Patent ID: 7684416

Claim:
A method for managing a physical layer of a local area data network having a switch at one end, access points connectable to end-devices at another end and one or more patch panels positioned in communication paths between the access points and the switch, the method comprising: receiving a first set of data related to relations between unique identification data of the end-devices and corresponding ports of the switch; automatically acquiring by a transceiver block a second set of data related to connectivity of physical dynamic connections associated with the one or more patch panels wherein each of said physical dynamic connections are part of a communication path between a particular access point and a particular port of the switch, and wherein said transceiver block is coupled to said one or more patch panels; automatically generating by a computational device, based on the first and second sets of data, connectivity data that associate the unique identification data of said end-devices to physical location of said end-devices; and storing the connectivity data in a connectivity table, wherein each of the dynamic connections comprises a removable data cord connected to a first one of said one or more patch panels at one end and to a second one of said one or more patch panels or the switch at a second end to enable alternative communication paths between the end-devices and the switch.