Why patch panel

A patch panel is an effective and flexible networking device to keep your data center or server room organized as well as make it much easier to move, add or change the cabling infrastructure in the future. The definition, type, function, application and frequently asked questions of a patch panel will be demonstrated in this article.

Generally, there are two kinds of patch panels in the typical data center infrastructure on the basis of the cables they are working with: fiber optic patch panels and Ethernet patch panels. Both of them are available in different designs, configurations or port counts, and can be customized to fit various network cabling requirements.

FS FHD fiber patch panels come with single mode and multimode fiber types with different adapter options and port counts. Breakout Patch Panel: breakout patch panels are specifically designed for high-density 40GG and GG breakout cabling. As an agile and scalable solution to mitigate cable clusters and improve airflow, breakout patch panels deliver aesthetic appeal and make the data center a more inviting place. The breakout patch panels in FS come with both single mode and multimode options.

Patch panels are an important piece of equipment in the data center. Using a patch panel comes with many advantages that make it well worth the investment. Some of the most significant benefits of using patch panels include:. Patch panels are one of the oldest types of technical equipment still popular today.

They are quite simple in their design and function, but still, help to improve the organization and function of a data center or almost any other environment with lots of equipment. With dozens, or even hundreds, of cables coming into and out of a patch panel, it can be easy for things to become quite tangled and messy.

Unorganized cables can make troubleshooting much more difficult, and can even lead to outages if someone unplugs the wrong cable. This is why it is critical to keep organization in mind from the first cable you plug in. There are many things that a person can do to help keep a patch panel organized, including:. The most important thing when it comes to patch cable management is having a good plan right from the beginning.

There is the obvious additional cost required to purchase the patch panel itself and time investment needed to punch down each cable, but I feel they are worth it if you are looking to hook up your home network using Ethernet.

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What Is a Patch Panel? Do I Need a Patch Panel? Affiliate Disclosure. Learn More. Recent Articles. Will Ethernet Cable Lower Ping? Can Ethernet Cable Go Outside? COM offers punch down and feed-through Ethernet patch panel. And the feed-through patch panel falls into unshielded and shielded types to wire the unshielded and shielded Ethernet cables.

The following is a 24 port Cat6 unshielded feed-through patch panel. When you are unable to decide in advance which type of cables will be used to connect your hardware, you can use a blank keystone patch panel. The following is a 48 port blank keystone patch panel that provides flexibility in the type of jacks.

As a result, you can make a mixed connection based on your actual demands. Figure 4: Cables connected on 48 port blank keystone patch panel. What is the purpose of patch panel in networking, or why use a patch panel? I think now you have a good understanding.