switches too dense to add/move/change

I'm working in a couple of closets, which have Catalyst 6509s in them. In the past, ethernet drops were pulled to the closet, and punched-down on the backs of some RJ45 patch panels. Patch cords were used to cross-connect the panels to the Catalyst switches. As the switches filled-up, their faceplates have become pretty-much a mass of cable; it is a pain to get fingertips in, to add or remove a single cable. You can't see most of the LEDs. Lord help me if I ever have to replace a linecard.

I've seen some pretty sales pictures showing the Catalyst switches, precabled with structured wiring to a patch panel field. Connections between the drops and switchports are made using cross-connects from one patch panel to the other.

What kind of connectors are used to terminate the cables from the switch, onto the patch field? Do people punch-down every one of those cables on the back-sides of the patch field?

What's the point of making dense switches, if we have to use a second rack to spread out the jacks to something more reasonable? I'd pay extra for a 6509 that took up a whole rack, with integrated horizontal and vertical cable management :) .

Alternatively, can't Cisco just sell a card with integrated RJ21x, the way the Cat5k had an RJ21?

Reply to
Ingen Ingensteds
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You might want to take a look at this patching system:

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I have seen these guys on a BICSI regional meeting recently. They claim that they have CAD tools that can help to re-work existing closet using their patching technology. In a nutshell the system works by providing some additional cord storage space behind the patch panel/switch plane. You will still use standard patch panels but you'd replace your plain vanilla horizontal wire managers with theirs with deep storage pockets. Check them out, maybe this is the way to go for you.

As far as RJ21 for Gigabit Ethernet goes I have never heard of CAT5E-rated RJ21. Not sure about your particular switch chassis but it was possible in the past to buy a line card with RJ21 for 100Base-T.

Reply to
Dmitri(Cabling-Design.com

They do.

Reply to
RC

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