Identifying CAT 6 Connections
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So..... I have 150 CAT 6 connections, and no labels
What's the best way to figure this all out and label them?
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Are we talking about a 150 point patch bay and there are 150 lines all over the building?
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Only method I can think of would be a toner.. one line at a time.
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Pay someone else to deal with it. Good grief.
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The real point is who cares? Unless you are going to actually try and do something pushing past gigabit anyway.
If you really need to know, you need to pay someone with a proper tester (nice Fluke) to come in and test it all. Because even if the wire was CAT6, unless it was 100% properly terminated, it will not test to CAT6 standards.
CAT5 is gigabit rated and unless you are going past that, who cares?
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If you only want to know where the end point of each one is compared to the jack in the closet.. a toner will be your friend.
Another option might be, a Fluke Linkrunner - I think it will identify what port on a switch it's plugged into, if so, then you can use that to make a chart.
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@Dashrender said in Identifying CAT 6 Connections:
If you only want to know where the end point of each one is compared to the jack in the closet.. a toner will be your friend.
Another option might be, a Fluke Linkrunner - I think it will identify what port on a switch it's plugged into, if so, then you can use that to make a chart.
This. Reading the your post again @aaronstuder, I am assuming you are just wanting to locate. This is what you do. I would still hire it out or get a floor grunt to plug and mark.
At first, I thought you were wanting to verify CAT6 rating.
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Is there software that could tell me what devices are connected on which port on the switch?
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Fox and hound is the best way.
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@aaronstuder said in Identifying CAT 6 Connections:
Is there software that could tell me what devices are connected on which port on the switch?
Yes. There are plenty. Not always accurate depending on your switch topology
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@aaronstuder said in Identifying CAT 6 Connections:
Is there software that could tell me what devices are connected on which port on the switch?
Assuming you have smart / managed switches, the Linkrunner will be your easiest bet...
Otherwise, you can plug a laptop up, and search the switch for that Mac address until you find what port it is on. It sucks to do it like that, but it does work.
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@dafyre said in Identifying CAT 6 Connections:
@aaronstuder said in Identifying CAT 6 Connections:
Is there software that could tell me what devices are connected on which port on the switch?
Assuming you have smart / managed switches, the Linkrunner will be your easiest bet...
Otherwise, you can plug a laptop up, and search the switch for that Mac address until you find what port it is on. It sucks to do it like that, but it does work.
or just leave everything the way it is, run a network monitor to find where devices are plugged into..
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I have the Fluke IntelliTone Pro 200 and if you don't have any of the jacks plugged in to anything, it's the best toner I have used. For speed, this would be a two person job.
If all the jacks are plugged in to switches, the NetScout LinkRunner will probably be faster and it would turn the job in to a one person job.
Spiceworks will tell you what's plugged in to each port, but it could take a day or two of scans.
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@Mike-Davis That reminded me of a PHP app called NetDisco -- it scans the network for IPs and figures out what switch port they're on.
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If you've only got 150 connections it would probably be quickest to just tone them out and label as you go. If you can get one extra pair of hands on deck for an afternoon you should be able to knock it out relatively quickly. You're going to waste more time trying to find and track down what device is plugged into what connection and then cross-reference that information with the office/owner of said devices, than it would take to just tone the lines and drop a label.
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A NetScout device can help.
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Moved into IT discussion group.
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Depending on your switch, Spiceworks inventory can tell you what device is connected to which switch port. Also, you can check the dynamic address tables for MAC addresses and match to some sort of inventory of your devices.
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Seriously man - if this really needs to be done quickly and correctly you should hire someone. It's an absolutely miserable job to do and if you're not prepared like the pro's with kneepads and labelers and sexy fluke meters you're going to be in for a really bad time.
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I agree with @MattSpeller you should consider getting someone with good Netscout equipment to do this. Someone that already owns the gear for testing and the gear for labeling and can do this quickly and "easily."
