubicle numbers. If i can coordinate the patch panel ports with the cubucle number there is extra metadata built into the labels on both ends. Cube 001 would have cable 03.a.001 and so on. Since the cubes rarely change id know which cable goes to which cubes on my maps. Conference rooms and offices are not as clean but there is still potential to hide metadata into the numbering scheme if i plan ahead.
Although your idea of using the default numbers for everything would work too. As long as i have unique identifiers ill be happy. The current system has a lot of room for improvement.
Speaking from experience don't do anything with a cube number. What happens when a remodel happens and the numbers change or desks get added/removed or if someone needs an extra drop in their cube. Generally the network team will have no control over any of that and your system can be obsolete a week after you put it in.
I prefer using [Closet]-[###] so you can have IDF#-drop number. Drops start at 001 and go up to whatever you need. On the IDF side all drops are installed in order. This way you never have 3 drops with the number 23 in them and don't have the chance of pulling the wrong one. It has not been an issue to find the right port for me so far and it allows you to get a general idea of where drops should be. If you are looking for Drop IDF1A-048 and find IDF1A-046 and 058 you know it is somewhere between those 2 areas.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Im starting to lean that way on the label standard.
After speaking with my cable techs it sounds like ordering cables with cubes is more work than its worth. The big advantage with BICSI is that it cuts down on lableing and documentation in the rack. Every patch panel has a letter. Every IDF has a number. A given customer cube will always go back to an IDF and patch panel. you got a 1 in 48 chance of finding it after that.
This one appears to have label space in the middle. Although quite narrow.
The 24 port version is “interesting”.
same product linked twice. still have the link for the first?
I also liked the one idea of flipping one 24port pp upside down. then all i need to keep in stock are 24ports. its a shame though since the 48 port pps are normally only a little more than a 24 port pp.
Same product page. There’s an option to change from 24-48 port.
gotcha. thanks for the clarification.
Thoses would work if i go back to the idea where i use the default pp numbers insteas of custom ones. not exactly what i was looking for tho.
You could easily get custom stickers/labels made to go over that. That’s what we do. Buy stock panels with “1-24” and then custom print stickers to go over them.
We have these in one location, and it's a mixed bag. I love the labels, not a fan of the staggered ports, but understand why they did it for Cat6A.
Its funny how there are so many designs out there but not a single one looks like what i had in mind so far. i guess up down patch cables isnt really a popular cable management style.
Thanks for sharing though.
Stupid idea of the day: instead of 48 port 2u panels, get 24 port 1u panels and mount the top one upside down
Puts the label space right where you want it
great idea! I will look into that.
The only annoying thing with this is that the “upside down” panel will be upside down; so if there’s any text screen printed on the panel, it will be upside down.
not a problem. i plan to reprint all of the labels anyways for a colorcoding idea i saw from BICSI.