Is there a standard for patch panel cabling colour coding?

[Geoff]

Currently I've made a lot of changes to my network with a view to support extra kit. We've also had a new 6th Form Block built which has all sorts of fun things in it. In the main school cabinets I only really need to differentiate between Curriculum, Admin, Uplinks and Servers. However in the 6th form things get more complicated with the addition of Analog Telephones, Staff Wifi and Guest Wifi links. Potentially in the future there will be additional types of link including CCTV and VOIP.

 

Is there a standardised published colour coding scheme I can use that will sort this mess out for me, or should I just make one up?

[plexer]

Not that I know of we just use our own.

 

Ben

[tonyd]

Maybe this one - Patch Cable Color Coding Standards

 

Patch Cable Color Coding Standards

 

Color Use

White Standard Category 5 Cable

Yellow Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable

Orange Multi-Mode Fiber Optic Cable

Red Cross Over Cable

Green Security Use Cabling

Blue Standard Category 6 Cable

Black Test Cable, Special Application

 

Not sure it's really what you need though!

 

Although, this sounds better: http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/Networking_Hardware/Q_23294074.html

 

BiCSi Telecommunications Distributions Methods Manual, 11th Edition.

 

Color-Coding

 

The color codes for cross-connect fields are shown in Table 10.5.

Table 10.5

Color codes

The Color& Identifies&

Orange Demarcation point (e.g., central office connections)

 

Green Network connections (e.g., network and auxiliary

equipment)

 

Purple Common equipment (e.g., connections to PBX, main

frame computer, LAN, multiplexer)

 

White First-level backbone (e.g., termination of building

backbone cable connecting MC [CD] to ICs [bDs])

 

Gray Second-level backbone (e.g., termination of building

backbone cable connecting ICs [bDs] to HCs [FDs])

 

Blue Horizontal cable (e.g., horizontal connections to

telecommunications outlet/connectors)

 

Brown Campus backbone (campus cable terminations)

NOTE: Brown takes precedence over white or gray

for campus runs.

 

Yellow Miscellaneous (e.g., auxiliary, alarms, security)

Red Reserved for future use (also, key telephone systems)

 

BD = Building distributor

C D = Campus distributor

FD = Floor distributor

HC = Horizontal cross-connect

I C = Intermediate cross-connect

MC = Main cross-connect

 

NOTES: Industry practice varies according to local codes and practices (e.g., industry practice in Canada is to use white or silver for common equipment terminations and purple for first-level backbone terminations).

 

Industry practices in some areas reserve red for life-safety alarm systems.

Accepted methods for color-coding cross-connect fields include the use of colored

backboards, connections, covers, or labels. These color assignments are for identifying only cross-connect fields. They are considered to be independent of media type and telecommunications services (e.g., voice or data) and do not

apply to protection apparatus or other elements of the cabling system for which other (proprietary) color schemes may be used.

Edited September 10, 2009 by tonyd
updates!

[pete]

You need a cable colour dictator: Create your scheme, laminate a copy in network cabs, server room and it office. Beat anyone who doesn't conform to it.

 

I use:

 

Red for uplinks

Orange for POE

Green for servers

Yellow for clients

Blue or grey for switch<->panel patching.

Black for storage connections.

Grey w/green ends = crossover.

[mossj]

... Beat anyone who doesn't conform to it....

 

Is that what the lead pipe is for?

[budgester]

I use

 

Red - servers

Blue - Phones

Green - Links

Black - Student Network

Yellow - Admin Network

Purple - Door Access

Pink - Camera System

 

But that just my network.

[MatthewL]

We use the following:

 

Blue - Data with combined VoIP / Data on non VoIP sites

Orange - Standard data on VoIP site, eg. printers, pc with no VoIP phone

Yellow - Other none VoIP phone systems

Green - Router to firewalls and wireless devices

Red - Firewall to switch and switch uplinks

Black - Servers

Grey - Major incident phone lines

[webman]

We use different colours in different cabs for client <-> switch connections in the cab and grey/white at the workstation end.

 

Otherwise - servers are yellow, IP KVM are blue, and SAN connections are purple.

 

Like other good advice, I'd recommend making your own scheme and sticking to it.

[gaz350]

colours all i see is grey grey and maybe some beige if im lucky

 

oh well too late now new building next year.

[mjs_mjs]

tbh i would say that if you work in a school the people paying for the patch cables will not care about colour coding. After all it's your job to know what goes where, and why should they pay for anything that makes your life easier??? agreeded all of us here think it's sensible, especially if you have multiple devices using the same cables as most of us do. i would do it cab by cab with a massive warning on the front of each. also it depends on who has access to the cabs. if it's one department, a scheme will be easier to impliment, if you have other departments using your cabs too then it's likely you'll face some resistance. well you would where i work anyway. as someone stated above yellow and orange are fiber colours and they are standardised so avoid them.

 

we use mainly green for patch to switch for client,

red for switch interconnect,

blue for wireless,

white for phone,

purple for cctv in alot of places,

All of our servers are labled so that you cannot unplug them without noticing a massive TAG with the server name on it.

[ronanian]

We don't use colour coding here, except blue usually means wireless APs. I have been trying to use colours to make my work easier, however. I tie the cables in groups and I don't use the same colour twice in a bundle. That way I don't have to untie the bundle or tug on the cable to identify it when I am trying to follow it from one end to the other.

 

It's very colourful.