basic telephony questions -Demarc -punchdown

Could someone provide a few links to sites which go into detail about the process of punching down wires? I'm amazed at how little information is out there on setting up demarcs, I've checked Chapters and the large main library here in Vancouver and they have nothing.

The Homer Depot sells the tools (Tone/Probe, PunchDown Tool) but no one there has a clue as to how they work.

I've been asked to change a connection from one telco to another, which should be a simple matter of moving one set of wires punched down to another demarc fom another telco. I assume I simply then have to check an RJ11 receptacle for a signal sent from the new telco.

As i've never done this before, could someone provide some first hand insight as to what i can expect? Where would a person go, aside from becomig a teclo employee, to learn how these work (I've been doing computer networking for a while so i have the general concepts down and understand what i've read so far re: telephony). Even phreaking manuals would probably be more assistance than the crappy manuals from the Harris tool website.

Thanks for the help

-Kallen

Reply to
Kallen
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a lot of good info and links to other resources

--reed

Reply to
Reed

Another source might be

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I believe he even has a Video for sale showing him install a couple of phone systems which involved punch blocks.

And if you are completely frustrated try checking out his telephone line powered stuff at

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Good for a laugh or two...

Reply to
GlowingBlueMist

Computer networking is not telephony. And if you really did networking, you would or should have already known what a demarc is, and what is needed to punch down a circuit. Ask the person who is responsible for your pbx to do it.

Reply to
Dana

Are you in Vancouver Washington, or Vancouver B.C. ?

If in BC you will probably need a BIX tool, not the 66 block tool that HD sells. BIX tools are available from Anixter.

H.

Reply to
Howard Eisenhauer

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) has been *nothing* other than a massive computer data network for just about 20-25 years now.

Nobody has installed a new telephone switch since maybe 1980 that wasn't just a large computer with thousands of serial ports.

Since the early 90's (before most Internet users had ever heard of The Internet!) the PSTN has been controlled by what is called SS-7, or Signaling System Number 7. It is a massive packet network, much like the Internet, with a distributed computer control system. Every little telco switch in the country can send data to every other switch (actually, in most of the world, just like the Internet).

However, to understand how such a massive computer network can be called a "telephone" network, you have to read Dilbert Cartoons. That's because telephone people from the outside plant installer right up to the CEO wear blinders. They work on trunks and deal with switching mechanisms. Computer and computer networks are what IBM does.

The shear idiocy involved in the distinction between a computer network and the PSTN is *exactly* why AT&T just folded and was sold for a pittance compared to what it would have been worth if it had been managed right.

Reply to
Floyd L. Davidson

Interestingly in my office the only difference between computer network and telephone network is that the phones terminate on 110 blocks whereas the network terminates on both ends to RJ-45 type jacks. Otherwise, I believe the standard is T568B or some such, and both phone and network use that.

Reply to
Tony P.

The lines are between the two are merging. Home depot does have a punch down tool, also called an impact tool. When you look at the tools get the Harris version it is usually either yellow and blue or red and black, and get the one that has the reversable blade, one side is a 66 type blade and the other is a 110 style. as for pinouts pins 1 and 2 are rx from the network and pins 4 and 5 are tx to the network. The fox and hound, also known as the toner and probe are good for tracing wires when you have to go to numerous blocks and they have not been labled.

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Reply to
Dana

This entire post was classic. Agreed on all fronts. I've been involved in both voice and data engineering for the past 10+ years and have seen the "blinders" perspective. When people with stagnated skills feel threatened there's a reactionary defense that automatically goes up. I am equally happy working on some old Merlin or Nortel PBX as I am writing code for new web apps.

Reply to
gregarican

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