Contents

	Welcome Note
	FTTX The next broadband wave
	Creating the Green Data Centre
	Protection systems in the Communications Network
	Patch-Free Cabling Solution
	Cat 6A is now Ratified

Patch-Free Cabling Solution

The Patch by Exception Solution

How to save time and money while
improving performance and aesthetics
How to save time and money while improving performance and aesthetics In the race for high performance, it is important to consider the elements that go beyond pure performance. ADC KRONE's HighBand^® wire termination module is a unique product in the world of security, alarms and voice and data communications infrastructure. HighBand modules not only provide industry-leading performance, but also many additional benefits that make installation, administration and maintenance of a structured cabling system fast and efficient. Ultimately leading to big cost savings over the lifetime of the asset.

THE NEED

One common method of achieving communications management at the central termination point for the floor (floor distributor) is to use 8-way modular outlets (RJ45 style) in patch panels. This has the very desirable advantage that anyone authorized in the organization can change the position of the patch cords to suit the needs at the time and direct signals to different parts of the office. You do not need to be a licensed technician to change the location of the patch cords, but you do need permission from the IT system administrator. The downside is, that in a very short period of time, those minor patch cord relocations leave the patch panel looking extremely cluttered, unsightly and impossible to manage or work on. The result is that incorrect circuits are disconnected causing considerable loss of time and productivity, not to mention user frustration.

For those system administrators or technicians doing fault finding on patch panel systems, there is an additional complication. RJ45 style outlets do not allow you to monitor what is happening, so to test the system you have to disconnect the patch cord circuit. Imagine a doctor having to remove an organ just to see if it was causing the problem. Patch cord mis-management and an inability to test/monitor circuits are a costly operational nightmare. Well, there is a better way…one that will not result in a tangled mess of patch cords…

IMMEDIATE COST BENEFITS

Cost Savings in Jumper Cable
The first benefit starts even before the system is activated. The 4-pair jumper cables connecting the first and second verticals can actually be off-cuts from the horizontal cable used in the rest of the building. Whilst utilizing off-cuts, there is no need to purchase extra cable or special jumper cable.

Cost Savings in Patch Cords
You'll also save on the purchase of patch cords for every connection in the floor distributor, because it has already been hard wired with jumpers. The system will run correctly from day one, as is.

Figure 1: HighBand 25 – Cross Connect System

What To Do

Use disconnection modules instead of patch panels. The cabling on the floor distributor inside the telecommunications room is terminated on disconnection modules, either 8-pair or 25-pair.

Referring to Figure 2, one vertical column of disconnection modules, the network switch field, is terminated with system leads that plug straight into the front ports of a hub or switch/router with a standard RJ45. All of the work area horizontal cabling from the telecommunications outlets terminated onto a second vertical column of disconnection modules, the work area field, which is located beside the first vertical column. The technicians simply terminate a series of 4-pair cables known as "jumpered cross-connects" on to the disconnection modules to complete the connection between the switch and the work area outlets.

Figure 2: When terminating cable side of the module, make each 4 pair group match a work area outlet

OPERATIONAL BENEFITS

VoIP Applications
The world-wide move to VoIP means that Patch By Exception (PBE) has really come of age. In a VoIP system all adds, moves and changes to users handsets are done using software tools. The users name and phone number are related to the handset by the IP and MAC address assigned to the VoIP enabled handset itself. Thus when a user needs to move, they simply unplug the handset from the current RJ45 outlet and plug it into another active RJ45 outlet on the same logical IP network. This could be across the hall, the building or the world. All this is achieved with no patch cord changes on the cross connect at all. Thus in a VoIP environment utilizing PBE, the need for patch cords is eliminated, only to be used perhaps for diagnosis or to bypass a damaged cable.

Moves, Adds and Changes
Sooner or later, every office will experience the inevitable, moves, adds and changes (MACs).
This is where your prior planning pays off. When it comes time to move services for an individual from one location to another, no special tools are required. Moves are done quickly and efficiently with a disconnection patch cord. Simply plug a patch cord into the work area field at the circuit to be moved and then plug the other end into the new source on the network switch field. The 4-pair patch cord will move all signals from one work area to another in a matter of seconds (see Figure 2).

Patch By Exception
During MACs the act of plugging a patch cord into the work area modules opens the internal spring contacts, thereby disconnecting the existing circuit to only that work area. When the other end of the patch cord is plugged into the centre of a module on the network equipment field, it will disconnect that existing circuit and feed the signal via the patch cord to the new work area outlet. The patch cord has therefore created a new patched configuration, by-passing the original hard wired configuration. The patch has become an exception to the original, hence the name "Patch By Exception". To revert back to the original jumpered configuration, simply remove the patch plug from the network equipment modules, then the work area module. This sequence ensures no signal voltages will appear on the plug ends. The patch cords can be hung in a cupboard ready for use the next time an exception is required to the original jumpering.

Added Security
All active equipment can be safely locked away in cabinets, as technicians do not require access to perform MACs. On the module frames, any unauthorised patching will stand out from the normally clean front faces.

Figure 4: Inside view of a disconnection module shows how an isolation plug disconnects the circuit without disturbing the IDC termination.

Sometimes, on a patch panel system, you know that there must be a patch cord incorrectly positioned but you just cannot find it amongst all the others. This problem is eliminated in a Patch By Exception system, all temporary patch cords and plugs stand out from the normally clean module faces so you can quickly see an incorrect patch.

Security Isolation
If you have ever had an employee make unauthorized long distance phone calls from a vacant office, send anonymous e-mail from someone else's computer, or log onto the Internet and incur service charges, you know how important it is to be able to disconnect service temporarily. To disable services to a work area, simply place an isolation plug into the center port for that outlet (see Figure 4).

By Siva Kumar
Technical Manager-Enterprise