What goes in a network closet
- Rack. A standard 19-inch rack or wall-mount cabinet. Height is measured in rack units (U); one U is 1.75 inches.
- Patch panels. Every cable run from desks, access points and cameras terminates here, never directly into a switch.
- Switches. Mounted next to the patch panels so patch cords stay short.
- Firewall and internet equipment, including the provider's modem or optical terminal.
- Cable management: horizontal managers between panels and switches, vertical managers on the sides.
- UPS and PDU for clean, backed-up power.
Why patch panels matter
The cable in the wall is permanent and shouldn't be moved. The patch panel is where it ends. Short, flexible patch cords then connect each panel port to a switch port. Moving a desk to a different network is a patch cord change, not a re-termination, and the in-wall cable never gets stressed.
A clean layout
- Patch panel, then cable manager, then switch, repeated, so patch cords are a few inches long.
- Heavier equipment such as the UPS at the bottom.
- Room left for growth, typically a quarter to a third of the rack empty.
- Front-to-back airflow kept clear. See our guide to closet cooling.
Labeling
Every cable gets the same label at both ends and on the panel, for example floor, closet, panel and port. The labels match the as-built drawing, so "Conference Room B, jack 2" points straight to its panel port and switch port. This is the difference between a five-minute fix and an afternoon of tracing cables.
Signs your closet needs a rebuild
- Cables run straight from the wall into switches with no panel.
- Nobody knows which port goes where.
- Patch cords are several feet long and tangled in front of the equipment.
- Equipment sits on the floor or on shelves instead of in a rack.
- No UPS, or a UPS whose battery hasn't been replaced in years.
A closet cleanup is often done over a weekend with no new cabling, using the existing runs. For new runs, see our structured cabling service.
