Switches and patch panels

[Little-Miss]

One of the classrooms has a double network socket, one live socket the other not. The way that the one is labelled and the other isnt makes me think that this was on purpose.
I've visited the cab and have found that it has a patch cable already in place from the switch to the panel, but there are no lights flashing or what not.

I tried another cable but the no avail, the second from the socket is happily flashing away. Now is this a problem i can sort or do i need to get link2ict in?

Cab newbie!!

[K.C.Leblanc]

I'd start by unscrewing the socket and seeing if there's anything connected. It does seem odd they'd install a double socket and only connect one.

[Little-Miss]

i thought it was odd too, so i pulled the trunking up and there are 2 cables running from it....will still check to see if its connected though.....nothing suprises me!

[JOrdan01070]

Little Miss do you have a cheap cable tester that you use, also is it cabled up behind the port in the patch panel

[Little-Miss]

I do have my cable tester. Going to have a play with that after lunch.

Is it cabled behind?....that i dont know...some genius has fitted the cab in a cupboard so i've yet to open it properly....im assuming it opens at the back as well.......

[JOrdan01070]

You should be able to unscrew the the pannel the port is on but be very careful so you don't disdurbe the other cables. You may aslo find that the cable does not go to the patch panel port you think it goes to. I would plug the remote part of your cable tester into the port in the class room and then check every free port just incase.

[witch]

I do have my cable tester. Going to have a play with that after lunch.

Is it cabled behind?....that i dont know...some genius has fitted the cab in a cupboard so i've yet to open it properly....im assuming it opens at the back as well.......

I would think it probably isnt cabled behind - we have quite a few like this

[rogerblue]

the light on the switch will not flash unless a device is actually plugged into the socket i presume then that you have tried a pc in the socket (or whatever you have in the socket you deem live) otherwise changing the cable from the switch to the patch panel in the cabinet is a bit pointless.

[Little-Miss]

Theres an access point on the other end.

Typically i cant find my cable tester anywhere!! (grr) so i have unscrewed the patch panel and it is cabled behind...

So may have to wait until tomorrow to test the free ports. I'm just using the plan that the installers left behind.

[Little-Miss]

Right, so found my Cable tester.

So shall i just plug the remote bit into the class room and plug the main bit into empty ports until i see life?!

[witch]

That's what I'd do!

[Little-Miss]

Let the random plugging in commence!!

[ozzy]

Just a word of caution Little Miss, pluging you tester into a live network point could damage it so I'd check that the point's you pluging it into are not connected to a switch at the patch panel end or a client at the other

[mjs_mjs]

Just a word of caution Little Miss, pluging you tester into a live network point could damage it so I'd check that the point's you pluging it into are not connected to a switch at the patch panel end or a client at the other

sometimes this is hard; finding the correct patch could take forever. the first thing i would do is disconnect all patched cables that have no active electronics on them- ie no lights flashing on the switch, i would then use the cable tester. there is no point testing the ones that are working - but you all know that. try narrowing your search down, if you know where the one next to it is patched try looking around that area in the patch panel. if your patching is a real mess it may be worth spending time mapping out your network.

[Little-Miss]

Oooer...

The guys that set it up have mapped and labelled it quite so well, so i know where everything is supposed to be.

So am i alright as long as its the remote bit on the client end and the main bit attached to the patch not the switch?