Introduction
This article aims to give an overview of how equipment such as computers and telephones connect from the desk to the Internet. Each building may have a slightly different configuration so this article should be treated as a guide only.
Patching & cabling
There are many hops between the equipment on the desk and the Internet:
The equipment connects to an ethernet floor port (socket) via a cable. This port is sometimes on the desk itself. Each port has a unique number or letter and number combination.
The floor port connects to a communications (comms) room via ethernet cables under the floor
The cable terminates in a patch panel, at a port which has the exact same number as the floor port it's connected to
This port is then connected to a switch port, via another ethernet cable
The switch is connected to the Internet via a telecommunications provider
Patching in Connect
Connect allows you to keep a record of how your floor ports are patched through to the switches. It is your responsibility to update Connect whenever you change any patching between the patch panels and the switches. You can update your patching using the Floor port manager on Connect.
Activating services in Connect
Once a floor port is patched to a switch port, you must activate service on that switch port to have service run all the way through to the phone / computer on the user's desk. To learn more about how to activate services on the switch read this Switch Management article.
Equipment in your Comms Room
To understand what equipment is in your comms room and what this does for you please see this guide here.