ColbearRepor
Programmer
Is it really a good idea to leave crosswires alone as much as possible and do port swaps? What are the pro's and con's?
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John Poole
- Thread starter ColbearRepor
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I do both. For me it kind of depends if the jack is labeled properly as it may take more time to trace/tone in order to physically move it. You just have to be careful with corruption if you are doing port swaps - from what I have read you need to out and rebuild if you are 'swapping' an agent.
It also depends where you are actually doing the physical move of the cross-connects. You should leave the IDF alone and move them at the MDF so that way your cabling labels don't get mixed up. Example say u have someone moving from K-110 to K100 ... K110 is actually voice 110 in the IDF closet K versus if someone moved the IDF connection it could be K-111 so then the cubical jack is labeled wrong (should be changed to say K-111). If you move it at the MDF then you just have to put the TN onto voice 100 (say if you moved it from K-110 jack) but if you moved the IDF from K 110 to K 100 you have to move the MDF anyway because the TN port cross-connect is still connected to K110.
You might say to yourself why would someone change the IDF port that it is connected to - well I have seen some pairs go bad before so you don't really have a choice but to move it.
It also depends where you are actually doing the physical move of the cross-connects. You should leave the IDF alone and move them at the MDF so that way your cabling labels don't get mixed up. Example say u have someone moving from K-110 to K100 ... K110 is actually voice 110 in the IDF closet K versus if someone moved the IDF connection it could be K-111 so then the cubical jack is labeled wrong (should be changed to say K-111). If you move it at the MDF then you just have to put the TN onto voice 100 (say if you moved it from K-110 jack) but if you moved the IDF from K 110 to K 100 you have to move the MDF anyway because the TN port cross-connect is still connected to K110.
You might say to yourself why would someone change the IDF port that it is connected to - well I have seen some pairs go bad before so you don't really have a choice but to move it.
The less you touch the MDF, the less you will have broken cross connect.
Is John today's cross connect post moderator?
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Is John today's cross connect post moderator?
Find more at GHTROUT.com
Interesting Gene. I can't say I have had a broken cross connect. I have seen a bad port or a feeder (IDF) go bad (won't work even with using new cross connect wire). Our MDFs have been pretty solid really. For moving agents it may be quicker to move the cross connects since you have to out and rebuild them to prevent corruption. I suppose it depends how big your facility is too. Might be quicker to move ports in the PBX for staff.
Anything that you tug on, slide along, tuck in, etc., is going to have a higher failure rate. That's why the most common canned Telco Central Office "excuse" has been "broken jumper" since time began.
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Find more at GHTROUT.com
I thought the most canned Central Office excuse was, " We didn't do anything" In their defense if you have never seen a large C.O. it's no wonder jumpers get broken. Those frames are massive. When you need a sliding ladder to run jumper wires you know there is a lot of cross connects. Plus with the addition of DSL there is no other way to do it other than to run jumpers through the DSLAM. Anyway, KUDOS to the CO techs, that's a thankless job and hours and hours of over time.
In new installations - I just wire the first pair for every station cable to the IDF and cross-connect it to a feed-pair going back to the MDF. From that point forward, there should be little reason to touch anything in the closets.
At the MDF - so long as I have enough licenses, I just wire everything from the feedpair to the switch, and document the path from TN to MDF to IDF to the station. So from that point - the only thing you're doing is moving stuff within the programming and not touching cross-connects. With ACD phones - corruption issues with moving them in the PBX are rare... I just do a DACR (TN) in LD 48, delete the agent in Symposium/Contact Center, move the programming in LD 20, and rebuild the agent in Symposium/Contact Center. PRT the TN - make sure it's acquired and you're good to go.
The only caveat is if you have different techs working there - they may or may not update documentation. So some kind of change control process is vital.
With existing installations - I just document as I go and over time you get a pretty good idea of the path from TN to phone so you're not running around with tools tracing things out.
I've seen some installations where you have a large MDF with BIX or even worse - 110 blocks - it's dense, you got a ton of cross-connects going across up and down everywhere... it's just a major pain in the ass to trace things out.
Just keep good documentation and discipline.
At the MDF - so long as I have enough licenses, I just wire everything from the feedpair to the switch, and document the path from TN to MDF to IDF to the station. So from that point - the only thing you're doing is moving stuff within the programming and not touching cross-connects. With ACD phones - corruption issues with moving them in the PBX are rare... I just do a DACR (TN) in LD 48, delete the agent in Symposium/Contact Center, move the programming in LD 20, and rebuild the agent in Symposium/Contact Center. PRT the TN - make sure it's acquired and you're good to go.
The only caveat is if you have different techs working there - they may or may not update documentation. So some kind of change control process is vital.
With existing installations - I just document as I go and over time you get a pretty good idea of the path from TN to phone so you're not running around with tools tracing things out.
I've seen some installations where you have a large MDF with BIX or even worse - 110 blocks - it's dense, you got a ton of cross-connects going across up and down everywhere... it's just a major pain in the ass to trace things out.
Just keep good documentation and discipline.
chippowell
Technical User
We do both, depending on the situation. Consider those phonesets with BFTN's that you can't use a MOV command on. Often, for those, it is easier to swing the jumpers. And in my experience, people are capable of screwing things up in software just as badly as they can knock things loose on the frame. For moving ACD sets, swinging jumpers is the way to go, although I'm told with CS1K 7.5 you can MOV and ECHG to your heart's content. (But I admit I'm afraid to try!)
If you pay for a maintenance contract through a channel partner, wiring ports to live TN's at every vacant workstation is costing you money every month. If you have a predictable percentage of vacant workstations through the campus, you'll save money leaving those unwired to a TN, and just wiring them up at the frame when you need them. If ports and line cards were free, different story. I agree that IDF's should mainly be left alone, unless you're forced to split jacks or wire new workstations.
IMO, the best telecom techs are those who are equally comfortable doing it both ways, understand the pros and cons of both, and know intuitively which situations call for which kind of work. In both cases, accurate labeling and documentation at the jack, IDF, MDF, PBX, and in your own databases and/or campus maps is key.
If you pay for a maintenance contract through a channel partner, wiring ports to live TN's at every vacant workstation is costing you money every month. If you have a predictable percentage of vacant workstations through the campus, you'll save money leaving those unwired to a TN, and just wiring them up at the frame when you need them. If ports and line cards were free, different story. I agree that IDF's should mainly be left alone, unless you're forced to split jacks or wire new workstations.
IMO, the best telecom techs are those who are equally comfortable doing it both ways, understand the pros and cons of both, and know intuitively which situations call for which kind of work. In both cases, accurate labeling and documentation at the jack, IDF, MDF, PBX, and in your own databases and/or campus maps is key.
Interesting, we are a Channel Partner and your Maintenance Cost is based on Port Count in the Switch, not what's cross connected. If you have 200 digital ports and only 100 are cross connected you still pay maintenance based on 200. I think it's a Company thing not a Channel Partner thing. I say do what ever works for you, that's what your going to do anyway.
chippowell
Technical User
I guess what I mean is if you don't keep every workstation wired, and there's a predictable vacancy rate, you don't need as many ports period. You don't need the line cards, you don't need them built in the switch, and you don't need them cross connected. You're right, the channel partner doesn't come look at the closet to see what's connected.
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