Patent ID: 7980889

Claim:
A apparatus for monitoring and reporting patch panel port-level connectivity information to a network management system comprising: a first patch panel having an at least one first patch panel port, the at least one first patch panel port having a port controller module and an out-of-band physical interface; a second patch panel having an at least one second patch panel port, the at least one second patch panel port having a port controller module and an out-of-band physical interface, a patch cord, the patch cord connecting the out-of-bound physical interface of the at least one first patch panel port to the out-of-bound physical interface of the at least one second patch panel port via an out-of-bound communication channel wherein the port controller for the at least one first patch panel port is configured to send a message to the port controller for the at least one second patch pane port and the port controller for the at least one patch panel port is also configured to determine whether an out-of-band message from the port controller of the at least one second patch panel port is available for receipt.