Patch Panels; Integral To Business Operation
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Patch panels are used the world over in businesses as a means of managing computer and phone networks. Fundamentally patch panels hold network ports, that all connect together. Typically they are housed within dedicated server rooms, air conditioned due to the heat given off by electrical components. The connections that are made include both incoming and outgoing wires, all used to keep a local area network or LAN running.
That is not to say that patch panels are purely used in the creation of local area networks. In fact the first patch panels were almost exclusively used within the telecommunications industry. For example, many people will have seen the images and film footage of call girls transferring calls using numerous different plugs and sockets. In essence this is what a patch panel does; it is just with the automation of communications technology the necessity for a human operator has been removed.
The connections are made with patch chords. These chords are used in both LANs and WANs to connect computers to each other and the internet. The reason why panels are used is to make these connections easy to maintain and understand, arranging them in an understandable format that provides the technician with the information they need instantly. As they are in plug and socket form, it also means that connections can be changed easily, without having to bond wires together.
Ultimately patch panels are a convenient area for the network cables to terminate. This form of wiring room keeps the exposed wires down to a minimum, the result being a more secure network and system more generally. While some may argue that it would be far simpler to connect all of the cables directly into a hub, by doing this however the following advantage is negated. By directly connecting to the hub the colour coding used with patch panels is lost. Instead messy labels must be placed on every wire individually; this is not only untidy but if the labels fall of it is easy to render the entire system useless.
Hopefully this article has got across the point that patch panels are by far the most convenient way to organise and manage network connections. Without these essential pieces of equipment many businesses would not be able to operate in today's modern corporate world. As networks and the internet become increasingly important in the day to day running of companies it is clearly understandable that items such as the patch panel have become integral to operations.
Technology and computing specialist Thomas Pretty looks at how patch panels are vital in the management of networks and the business world more generally.