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If you're ever in a Switch Room and don't know what the heck you're looking at - this sketch just might help.
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| Okay then - what the heck does it all mean? |
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Voice MDF | 110 Voice Main Distribution Frame from the PBX (Private Branch Exchange). The physical circuit address (Phone Extension) of the port on the blade within the Switch (Shelf 01 - Slot 03 - Port 01 -[Ext 1234]) 1st pair on 110 Voice MDF might = 01-03-01
Frame color-code = Purple |
| Voice IDF | 110 Voice Intermediate Distribution Frame from the the Switch Room to multiple Communication Closets:
- Pair 1 - 100 - First Floor Comm Closet
- Pair 101 - 200 - Second Floor Comm Closet
- Pair 201 - 300 - Third Floor Comm Closet
Cross-connect or Jumper 1st pair (MDF Voice Circuit 01-03-01 [Ext 1234]) to Pair 1 on the Intermediate Distribution Frame. Ext 1234 will be available for cross-connect on Pair 1 on the IDF in the First Floor Comm Closet. Frame color-code = White |
| Station Patch Panel | If we were to take Voice Circuit 01-04-01 from the Voice MDF and terminate it on the Blue pair of the 1st C4 on the Station Patch Panel - we would have a working telephone at Voice Jack 1. Plug it in and the Switch Room should have dial-tone! Frame color-code = Blue |
| Video Control | This is a pass-thru or termination Patch Panel for Video Control Head-end Equipment - Fire Alarms - Security - Card Readersand stuff!Frame color-code = Yellow |
| POP | POP refers to the Point-of-Presence or Demarc. This is where:- Dial-up lines - 1FB's
- Loop-Start/Ground Start Trunks
- Pay-phone circuits
- Special Circuits - Switched 56/Frame Relay/T1's/Ringdowns
are dropped off by the Local Exchange Carrier. Frame color-code = Orange |
| Westel/Smart Jack | Special circuits are terminated by the Local Exchange/LD Carrier to a Westel/Smart Jack. This is their demarcation point for trouble-shooting special circuits! No further! |
| Everything else: | Whatever is left might be classified as CPE (Customer Premise Equipment):
- PBX - Private Branch Exchange - Telephone Switch.
- Voice Mail Servers - Phone Mail Servers
- Fax Server
- Router with V.35 blades to support WAN Special Circuits interfacing to Local Area Network protocols.
- Hub to network Fax/Voice Mail Servers (10/100 auto-sensing)
- Uninterrupted Power Supply for WAN/LAN Equipment.
- Digital Voice Announcer - used for Call Center technology
- CSU's - Channel Service Units - T1's or Frame Relay from the Westel/SmartJack
- Admin Terminal - usually a shared PC loaded with a terminal emulation package such as Procomm to interface to thePBX.
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| That's it. The sketch above is simply that - a sketch! There are literally thousands of ways to configure a Switch Room. If you are going to put one together - try to follow standards. It's a false economy to slap things on the wall, hide stuff in the ceiling or bury it in a tunnel and hope for the best! Thinwire guys did that years ago and hundreds of companies have never recovered!!!!
You have a certain pride in whatever you do, right?
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