[SOLVED] network maintenance help

[benmills45]

Hi all, hope you're all well.
i will be tiding up ethernet cables that are in a patch panel ( see linked image https://ibb.co/zRmvbtt ) but i believe that there are about 50% of the ethernet cables that aren't in use.
What's the best way for me to test if an ethernet cable is in use? most ports in the building aren't numbered or labelled so i have no idea where most of them go to.
I looked at an ethernet cable tester, that would be useful but probably not what i need :/
What's the best way to go about it?
Thanks,
Ben

 

[bill001g]

You can tell ports that are currently being used by looking at the lights on the switch. If they are off then nothing is connected. This does not help if the port is only use occasionally or the machine just happens to be turned off.

You best option to keep it neat is to cable every possible port to the switch but do it very cleanly. This way there should be no need to touch the cabling and mess it up. You might consider shorter cables but if you bundle them and mark both ends it should also help.

 

[Ralston18]

And I will make the suggestion that while you neaten things up you also somehow un-stack and spread out all those "boxes" on top.

May be working fine but eventually heat is likely to become an issue.