cable-managementnetworkingrackswitch
We're in a situation at our new building where we have 58 drops but only 48 ports on our switch. Roughly 40 of our drops will be in use, but it's a random selection ranging from 1 to 58.
Typically I would run it 1:1, so 32 on the panel is patched into 32 on the switch, but that's obviously not possible in this case.
What is the standard way of handling this? I'm assuming something like 1:1, 2:2, 5:3, 6:4, etc, etc. Is this correct?
Cables are easier to trace, and space is used much more efficiently in Option 2. Crosstalk increases when longer cables are tightly bundled, so you should have LESS with the short ones, even if they were switch-to-switch.
Ensure cables at back of patch panel are routed to leave room for easy switch insertion. It works well for us.
My only question: will you need more switchports for the 24-port patch panel?
You'll probably want a brush strip. It sits below the switch and you feed the cables through it to the back of your servers.
Best Answer
There's no need to match patch panel numbers with switch port numbers. It's not a scalable solution, and really doesn't add management value for an environment this size.
Populate the drops that you intend to use and ensure that you have some free ports on the switch for expansion.
You can label the cable ends if necessary. Buy a wire marker booklet or print adhesive labels from a labeler.
Bonus points: Add a small cable management unit to keep things tidy as you add/change patch cables.
Here's 40 of 48 patch panel ports populating a 48-port switch.