Termination Points and EIA-TIA Wiring Standards

Termination Points

• Patch Panel

  • A way to take all the wires, bring them back to a central panel
    • Gives you an easy way to interface with all of those cables
  • End-user cables
  • Cross-connect block wires
  • From wires to ports to switch

• Intermediary Distribution Frame (IDF)

  • Wiring closets
  • Multiple patch panels
  • Common locations
  • Terminates office cables

• Main Distribution Frame (MDF)

  • Connects multiple IDFs
  • The primary, central point where external access providers' cables are terminated.
  • T1 lines (for telecommunication) terminate here, more specifically at the Demarcation Point.

• 66 block (shown)

  • Used to cross-connect phone cabling
  • Uses a special push-down tool
  • 10mbps LAN 80s/90s
  • Cat3 UTP
  • Issues with crosstalk

• 110 block

  • Terminate high-speed LAN
  • Cat5 cables or higher
    • Cat 6 as well

TIA/EIA 568A / 568B

• TIA/EIA-568A
  • Introduced in 1991
• TIA/EIA-568B
  • Introduced in 2001
  • Same pinouts - different color order