Patent ID: 7854624

Claim:
A panel assembly comprising: a panel having an opening therethrough that selectively receives either a first cassette or a second cassette, the first and second cassettes having front and rear mating interfaces that mate with cable connectors, the first cassette having at least one of the front and rear mating interfaces being different than the front and rear mating interfaces of the second cassette, respectively, wherein the first cassette is of a first type configured to mate with cable connectors of a first type at the front mating interface, and the second cassette is of a second type configured to mate with cable connectors of a second type at the front mating interface that are different from the first type of cable connectors; a connectivity sensor mounted to either the first cassette or the second cassette depending on which of the first cassette and the second cassette is received in the opening of the panel, the connectivity sensor sensing a connectivity status of the front mating interface of the corresponding first cassette or second cassette and generating connectivity status signals relating to the connectivity status; and an input/output connector held by the panel, the input/output connector being electrically connected to the connectivity sensor, the input/output connector being configured to be electrically connected to an input/output cable of a connectivity management system that monitors the connectivity status signals of the connectivity sensor.