Structured Cabling
Structured cabling is building or campus telecommunications cabling infrastructure that consists of a number of standardized smaller elements (hence structured) called subsystems. Structured cabling falls into six subsystems
- Entrance Facilities are where the building interfaces with the outside world.
- Equipment Rooms host equipment which serve the users inside the building.
- Telecommunications Rooms house telecommunication equipment which connect the backbone and the horizontal cabling subsystems.
- Backbone Cabling connect between the entrance facilities, equipment rooms and telecommunications rooms.
- Horizontal Cabling connect telecommunications rooms to individual outlets on the floor.
- Work-Area Components connect end-user equipment to outlets of the horizontal cabling system
Structured Cabling Design And Installation Is Governed By A Set Of Standards That Specify Wiring Data Centers, And Apartment Buildings For Data Or Voice Communications, Using Category 5 (cat 5e) Or Category 6 Cable (cat 6) And Modular Sockets. These Standards Define How To Lay The Cabling In A Star Formation, Such That All Outlets Terminate At A Central Patch Panel (which Is Normally 19 Inch Rack-mounted), From Where It Can Be Determined Exactly How These Connections Will Be Used. Each Outlet Can Be ‘patched’ Into A Data Network Switch (normally Also Rack Mounted Alongside), Or Patched Into A ‘telecoms Patch Panel’ Which Forms A Bridge Into A Private Branch Exchange (pbx) Telephone System, Thus Making The Connection A Voice Port.
