The success of a company is based to a large extent on the constant availability of the company's internal IT. Network documentation is essential to keep an eye on these and their processes on a daily basis. Only this enables a comprehensive overview and offers starting points if, for example, failures occur, stability problems occur or special upgrades have to be imported. Equally important: the documentation also helps to identify possible risks in the event of planned changes or extensions to the network infrastructure.
The latter in particular can be a huge challenge if the cabinets in the data center are so busy that the respective employee can hardly pull a patch cord without seeing or knowing where the other end is connected. The result: misplaced patches that lead to interruptions in active data transmission and thus to data loss, which can be cost-intensive for the company.
A secure identification of patch cord ends is more than recommended in order to maintain and even increase the discussed availability of IT applications in the data center.
Add, Move and Change Requires Repatching
As soon as patch connections have to be made or connected again in the data center, this is referred to as "re-patching". This can happen when new components are connected, when an entire department is relocated or when an employee changes departments. The connections in the distribution cabinet must be patched. Unfortunately, there is a danger that active data transmissions may be interrupted if the wrong patch cord is pulled.
However, since operations in the data center must continue unhindered in order to avoid data loss, care must be taken to ensure that the correct cable ends are caught during patch-up. But how can this be done if the documentation may not be complete or detailed enough?
The solution: IDP from Rosenberger OSI
Rosenberger OSI has developed the Identification Patch Cord (IDP) to solve this problem. Thanks to an external light source that is simply plugged onto the plug at one end of the patch cord to be patched, its other end can be uniquely and reliably identified. The solution can be easily applied by a single person during operation. This solution works without active electrical or optical components, which makes retrofitting existing fiber optic cabling in data centers simple and cost-effective.