How to add patch panel?

[Adam Wilkinson]

Hi 

I have been looking at this for an hour now and can not figure out how to setup a patch panel. All i need to do is link a switch port to a patch port how do i do this? 

Have found this https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox/issues/20 but can not find any instructions on where to click

Any help appreciated please

Thanks 

[Angely]

Hello, first you have to create the Device Type:

1. Devices → Device Types → Add
2. Add Components → Rear Ports
3. Add Components → Front Ports (you will have to link the front ports to the rear ports)

Linking front ports to rear ports allow to model 1:1 patch panel (e.g., copper) and 1:n patch panel (e.g., fiber with MPO trunk).

Then you have to create a Device (an instance of the Device Type you created):

1. Devices → Devices → Add
   

Your switch and your patch panel must be in the same rack if I remember well.

[Brian Candler]

On Thursday, 28 November 2019 16:15:27 UTC, Angely wrote:

Your switch and your patch panel must be in the same rack if I remember well.

No, there isn't such a restriction.  The endpoints could even be in different sites: Netbox will still let you add a direct cable between them.

The important point here is that a physical RJ45 connector is represented by different objects in Netbox, depending on its function.

* "Interface" is an active network port (e.g. on a switch or router)

* "Front port" and "Rear port" are passive pass-through connections (e.g. on a patch panel).  One rear port can serve multiple front ports, e.g. for an MPO cable or a CAT5 bundle

* "Console port" and "Console server port" are active serial port connections; they can also be connected via patch panels

The other types of port are "Power port" and "Power outlet".  Those can be linked together within a device, similar to how rear ports and front ports are linked, in order to model PDUs, distribution boards etc; and you can run a cable from a power outlet to a power port.

[Angely]

No, there isn't such a restriction.  The endpoints could even be in different sites: Netbox will still let you add a direct cable between them.

My bad, I don't know why I thought this.

I just tested it and it works, it'll sure help us to track our WAN cables without having to instantiate now all sites, racks and patch panels.