D ATA CENTRE
Network Patching: the Weakest Link? Taking the Lead By Rob Hickford, Marketing Manager, HellermannTyton Data Ltd.
It is apparent that our attitude to patching is very much an afterthought, and we don’t treat it with the same respect or investment as the rest of the network infrastructure. Let’s look at it from a football point
Would you invest a large amount of capital into your network infrastructure only to support it with low cost, sub-standard patch leads?
You would think the answer would be ‘no’. However, it seems that’s exactly what a large number of us are doing...
of view. You wouldn’t have ten world- class outfield players and a conference division goal keeper. The outfield players will be able to support the goal keeper for a while but eventually the goal keeper will inevitably let the side down and affect the team’s performance. So then what do you do? Do you replace the goal keeper with another conference division goalie or do you make that investment in a world class keeper who will offer the same quality as the rest of the team and improve team performances and results? It is clear that the humble patch lead
has reached a point where it is almost considered disposable. If it fails, buy a new one, they’re only cheap! However, how many times do you repeat this process before it actually becomes more expensive to use substandard patch leads?
Calculating the cost
Calculating the cost of a failing or underperforming patch lead isn’t easy. You’ve got the physical cost of the patch lead, the cost of an engineer or network
manager to identify the problem plus the cost of a suboptimal network and ultimately any downtime. The ‘real cost’ of a cheap patch lead soon mounts up. According to an independent test
carried out by Fluke in 2007, out of 149 new patch leads tested, 83% of Category 6 and 70% of Category 5E patch leads did not meet the TIA/EIA- 568-B.2-1 standard. Through recent in-house testing
on a selection of patch leads, HellermannTyton can corroborate these results and the realisation of the sheer quantity of low quality, untested patch leads that exist in the market is astonishing. Network patching isn’t, however,
just about the quality of the patch lead either. It’s about how we manage our patching, how we log and record the connectivity, what is connected to what and yes, how we deal with our patching in the event of any network failures.
Patching styles
Each individual network manager will have their own patching system, their own way of managing their patch leads and their own method of managing moves, adds and changes, not forgetting patching failures. No single method is the right or wrong way of managing the
network patching. It all comes down to personal choice or company procedure, number of users, type of business and also churn rate. There are certainly ways to improve
the performance and efficiency of your network. It does come down to personal choice and what works best for you, but it could be time to consider your options where patching is concerned.
In summary
There are many different methods of patching and all carry their own advantages and disadvantages but there is one commonality in every system which will determine the success and performance of that system. Call it the weakest link, call it the missing link, but however you refer to the patch lead, it is clear that quality should be high on the agenda when choosing your patch leads. Whatever patching system is adopted
within an organisation, the performance and efficiency will inevitably be compromised by using an inferior, substandard patch lead. Ironically, it is the substandard patch lead that will uncover any flaws in the way you manage your network and the patching system you use. So, what’s the answer? To start with,
According to an independent study, out of 149 new patch leads tested, 83% of Category 6 and 70% of Category 5E patch leads did not meet the TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1 standard.
54 NETCOMMS Volume I, Issue 4 2011
make sure your patching records are all up to date and accurate. Whether it’s the colour coded system, the spreadsheet system or even the ‘writing on the back of a fag packet’ system, a solid foundation of information will give your network a good start. If you use a spreadsheet to record all your patching information, why not consider additional information such as floor, area or department, or even more detailed attributes like length or performance. If you are a business that experiences a high turnover of staff or find that teams move around regularly, perhaps you should consider an IIM system to help produce the work order for the network engineer. But most importantly, make the initial investment and specify quality, pre-tested, branded patch leads from a manufacturer with a good reputation and a track record for high standard products.
www.netcommseurope.com
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