Abstract:
A telecommunications patching system having point-to-point tracing capabilities includes: a plurality of end devices; at least one rack structure; a plurality of patch panels mounted to each rack structure; a plurality of connector ports disposed on each of the patch panels; a plurality of patch cords for selectively interconnecting different pairs of connector ports; a plurality of cables for selectively interconnecting the connector ports on the patch panels with respective end devices; tracing modules associated with said connector ports and end devices that monitor connectivity of the connector ports and end devices; and a display associated with the tracing modules configured to display the connectivity of a circuit comprising one or more of the connector ports and one or more of the end devices.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/658,194, filed Jun. 11, 2012, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to communications patching systems, and more particularly to intelligent communications patching systems. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]      FIG. 1  illustrates a patching system  10  that may be used to connect computers, printers and other “work area” end devices  20  to network equipment that is located in a computer room  14 . The patching system of  FIG. 1  may also be used to interconnect devices in a data center. As shown in  FIG. 1 , an end device  20  (which is illustrated as being a computer, but could be other end devices such as printers, facsimile machines, etc.) that is located in a work area  12  is connected by a patch cord  22  (a patch cord is a cable that has a plug connector on at least one end thereof) to a modular wall jack  24 . A so-called “horizontal” communications cable  28  is routed from the back end of the wall jack  24  through the walls of the building to the computer room  14 . While only a single work area end device (computer  20 ) is shown in  FIG. 1 , it will be appreciated that a typical system includes hundreds or thousands of work area end devices  20 , wall jacks  24  and horizontal cables  28 . 
         [0004]    As is further shown in  FIG. 1 , a plurality of patch panels  32  are mounted on a first equipment rack  30  in the computer room  14 . A patch panel refers to a frame that includes a plurality (e.g.,  24 ) of connector ports  34  mounted thereon. Each of these connector ports  34  has a back end that receives a communications cable (e.g., a cable  28 ) and a front side that includes a plug aperture that receives the plug of a patch cord. The connector ports  34  are used to electrically connect a patch cord to a communications cable. Each horizontal cable  28  from the wall jacks  24  in the work area  12  is terminated onto the back end of one of the connector ports  34  of one of the patch panels  32 . A second set of patch panels  32 ′ that have connector ports  34 ′ are mounted on a second equipment rack  30 ′. A first set of patch cords  50  is used to interconnect the connector ports  34  on the patch panels  32  to respective connector ports  34 ′ on the patch panels  32 ′. Rack controllers  36  are provided on each equipment rack  30 ,  30 ′ that pass information from the patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ to a system administrator computer (not shown), as is discussed below. 
         [0005]    Network devices such as network switches  42  and network routers and/or servers  46  are mounted on a third equipment rack  40 . Each of the network switches  42  has a plurality of connector ports  44 , and each network router and/or server  46  also includes one or more connector ports. An external communications line  52  is connected to one of the network devices  46 . A second set of single-ended patch cords  70  connect the connector ports  44  on the network switches  42  to respective ones of the back ends of the connector ports  34 ′ on the patch panels  32 ′. A third set of patch cords  54  interconnect other of the connector ports  44  on the switches  42  with the connector ports on the network routers/servers  46 . The cables  28 , patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ and patch cords  50 ,  70  are used to connect each wall jack  24  to a respective connector port  44  on the network switches  42 . 
         [0006]    Communications from a particular work area end device (e.g., computer  20 ) are transmitted over the patch cord  22 , through the wall jack  24 , over the cable  28 , and through the patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ and patch cords  50 ,  70  to one of the network switches  42 , and this network switch  42  then routes those communications towards their intended destination (e.g., to another work area device  20 , a network device  46 , or to the external communication line  52  for transmission over the Internet). The network switches  42  likewise receive communications from internal or external sources and route these communications to the intended work area devices  20 . 
         [0007]    It may become necessary to change the connections between particular modular wall jacks  24  and the connector ports  44  on the network switches  42  for a variety of reasons such as employee office moves, providing additional capabilities (e.g., support for an Internet telephone) to particular offices and the like. The patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ are provided to facilitate such connectivity changes, as a system administrator need only rearrange one of the patch cords  50  that interconnect a connector port  34  on one of the patch panels  32  with respective connector port  34 ′ on one of the patch panels  32 ′ to effect an end-to-end connectivity change that connects a particular end device  20  to a different connector port  44  on one of the network switches  42 . Each time such a connectivity change is made the change is recorded in a computer-based connectivity log that keeps track of all of the connections between the wall jacks  24  and the connector ports  44  on the network switches  42 . 
         [0008]    The system of  FIG. 1  is referred to as a “cross-connect” patching system, as two separate sets of patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ are provided, and connectivity changes are made by rearranging the patch cords  50  that extend between the two sets of patch panels  32 ,  32 ′. In another configuration that is referred to as an “interconnect” patching system, the second set of patch panels  32 ′ and the second set of patch cords  70  are omitted, and instead the connector ports  34  on the first set of patch panels  32  are connected directly to the connector ports  44  on the network switches  42  by the patch cords  50 . Interconnect patching systems require less equipment, but as is discussed below, may have less capabilities. 
         [0009]    Unfortunately, computer-based connectivity logs often are replete with errors because of incorrect entries or because a technician forgets to enter a particular connectivity change into the log. In complex networks, it can be very difficult to identify and correct there errors. Accordingly, various “intelligent” patching systems have been proposed that sense connectivity changes and automatically update the computer-based connectivity log each time such changes are made. 
         [0010]    One such patching system (available from CommScope, Inc., Hickory, N.C. under the name iPATCH) includes so-called “intelligent” patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ that work in conjunction with the rack controllers  36  and “system administrator” software (which runs on a control computer) to automatically track the connections between each wall jack  24  and its respective connector port  44  on one of the network switches  42 . This system may be implemented in both cross-connect and interconnect patching configurations. 
         [0011]    The system uses “intelligent” patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ that include sensors on each connector port  34 ,  34 ′ that detect each time the plug on a patch cord  50  is plugged into, or removed from, the connector ports  34 ,  34 ′. Each connector port  34 ,  34 ′ also includes an associated light-emitting diode (“LED”) that may be automatically lit to help guide a technician to the connector port  34 ,  34 ′, and may also have an associated trace button that a technician may press in order to light the LED on the connector port  34 ,  34 ′ that the far end of a patch cord  50  is plugged into. Operations of the system will now be explained in the cross-connect and interconnect environments, respectively. 
         [0012]    When the horizontal cabling  28  for a cross-connect patching system is first installed, a connectivity database is created, and the system administrator installing the network records in this database the connections between each wall jack  24  and its associated connector port  34  on the patch panels  32 . As the horizontal cables  28  are hard-wired (as opposed to plug-in) connections that run through the walls of the building, these connections are assumed to be constant connections that never change. The system administrator likewise manually inputs into the connectivity database the connections between the connector ports  44  on each network switch  42  and their corresponding connector ports  34 ′ on the patch panels  32 ′ (i.e., the administrator enters into the connectivity database the end points of each single-ended patch cord  70  in  FIG. 1 ). While these connections are more subject to change (since each patch cord  70  has a plug on one end thereof that plugs into one of the switch connector ports  44 ), once again it is assumed that these connections will not change (or at least that if they do change, the administrator will update the connectivity database to reflect these changes). Thus, the connections between the wall jacks  24  and the patch panels  32  are known in advance, as are the connections between the network switches  42  and the patch panels  32 ′. What is not known are the connections formed by the patch cords  50  between the patch panels  32  and the patch panels  32 ′. These connections are automatically determined by the aforementioned cross-connect system as follows. 
         [0013]    When a new patch cord  50  is to be connected between the patch panels  32  and  32 ′, the sensor on the connector port  34 ,  34 ′ that the first end of this new patch cord  50  is plugged into senses the plug insertion, and notifies the system administrator software (via the rack manager  36 ) of this plug insertion. Thereafter the second end of the new patch cord  50  is plugged into another of the connector ports  34 ,  34 ′, and the system administrator software then assumes that these two back-to-back plug insertions represent the two ends of a new patch cord  50  that has been connected between the patch panels  32  and  32 ′. Since the sensors associated with each of the connector ports  34 ,  34 ′ will sense these two patch cord insertions, the system is able to automatically identify the connector ports  34 ,  34 ′ that the new patch cord  50  extends between. This information is added to the connectivity database. 
         [0014]    The system also automatically tracks the removal of any of the patch cords  50  and/or changes in the connections formed by any of the patch cords  50 . For example, if a patch cord  50  is removed from one of the connector ports  34  or  34 ′, this removal is sensed by the sensor on the connector ports  34 ,  34 ′. Since the iPatch system already knows exactly which connector port  34 ,  34 ′ the other end of the patch cord  50  is connected to, the iPatch system then lights the LED associated with that connector port  34 ,  34 ′ to help the technician find the far end of the patch cord  50 . The system administrator can then remove the second end of the patch cord  50 , which removal is sensed by the sensor on the connector port  34 ,  34 ′. After both ends of the patch cord  50  have been removed, the connection that was previously formed by the patch cord  50  at issue may be deleted from the connectivity database. If the administrator only unplugs one end of one of the patch cords  50  (which removal is sensed by the system) and then proceeds to plug the free end of the patch cord  50  into another one of the connector ports  34 ,  34 ′, the system will sense that a patch cord insertion was performed immediately after a patch cord removal as opposed to two patch cord removals occurring back-to-back. In response to sensing such a sequence of events, the system will then ask the system administrator to confirm that he is changing a connection (i.e., unplugging one end of one of the patch cords  50  and then plugging it back into a different connector port  34 ,  34 ′) as opposed to removing the patch cord  50  at issue in its entirety. Once the system administrator confirms that a connection change is being made, the system can automatically change the connection information stored in the connectivity database to reflect the connection change. In this manner, the system can automatically track the addition of new connections, the removal of existing connections, and changes to existing connections, and may thus automatically maintain an accurate connectivity database that tracks the connections between each connector port  44  on the network switches  42  and their corresponding modular wall jacks  24 . 
         [0015]    Some patching systems can automatically gather and store additional information regarding the network connections. In such an embodiment, the system administrator software sends control communications to the network switches  42  using Simple Network Management Protocol or “SNMP” commands to access information that is stored in memory at each network switch  42  such as the switch&#39;s name, number of connector ports  44 , etc. Each network switch  42  also automatically generates a table that contains (1) the MAC address for each end device  20  that is communicating through the switch  42  (the MAC address is a unique identifier for each end device  20 , and is automatically sensed by the network switch  42  once a device starts communicating through a network switch  42 ) and (2) the connector port  44  on a particular network switch  42  that each such end device  20  is connected to. The system may also use SNMP commands to pull this information from each network switch  42  for storage in the connectivity database. The system may also query an Address Resolution Protocol table (which may be resident on the network switches  42  or located elsewhere in the network) in order to convert each MAC address to an IP address for each end device  20 . Thus, in this manner, the system can automatically track both (1) the physical connections between each modular wall jack  24  and its associated connector port  44  on one of the network switches  42  and (2) the identity of each end device  20  that is accessing the network via the wall jacks  24 . 
         [0016]    There are two different ways that the system may ensure that the identification information regarding the end devices  20  is kept up to date in the connectivity database. The first way is to simply schedule periodic checks (e.g., once an hour) where the system sends SNMP commands to each network switch  42  to request an update regarding the end devices  20  that are connected through the switches  42 . Alternatively, each network switch  42  can send out notifications called SNMP traps each time the network switch  42  senses that a new end device  20  has been connected to the switch  42  (i.e., the network switch  42  sends out an SNMP trap each time the network switch  42  establishes a communication link with a new end device  20 ). In response to this SNMP trap, the system may then request information on the new end device  20  from the network switch  42 . Monitoring end devices in this fashion may be useful, for example, for security purposes. 
         [0017]    As noted above, patching systems may also be used to track an “interconnect” configuration. However, as commercially available network switches  42  do not include sensors at each connector port  44 , the system can only automatically track one end of each patching connection (recall that in an interconnect-style network the patch cords  50  extend between the patch panels  32  and the network switches  42 , as the patch panels  32 ′ are omitted). To compensate for this, the system can generate a work order each time it is necessary to add, remove or change a connection. Each such work order specifies the connector port  34  on one of the patch panels  32  and the connector port  44  on one of the network switches  42  that are implicated by the connection change. Once the technician makes the connection to the particular connector port  44  on the network switch  42  that is specified in the work order, the technician notifies the system administrator software that the connection has been completed by pressing the trace button associated with the connector port  34  on the patch panel  32  that receives the other end of the patch cord  50 . This system is not foolproof, because it will not detect situations where the technician mistakenly plugs the patch cord  50  into the incorrect connector port  44  on the network switch  42 . 
         [0018]    It will be appreciated that the patching system of  FIG. 1  is highly simplified and provided for the purposes of illustration only. Patching systems will typically include tens, hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of patch panels, which may be subdivided into tens or hundreds of local patching fields. Additional details regarding intelligent patching systems are set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/110,994, filed May 19, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0019]    As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a telecommunications patching system having point-to-point tracing capabilities. The patching system comprises: a plurality of end devices; at least one rack structure; a plurality of patch panels mounted to each rack structure; a plurality of connector ports disposed on each of the patch panels; a plurality of patch cords for selectively interconnecting different pairs of connector ports; a plurality of cables for selectively interconnecting the connector ports on the patch panels with respective end devices; tracing modules associated with said connector ports and end devices that monitor connectivity of the connector ports and end devices; and a display associated with the tracing modules configured to display the connectivity of a circuit comprising one or more of the connector ports and one or more of the end devices. 
         [0020]    As a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method of interconnecting telecommunications devices, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an intelligent patch system having: a plurality of end devices; at least one rack structure; a plurality of patch panels mounted to each rack structure; a plurality of connector ports disposed on each of the patch panels; a plurality of patch cords for selectively interconnecting different pairs of connector ports; a plurality of cables for selectively interconnecting the connector ports on the patch panels with respective end devices; tracing modules associated with said connector ports and end devices that monitor connectivity of the connector ports and end devices; and a display associated with the tracing modules configured to display the connectivity of a circuit comprising one or more of the connector ports and one or more of the end devices; (b) moving one of the patch cords from one of the connector ports to another of the connector ports; and (c) illuminating on the display a new patching circuit formed by the patch cord moved in step (b) to verify the correctness of the new patching circuit. 
         [0021]    As a third aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a telecommunications patching system having point-to-point tracing capabilities, comprising: a plurality of end devices; at least one rack structure; a plurality of patch panels mounted to each rack structure; a plurality of connector ports disposed on each of the patch panels; a plurality of patch cords for selectively interconnecting different pairs of connector ports; a plurality of cables for selectively interconnecting the connector ports on the patch panels with respective end devices; tracing modules associated with said connector ports and end devices that monitor connectivity of the connector ports and end devices; and a controller configured to display search results regarding the end devices, patch panels, ports, patch cords and cables. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a patching system that may be used to connect computers, printers and other “work area” end devices to network equipment that is located in a computer room, or to connect end devices in a data center. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is an exemplary display screen image of a connection circuit that can be employed in the patching system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 3A  is the screen image of  FIG. 2  with the “+” icon expanded. 
           [0025]      FIG. 3B  is the screen image of  FIG. 3A  shifted horizontally to display different icons. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured and described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in any way and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments. 
         [0027]    Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that are used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the above description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when an element (e.g., a device, circuit, etc.) is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. 
         [0028]    As discussed above and illustrated in  FIG. 1 , intelligent patching systems are known and are widely used in the field today. Nonetheless, intelligent patching systems may benefit from additional features, some of which are intended to provide additional information to cabling technicians working at a rack populated with intelligent patching equipment. 
         [0029]    As one example, an intelligent patching system may include the capability of real-time end-to-end circuit display during patching or circuit trace activity. When the user inserts or removes a patch cord plug at a patch panel or presses the trace button over a patch panel connector port, the rack controller may display graphically the portion of the circuit in question that is located in the local patching field. However, it may also issue a query in real time to the system manager database, requesting end-to-end circuit trace information for the circuit in question. Because the database includes information about the cabling infrastructure and the connectivity of fixed cables at the site, when the requested trace information is received from the system manager, the rack controller can supplement the circuit trace it originally displayed to show the endpoints of the circuit; the user may also have the option of expanding the trace so he can scroll through a trace of the entire end-to-end circuit. Thus, the user can view not only information regarding patching at the patch panels themselves, but also information about the connectivity of fixed cabling at the site. 
         [0030]    The information may be displayed on a monitor of a desktop or laptop computer, a GUI interface, a touchscreen, a tablet, a “smart phone”, or the like. Bluetooth or Near Field Communication wireless connections may be used with the table, smart phone, etc. 
         [0031]    An exemplary display  100  of the circuit information for a cross-connect arrangement is shown in  FIG. 2 . In the display of  FIG. 2 , a faceplate icon  102  represents the location of the wall jack  24  of the circuit; details identifying the location of the wall jack are set forth on the display  100  below the icon  102 . Panel icons  104 ,  106  represent the connector ports  34 ,  34 ′ on patch panels  32 ,  32 ′ that are included in the circuit, with identifying information regarding these connector ports  34 ,  34 ′ set forth below the icons  104 ,  106 , A patch cord icon  108  illustrates a connection between the icons  104 ,  106 . A data service icon  110  represents the external data service. 
         [0032]    A “+” icon  112  is also shown between the data service icon  110  and the patch panel icon  106 . This icon  112  can be expanded (via touch screen, mouse click or the like) to display additional information or connections within the circuit.  FIG. 3A  shows the display of  FIG. 2  with the “+” icon  112  expanded to reveal information about a switch  114 . As shown in  FIG. 3B , the user may scroll left or right to display different components or connections. 
         [0033]    Those skilled in this art will recognize that other icons representing other components or connections may also be employed, including: personal computers; phones; printers; fax machines; wireless access points; consolidation points; splice enclosures; mainframe computers; server computers; LAN switches; environmental monitoring devices; storage devices (in storage area networks); private branch exchanges; point-of-sale terminals; and security cameras. 
         [0034]    The real-time display of the endpoint information may be particularly useful to technicians during patching, as it may allow them to verify that the patch cord connection they have made has indeed connected the intended equipment (for example, a particular LAN switch port to a particular desktop computer). The end-to-end trace information may be updated in real time each time the user inserts or removes a patch cord plug; such information is particularly useful when it is displayed at the patch panel or rack at which the user is working. For example, if the user removes one end of an existing patch cord, the display may show not only the two connector ports in the local closet that have been disconnected, but also the endpoints of the circuit that has been broken. If the user then places the free end of the patch cord in question in a different connector port, the trace information may be updated on the right side of the screen to show both the new patch panel connector port and the endpoint of the new circuit that has been created. If the user is not satisfied with this connection, and moves the patch cord plug to yet another connector port, the trace information may be updated accordingly. All of this information can help the user to validate patching connections and changes, including starting and destination ports. 
         [0035]    In another embodiment, an intelligent patching system may include real-time search capabilities. The rack controller  36  may have a touch-screen or other display that allows the user to enter text information. Using this data entry mechanism, users may be able to search for nodes in the cabling system (such as a particular wall jack faceplate or telecom outlet), and/or for equipment attached to the cabling system (such as a computer with a particular IP address or MAC ID, or a switch port assigned to a particular VLAN). Exemplary searchable items include: device names; IP addresses (either specifically or within a range); VLAN IDs; MAC addresses; faceplate names; switch names; work order IDs; cable IDs; cable types&#39; and services. 
         [0036]    Once the user has entered the query information, the rack controller sends the request to the system manager, which queries its database and returns the requested information. This information may be displayed to the user on the rack controller&#39;s graphical display. If the circuit in question passes through the patching zone where the rack controller used for the query is located, it will light the LED(s) of any panel ports that are utilized in the circuit in question; if not, the user may still be able to determine from the display which other wiring closet local patching field or the like he may visit in order to access the circuit in question. 
         [0037]    As an enhancement to this embodiment, it would be possible to provide the user an option that would light the LEDs in all panel ports at the site that are used to implement the circuit in question. This variation may facilitate location of patch cords associated with the circuit at each wiring closet through which the circuit passes. Thus, by identifying a circuit with one of the search term identifiers, the user can have the ports associated with that circuit illuminated for easy identification, which in turn can facilitate patching validation and changes. 
         [0038]    The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.