What is a PATCH PANEL? what is used for?

What is the Patch Panel? Why is the good choice for your Server Center and Data Center?

What is the patch panel?

A patch panel is a steel panel with a number of ports helps organize a group of cables. Each of those ports includes a wire that goes to a different location. Patch panel could be small size with 2 ports, or very large size with hundreds of ports. They could also be installation for fiber optic cables, RJ45 cables, CAT5E / CAT6 / CAT6A/ CAT7 / CAT8 Ethernet cables, and many others.

Each port in a patch panel goes to a different device somewhere in the facility. Each panel bundles all the connections together in order to connect to another network. This is often how a LAN connects to a WAN, or to the Internet. Patch panels are also commonly used in facilities with a lot of telephone lines, in which one mainline is used for all phones.

Advantages of Patch Panels

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:

Scalability – After installing a patch panel, you can easily add new devices without having to run new cables end-to-end.

Reduces Cable Clutter – Patch panels are typically located closer to the actual equipment. This makes it possible to use a shorter patch cable. From the panel, a fiber optic or other high capacity connection runs to the next network or the internet.

Inexpensive – Patch panels aren`t considered [smart" devices in that they don`t perform any function other than facilitating the passing of data. This means they are very inexpensive.

Lowering Cost – Having a patch panel allows you to use shorter cables, which cost less than longer ones. Typically, you can also use inexpensive cat-5 cables to get to the patch panel rather than costly fiber optics.

Easy Maintenance – If you ever need to run a test cable, test a port, or perform any other common maintenance tasks, it can be done more quickly and is much easier than if each device had a cable run to its final destination.

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.

Patch Panel cable management System

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: Patch cable organizer

Labeling Cables – All cables should be properly labeled at both ends, and in many cases, along the middle as well. Having labels on the cables will make it easy for technicians to confirm they are working on the right lines.

Patch Cable Organizers – Patch cable organizers allow you to run lines neatly and evenly to each port so you can see exactly where things are coming from and going to.

Color Code Cables – Using color-coded cables will allow you to quickly identify what type of cable is in each place.

Cable Ties – Using zip ties to bundle cables that are going to the same server rack or other location will help keep things looking neat and organized.

The most important thing when it comes to patch Cable Management is having a good plan right from the beginning. It is much easier to spend a little extra time coming up with a good way to run your cables than it is to try to untangle hundreds of wires down the road.