Patent ID: 9491119
Filing Date: 2016-11-08
CPC Classification: H01R,H04L

Claim Text:
1. A system comprising: a plurality of patch panels, each of the patch panels comprising a plurality of ports, wherein each of the patch panels is configured to read cable information stored in storage devices associated with connected attached to cables that are connected to the ports of the respective patch panel; an aggregation point communicatively coupled to the plurality of patch panels, wherein each of the patch panels is configured to send at least some of the cable information read from the storage device associated with the connectors attached to the cables that are connected to the ports of the respective patch panel to the aggregation point and wherein the aggregation point is configured to receive the cable information sent by the patch panels and wherein the aggregation point is configured to store at least some of the cable information sent by the patch panels to the aggregation point; and a network management system (NMS) that is communicatively coupled to the aggregation point, wherein the NMS is configured to receive at least a portion of the cable information that is read from the storage devices associated with the connectors attached to the cables that are connected to the ports of the patch panels and stored by the aggregation point and wherein the NMS is configured to use at least some of the cable information received from the aggregation point in performing a network management function; and wherein the aggregation point is configured to automatically discover the patch panels and cause each of the patch panels to send to the aggregation point at least some of the cable information read from the storage devices associated with the connectors attached to the cables that are connected to the ports of the respective patch panels.