Labelling network points

[sidewinder]

Like most places where cabling has been done over a number of years by different companies (and including worst of all, NS Optimum) we are in a situation where some areas of the school are very confusing when it comes to what cab points go back to

 

So after a lot of work going round the school and collecting info, and a lucky find of some old plans with a lot of now non existant points on, Im finally ina position to start a big relabling job.

 

Im going to identify each cabinet with a letter, so it should be fairly easy to quickly see where a point goes back to.

What Im not sure about is whether I should start at 001 in each block or carry on the numbering around the site

 

Eg should I do this:

 

A/001, A/002 to A/130 in 1 block

then

B/001, B/001 to B/130 in another

 

OR

 

A/0001 - A/0130 in 1 block

then

B/0131 - B/0250 in another

 

Which is the most usual way of doing it?

[ChrisH]

I would go with the first method.

[damienharrison]

Hi sidewinder;

 

Whenever I've undergone a huge job like that ive utilised

 

A/001, A/002 to A/130 in 1 block

then

B/001, B/001 to B/130 in another

 

and then kept some documentation as to which number ports are located in which room.

 

The new PFI build I moved into last year must have been taged and labelled by monkeys using a randomiser.

 

ie Room CG1 ports go.....

 

UG001, UG002, UG003, UG045, UG005 and so on looking for UG004 made us end up in CF4 (next floor up)

 

Strange!!!

 

=0)

[webman]

Yeah, the first method - start a new port index at each different cabinet

[KarlGoddard]

In the middle of a similar job at the moment... isn't it fun to find so many naming conventions and handwritten point id's where you've had dozens of contractors in over the past 10 years 8O

 

Anyway, your first method is what we do

 

Cab ID and then point number e.g

 

C1\001 - C1\128

C2\001 - C2\128

 

and so on

 

It works for us, but we've only got about 9 or 10 cabs. there may be an easier method if you've got dozens and dozens of cabs.

[plexer]

What about Cab/Patch Panel/Port

 

So A/1/24 is

 

Cabinet A

Patch Panel 1 in cabinet A

Port 24 on Patch Panel 1 in Cabinet A

 

Ben

[sidewinder]

Thanks guys

 

Thats a good idea plexor, didnt think of that

[Ric_]

I use the same method as plexer... works well (as long as you can remember which cab is where )

[TechMonkey]

Currently we use room number (which consists of G or F prefix then a number) then a number. so G1-1, G1-2, G2-1, G2-2, etc etc. We then have documentation that shows what points go back to what cabs.

But that does rely on the fact that we have a standard room numbering (as well as classroom names). seems to work but I like plexers way. Gives the patch number some meaning and relevance & a tad quicker finding that patch panel than scrolling along all the patch bays to find it!

[Friez]

in the summer we went around each and every network socket in the school to figure out where it went to.

 

We labelled them like so:

1/2/5

 

The first number being a cabinet number (a list we maintain),

The second being the patch panel in the cabinet.

The third being the socket number on the patch panel.

 

It's well worth going around every point and testing them in the long run we found. We discovered some of the sockets wired by third parties to actually have pins out!! We had to redo some of them

[iatkinson]

Use similar to plexor

 

eg: 7-A-15

 

Cab 7

Patch Panel A

Patch Panel Port 15

 

All recorded and attached to kit going both ways in GLPi.

[plexer]

Hey guys no "o" in plexer

 

Ben

[iatkinson]

Sos, too early in the morning for brain to work...plexer it is.

[webman]

plexer: I've heard worse - "plextor"

[Friez]

could be much worse: p|3xt0rz0rz for instance.

[_Bat_]

could be much worse: p|3xt0rz0rz for instance.

 

Easy mistake to make

[enjay]

Jumping in on this thread, once you've got everything labelled how are you planning on recording it? I've recently undertaken a similar project here, and have a vast and slightly confusion Excel spreadsheet listing all the patch panels and stating where it goes and what, if anything, is on the other end. I've also gone the other way and recorded which switch port the patch port is connected to. This means that, using this spreadsheet, I can trace every device's connection all the way from desk to server.

 

The information is all there in Excel, but it's not set out in the most friendly or pretty way, so I was just wondering how better I could record it.

[plexer]

Yup seen all those before too.

 

http://www.cs.princeton.edu/patchmaker/

 

Has been mentioned before.

 

Ben

[Ric_]

I am slowly using my Test-Um Validator to check the wiring at my site... a very slow process :?

 

The advantage though is that it will draw pretty pictures of what goes where.

[FN-GM]

I think Friez system is the best

[sidewinder]

Jumping in on this thread, once you've got everything labelled how are you planning on recording it? I've recently undertaken a similar project here, and have a vast and slightly confusion Excel spreadsheet listing all the patch panels and stating where it goes and what, if anything, is on the other end. I've also gone the other way and recorded which switch port the patch port is connected to. This means that, using this spreadsheet, I can trace every device's connection all the way from desk to server.

 

The information is all there in Excel, but it's not set out in the most friendly or pretty way, so I was just wondering how better I could record it.

 

I previously had Visio diagrams of every cab but that got too long winded so Ive gone your route and have done it in Excel. Ive got a seperate sheet for each cab.

Im also going to duplicate that info on floorplans in Visio when I have them finished, as they will be far easier to work with if a copy is stuck in the relavent cab.

 

Dunno about tracing points to each switch port. I can see the advantages but things are just moved about far too much here for that to be feasible

[sidewinder]

I am slowly using my Test-Um Validator to check the wiring at my site... a very slow process :?

 

I was going to request one of them after seeing a previous post by you about them. We've now run out of money till April so looks like thats on hold for a while

 

Unless you fancy lending me yours for a while