Cable organization within a server room is a pain-taking process. If you are not careful, you might end up with cables crisscrossing and tangling. That is likely to reduce the efficiency of your system. A patch panel is a device that is used in many data centers to better manage networking cables. The device itself also needs wiring to your system.
Patch panels are of different sizes. You can have a small one with only a couple of ports or a large-sized panel with hundreds of ports. Depending on your preferences, you can set up your patch panel to use fiber optic, RJ45, or CAT5 cables. Different cables have their advantages and disadvantages, but we are not going into that.
Patch panels have many advantages to your system, such as scalability, less cable clutter, efficient use of cable, and easier maintenance. You can reduce the number of cables you use by eliminating the need for end-to-end connections. Cable or port testing, or any other maintenance task, can be performed quite easily. But that is only possible if you strategically position the patch panel in the room. You also need to wire it with an appropriate patch cable to fully-utilize its ability.
If you need to economize the installation of a patch panel, then you have to know the cable length that is appropriate. Longer than or shorter than necessary cables will be uneconomical in the end. You want to avoid that at all costs. While a patch panel helps you reduce cable clutter in the server room, using long patch cables may render it ineffective in achieving it. If you need a 5-meter cable, go for just that. And if you need a 2-meter cable, we advise you to buy just that.