Each connection records its cable: type, color, length and label. Patch panels have a front and a rear for every port, so a path runs switch to panel, panel to panel, and out to the desk, and Trace shows the whole path from either end.

Overview

A connection joins a port on one piece of equipment to a port on another, or to a circuit. Each connection can describe its Cable:

• Type: Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6A, Cat8, OM3, OM4, OM5 or OS2 fiber, DAC, AOC, Coax, Console or Other.
• Color, Length (in m or ft) and Label.

Equipment of the Patch panel type has two sides for every port: the Front for patch cords, and the Rear for the runs punched down behind it. A trace crosses from one side of a panel port to the other and keeps following the path.

Requirements

• Role: to see connections and traces, See VLANs, subnets and addresses (every built in role by default). To add and change connections, Add, edit and delete VLANs, subnets and addresses (Admin, Manager and Technician by default).

Connect a port from the port map

1. Open the device's port map (see Switch ports) and click the port.
2. Under Connected to, choose the Equipment at the other end and Its port. If that equipment is a patch panel, choose the Side of that panel. To connect to a circuit instead, leave Equipment empty and choose Or a circuit.
3. Fill in the Cable fields.
4. Click Save.

On a patch panel's port map, each port has two sets of fields: Front connects to and Rear connects to.

A far port holds one connection. If something else was connected to it (on the same side, for a panel), that connection is removed.

Add a connection from the equipment page

Use this for equipment without a port map, or to note a link quickly.

1. Open the equipment's page and, in its Network section, click Add connection.
2. Enter Port here. On a patch panel, also choose Side of this panel.
3. Under Other end, choose the Equipment and enter Its port, or choose Or a circuit.
4. Fill in the Cable fields and an optional Note, such as which VLANs are tagged.
5. Save.

The Connections list in the equipment's Network section shows each link with its cable. Use the edit and delete buttons beside each one. Deleting a connection removes only the record; nothing is unplugged, and the activity log keeps its history.

Trace a cable

Click Trace beside a connection, in the equipment's Network section or in the Every port table on a port map. The Cable path window says what the path is, for example "The cable run from Reception PC to Core switch: 3 cables through 2 patch panels.", then lists each stop with the cable between each pair.

Notes

Note: For a trace to pass through a patch panel, record the panel port by number (such as 12) and choose the side. TekStacks follows the same port number on the panel's other side.

Note: A trace shows up to 20 cables. A longer path says the rest is not shown.

Note: Console cables to a console server are recorded with Console on the device's page (see Switch ports).

Troubleshooting

The trace stops at a patch panel. Nothing is recorded on the other side of that panel port. Open the panel's port map, click the port, and fill in the other side.

Side of that panel does not appear. The equipment at the other end is not of the Patch panel type. Change its Type on the equipment form.

"Choose the equipment or the circuit at the other end." A connection needs one of the two. Choose the equipment, or a circuit under Or a circuit.