Structured Cabling

[pea123]

Proper patch panel termination and cable routing

I was wondering if someone could post some pictures of a properly terminated patch panel and th best way to run the cables.....i need to install a 16 port patch panel on a wall mounted rack, so i dont have access to the rear of the rack for termination, so i'm going to have to flip the panel to terminate....any pointers on that as well would be appreciated.

 

[SYQUEST]

What documentation did the patch panel manufacturer provide? Did you read it? And what about the wall rack bracket? Depending on the size of the wall rack bracket some are better for cable routing and reentry access than others. They need more evaluation and planning in the beginning in order to make them work to your advantage. I don't have any pictures of installations, but using the patch panel bracket type panel, the type where you snap in regular or hi-density "keystone" modular jacks, may make it easier to add and terminate as opposed to a "six-pack" type patch panel module. With the "six-pack" module you have to open one end or dismount the entire patch panel. Not easy to manage for adds and changes!

....JIM....

 

[LkEErie]

You have to be careful, but I take the panel out of the rack and screw it into the end of the panel backwards. All your cables come down one side or the other, feed the patch panel, and terminate them fairly tight from the inside to the outside. Then, when I'm done, unscrew the panel and turn it over, velcroing (is that a word) the bundle and pushing it to the back of the rack.

That works well, unless you put the rack in a space that doesn't have 19" extra on one side or the other

LkEErie (been there, done that, but you should not have used a fixed rack then)

 

[rharsh]

If you have some flexibility on the rack, you might be able to use a wall mount gated or swing-out rack. Then you'd have access to the back of the equipment/patch panel after the install.

 

[Sr1767]

Make sure that the rack is hinged. You sure don't want to pull that out to add/test wiring.
Slack on the cables is your friend.

 

[LkEErie]

I just finished a Buffalo Wild Wings, where the rack is an 8U above the door. I turned the 48 port panel backwards, putting tape to keep the finish from scrathing, terminated my 30+ cables, then carefully turned it back around and mounted it. My only annoyance was I had to use a 2U management plate...the 1U was out of stock. Wow, after two switches I didn't have much room to mount the battery back-up! The onlly thing that saved me was the switches were short. I was supposed to rack mount the new MOH box, but that went on the backboard.

LkEErie

 

[Sam173]

I think all of our patch panels come with foam pads which we've used to protect the patch panel, I agree screwing it backwards is a great way to go if you can't open the rack.