Patch Panel

In short: A distribution panel in the network cabinet on which the permanently installed network cables from the building end and are connected to the switch ports with short patch cables.

In more detail: The patch panel separates the fixed building cabling from the active equipment. The cables in the walls are terminated once; what is connected is later decided only by re-plugging patch cables, without touching the installation.

In Depth

Construction

A patch panel is a 19-inch strip, usually with 12, 24 or 48 sockets (RJ45 for copper, LC or SC for fibre). On the back, the installation cables are fixed to contacts with a punch-down tool (LSA technology), on the front the patch cables are plugged in. Every socket is numbered and every panel has its own ID (e.g. PP1). Together they give the exact address of a connection, such as “PP1, port 14”, as it appears in the cabling plan.

Why not straight into the switch?

If the building cables were plugged directly into the switch, every change would mean working on permanently installed cables, and the connectors on the switch would wear out from repeated re-plugging. The patch panel takes that stress: only the flexible patch cables are plugged, the installation cable stays untouched. Connections can also be labelled and organised clearly.

Category and quality

The panel has to match the cable quality: a Cat6a cable needs a Cat6a panel, otherwise the weakest link of the chain limits the speed. Panels come shielded and unshielded, matching the cable used.

Labelling

Panel and ports are labelled unambiguously, ideally so that the connection label in the plan and on the panel are identical. Good documentation turns “some cable in the cabinet” into a traceable connection.

See also: Cabling plan, Network cabinet, Switch, Cat cable, Fibre