ANSI/TIA-606-A-1-2008

Approved: November 24, 2008

TIA
STANDARD
Administration Standard for Commercial
Telecommunications Infrastructure
Addendum 1- Administration of
Equipment Rooms and Data Center
Computer Rooms

TIA-606-A-1

November 2008

TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

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ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

ADMINISTRATION STANDARD FOR COMMERCIAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS

INFRASTRUCTURE ADDENDUM 1 ADMINISTRATION OF EQUIPMENT ROOMS AND
DATA CENTER COMPUTER ROOMS
Table of Contents
1

SCOPE ............................................................................................................................... 1

NORMATIVE REFERENCES ............................................................................................. 1

DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS, UNITS OF MEASURE................... 1

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4

General........................................................................................................................ 1
Definitions.................................................................................................................... 1
Acronyms and abbreviations ........................................................................................ 2
Units of measure.......................................................................................................... 2

SPACES OUTSIDE COMPUTER ROOMS......................................................................... 2

GRID COORDINATES........................................................................................................ 3

CABINET AND RACK LOCATION IDENTIFIERS.............................................................. 4

6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4

Location identifier where grid coordinates are available ............................................... 4

Location identifier where grid coordinates are not available ......................................... 6
Identifier for boxes under the floor................................................................................ 7
Identifier for overhead patch panels ............................................................................. 7

CABINET & RACK LABELING .......................................................................................... 7

PATCH PANEL IDENTIFIER.............................................................................................. 8

PATCH PANEL PORT IDENTIFIERS................................................................................11

10

PATCH PANEL LABELING...........................................................................................11

10.1

General..........................................................................................................................11

10.2

Twisted-Pair Patch Panels ...........................................................................................12

10.3

Optical Fiber Patch Panels ..........................................................................................13

11

CABLE LABELING........................................................................................................16

Annex A

(INFORMATIVE) LABELING OF PATCH CORDS AND EQUIPMENT CORDS..19

List of Figures
Figure 1 Room grid coordinate example ............................................................................. 3
Figure 2 Sample rack and cabinet grid identifiers .............................................................. 5
Figure 3 Sample rack and cabinet non-grid identifiers ...................................................... 7
Figure 4 Sample rack and cabinet labeling ......................................................................... 8
Figure 5 Patch panel identification example using rack units ........................................... 9
Figure 6 Patch panel identification example using sequence identifiers.........................10
Figure 7 Labeling example for twisted-pair patch panel with label fields ........................12
i

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
Figure 8 Labeling example for twisted-pair patch panel without patch panel label fields
.................................................................................................................................................13
Figure 9 Labeling example of an optical fiber patch panel ignoring subpanels..............13
Figure 10 Labeling example of an optical fiber patch panel with subpanels...................14
Figure 11 Labeling example of an optical fiber patch panel with optional MDA and HDA
identifiers.................................................................................................................................15
Figure 12 Sample MPO/LC layout .......................................................................................17
Figure 13 Sample MPO/LC labeling scheme ......................................................................17
Figure 14 Sample MPO/LC labeling at LC end ...................................................................18
Figure 15 Equipment cord & patch cord labeling scheme ................................................19

ii

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
FOREWORD
This foreword is not part of this Addendum.
TIA standards documents are developed within the Technical Committees of the TIA and the
standards coordinating committees of the TIA standards board. Members of the committees
serve voluntarily and without commission. The companies that they represent are not
necessarily members of the TIA. The standards developed within the TIA represent a
consensus of the broad expertise on the subject. This expertise comes from within the TIA as
well as those outside of the TIA that have an expressed interest. The viewpoint expressed at the
time that this Addendum was approved was from the editors experience and the state of the art
at that time. Users are encouraged to verify that they have the latest revision of the standard.
This Addendum has been prepared by the TR-42.6 subcommittee and approved by TR-42.6,
the TR-42 Engineering Committee and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Annex A is informative and is not a part of this Addendum.
Figures in this document were created using stencils developed by NetZoom.
NetZoom shall not be considered as an endorsement by TIA.

iii

This use of

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

SCOPE

This Addendum specifies administration for a generic cabling infrastructure to be deployed in

data center computer rooms and equipment rooms. In addition, this Addendum enhances and
supersedes the administration guidelines in ANSI/TIA-942.
2

NORMATIVE REFERENCES

The following standards contain provisions, which, through reference in this text, constitute
provisions of this Addendum. At the time of publication, the editions indicated were valid. All
standards are subject to revision, and parties to agreements based on this Addendum are
encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most recent editions of the standards
indicated below. ANSI and TIA maintain registers of currently valid national standards published
by them.

ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A 2007, Administration Standard for Commercial

Telecommunications Infrastructure.

ANSI/TIA-942 2005, Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers.

CEA-310-E 2005, Cabinets, Racks, Panels, and Associated Equipment

IEC 60297-1 1986: Dimensions of mechanical structures of the 482.6 mm (19 in)
series Part 1: Panels and racks.

IEC 60297-2 1982: Dimensions of mechanical structures of the 482.6 mm (19 in)
series Part 2: Cabinets and pitches of rack structures.

DEFINITIONS, ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS, UNITS OF MEASURE

3.1

General

For the purpose of this Addendum the following definitions, acronyms, abbreviations and units
of measure apply.
3.2

Definitions

cabinet: An enclosure that may enclose connection devices, terminations, apparatus, wiring,
and equipment.
computer room: An architectural space whose primary function is to accommodate data
processing equipment.
data center: A building or portion of a building whose primary function is to house a computer
room and its support areas.
equipment room (telecommunications): An environmentally controlled centralized space for
telecommunications equipment that usually houses a main or intermediate cross-connect.
horizontal distribution area: A space in a computer room where a horizontal cross-connect is
located.
main distribution area: The space in a computer room where the main cross-connect is located.
rack: Supporting frame equipped with side mounting rails to which equipment and hardware are
mounted.
rack unit: Vertical mounting space of 1.75 in (44.45 mm) for cabinets or racks compliant with
IEC 60297 or CEA-310-E.

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
3.3 Acronyms and abbreviations
The following acronyms and abbreviations are used in this Addendum:
HDA
MDA
ZDA

horizontal distribution area

main distribution area
zone distribution area

3.4 Units of measure

The following units of measure are used in this Addendum:
ft
in
m
mm
U
4

feet, foot
inch
meter
millimeter
rack unit
SPACES OUTSIDE COMPUTER ROOMS

Support spaces outside the computer room shall be administered as specified in

ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A.

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

GRID COORDINATES

Wherever practicable, a coordinate system should be used in the computer room or equipment
room for identifying equipment cabinets and racks located within the room. See 6.2 for
alternative guidelines to a grid system.
In rooms that have access floor systems, identification for the location shall use the access floor
grid identification scheme described in this clause. In rooms without access floor, the ceiling tile
grid, if present, should be used as the basis for location identification. If the room has neither a
floor tile grid nor ceiling tile grid, a grid should be applied to the floor plan. The grid should be
dense enough to ensure that two cabinets do not occupy the same grid coordinates consider
grid spacing between 500 mm and 600 mm (20 in to 24 in).
The quantity of characters used along the X and Y axes shall be adequate to cover the entire
grid space.
The X and Y axes may be reversed to minimize the quantity of characters required
consider selecting the long axis of the room as the X axis and the short axis of the room as the
Y axis.
The starting point for the grid may be any one of the four corners of the space to be covered.
When selecting the starting point, consider the direction in which the room might be expanded.

Figure 1 Room grid coordinate example

It is recommended that grid coordinate markings be placed on walls. Text on labels should be a
font without serifs, upper case and large enough to easily be read at a distance. Floor tiles or
ceiling tiles (if they are used as the basis of the grid) may also be marked.

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

CABINET AND RACK LOCATION IDENTIFIERS

6.1

Location identifier where grid coordinates are available

A grid coordinate location identifier shall have a format of fs.x1y1, where the fields are defined
below.
f=

optional numeric character(s) identifying the floor of the building occupied by the
space.

s=

optional telecommunications space identifier to be used when more than one

contiguous computer or equipment space is present in a building, and each space
uses common grid coordinates.

x1 =

one or more alphabetic characters designating the "X" axis coordinate of the rack or
cabinet. The quantity of characters used for the X coordinate shall be the same
throughout the entire space covered by the grid. Thus, as shown in figure 1, a space
that requires between 26 and 676 coordinates along the X axis shall start the Xaxis sequence at AA rather than A. The number 676 represents the quantity of
coordinates between AA and ZZ.

y1 =

one or more numeric characters designating the "Y" axis coordinate of the rack or
cabinet. The quantity of digits used for the Y coordinate shall be the same
throughout the entire space covered by the grid. Thus, as shown in figure 1, a space
that requires more than 10 but fewer than 100 coordinates along the Y axis shall
start at 00 or 01 rather than 0 or 1.
If the optional telecommunications space identifiers fs are used, then the room should be
labeled with the identifier so as to be visible to someone working within that room (e.g., at the
entrance of the room or on the labels for each cabinet and rack).
When the optional space identifiers are not used, the format of the location identifier for cabinets
and racks is x1y1.

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

It is possible that cabinets and racks will occupy more than one grid location. In this case, the
same location shall be used on every cabinet or rack to determine the grid location. This
location may be the left front corner, right front corner, or front center as long as the same
location is used for all cabinets and racks in the room.
In figure 2, the location on the floor space grid where the right front corner of the cabinet is
located determines its identifier.

"X" AXIS
COORDINATE
AA AB AC AD AE AF AG AH AI AJ
ROW AD

ROW AG

02

AD02

AG03

05
06
07
08
09
10

AD03
AD04
AD05
AD07
AD08
AD09

11

AD10

12

AD12

AG04
AG05
AG06
AG08
AG09
AG10

HOT AISLE (CABINET REAR)

04

HOT AISLE (CABINET REAR)

03

COLD AISLE (CABINET FRONTS)

01

AG11
AG13

13

"Y" AXIS
COORDINATE

= cabinet corner used for grid location ID

(right front facing the cabinet)

Figure 2 Sample rack and cabinet grid identifiers

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

6.2

Location identifier where grid coordinates are not available

In rooms that are unable to utilize the grid identifier, cabinets and racks may be identified by
their row number and location within the row. This method is only recommended in spaces that
meet the following criteria:

uniformly spaced or static equipment rows rows that will not be reoriented or replaced
with more or fewer rows of equipment,

uniform width cabinets, racks, and frames that will not be replaced with those of a
different width.

The quantity of characters used shall be the same throughout the space.
Where grid coordinates are not available, a location identifier shall have a format of fs.x1y1
where the fields are defined below.
f=

optional numeric character(s) identifying the floor of the building occupied by the
space.

s=

optional telecommunications space identifier to be used when more than one

contiguous computer or equipment space is present in a building and each space
uses common grid coordinates.

x1 =

one or more characters designating the row identifier of the rack or cabinet. The
quantity of characters used for the row identifier shall be the same throughout the
entire space.

y1 =

one or more characters designating the location within the row of the rack or cabinet.
The quantity of characters used shall be the same throughout the entire space.
If the optional telecommunications space identifiers fs are used, then the room should be
labeled with the identifier so as to be visible to someone working within that room (e.g., at the
entrance of the room or on the labels for each cabinet and rack).
When the optional space identifiers are not used, the format of the location identifier for cabinets
and racks is x1y1.
Figure 3 provides an example of cabinet and rack location identifiers using the non-grid scheme
described in this clause.

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

Figure 3 Sample rack and cabinet non-grid identifiers

Each row should be labeled with its row identifier at both ends of the row. Row position
identifiers should be sequential, shall be unique, and shall use the same format for all rows
within a room.
6.3

Identifier for boxes under the floor

Under floor boxes (e.g., ZDAs or zone boxes under the access floor) shall be identified (e.g., by
its floor space grid coordinates). The under floor box cover or floor tile that covers the box
should be labeled with this identifier.
6.4

Identifier for overhead patch panels

Patch panels mounted to overhead cable tray or other overhead structure within the computer
room or equipment room shall be identified (e.g., by its floor space grid coordinates). If the
overhead patch panel is located above a rack, cabinet, or floor box, then the overhead patch
panel should be identified as if it were a patch panel mounted in the cabinet or rack.
7

CABINET & RACK LABELING

The location identifier x1y1 shall be labeled in plain view on the front and rear of each cabinet
and rack. Preferred locations for labels are the top and bottom on a permanent part of the
cabinet or rack as shown in figure 4. Text on labels should be a font without serifs, upper case,
and large enough to be easily read while standing near the cabinet or rack. Text on labels shall
be machine printed, and the label color shall contrast with the surface upon which it is affixed
(e.g., white on a dark surface, black on a light surface).

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

Figure 4 Sample rack and cabinet labeling

8
PATCH PANEL IDENTIFIER
Patch panel identifiers shall have a format of fs.x1y1-a1
where
fs.x1y1 =

the cabinet, rack, frame, or wall segment identifier as defined in clause 6.

The permitted formats for a1 are:

a1 =

two numerical digits designating the location of the top of the patch panel in rack
units (U) from the bottom of the usable space in the cabinet or rack. This is the
recommended format. See figure 5 for an example. Cabinets and racks with preprinted rack unit markings on the rails simplifies implementation of this scheme.

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

a1 =

One to two characters designating the patch panel location within the cabinet or rack
beginning at the top. Horizontal cable managers are not included when sequencing
patch panels. See figure 6 for an example. The quantity of characters used shall be
the same for all patch panels in the cabinet or rack. If a1 uses a mixture of
alphabetical and numeric characters, the letters I, O, and Q shall be excluded.

ORTRONICS

OPEN SYSTEN ARCH ITECTUR E

OPEN SYSTEN ARC HITEC TU RE

ORTRONICS
ORTRONICS

OPEN SYSTEN ARC HITEC TU RE

OPEN SYSTEN ARCH ITECTUR E

ORTRONICS
ORTRONICS

OPEN SYSTEN ARC HITEC TU RE

OPEN SYSTEN ARCH ITECTUR E
OPEN SYSTEN ARCH ITECTUR E

OPEN SYSTEN ARCH ITECTUR E

ORTRONICS
ORTRONICS

ORTRONICS

OPEN SYSTEN ARCH ITECTUR E

one letter indicating the side of the cabinet, rack, or frame followed by two numerical
digits designating the location of the top of the patch panel in rack units from the
bottom of the usable space in the cabinet, rack, or frame. The letter indicating the
side may be A, B, C, D or F, L, R, B for the front, left, right, and back, or F and B for
the front and back. For example, F42 designates the patch panel on the front of a
cabinet 42 U from the bottom of the front rail.

ORTRONICS

a1 =

Figure 5 Patch panel identification example using rack units

10
ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ORTRONICS
OPEN SYSTEN ARCHITECTURE

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

Figure 6 Patch panel identification example using sequence identifiers

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

9
PATCH PANEL PORT IDENTIFIERS
Patch panel ports shall be uniquely identified using the format:
fs.x1y1-a1:P
Where P is one to three characters designating the port on a patch panel, and port indicator is
defined below.

For patch panels that do not include subpanels, or for patch panels where ports will be
labeled in sequence ignoring the presence of subpanels:
P = One to three characters designating the port on patch panel fs.x1y1-a1.
The quantity of digits used for port identifiers shall be the same for all ports on the patch
panel. Thus, the first port on a 24-port patch panel shall be 01 and the first port on a 144port patch panel shall be 001.

For patch panels that include subpanels:

P = bn
where b and n are defined below.
b = one alpha character, which identifies the subpanel located within the patch panel
starting sequentially from A and excluding I, O, and Q.
n = one to two numeric characters corresponding to the port number within the subpanel.
The quantity of digits used for port identifiers shall be the same for all ports on the
patch panel. Thus, the first port on a subpanel with 12-ports shall be 01.

10

PATCH PANEL LABELING

10.1 General

Patch panels shall be labeled with the patch panel identifier. Where space permits, patch
panels should have labels to specify the identifiers of the near- and far-end ports using the
format of:
f1s1.x1y1-a1 Ports PN1 to f2s2.x2y2-a2 Ports PN2, where:
f1s1 =
x1y1-a1 =
Ports =
PN1 =
to =
f2s2 =
x2y2-a2 =
Ports =
PN2 =

near-end space identifier that should only be used where the near-end and far end
patch panels are located in different spaces with separate coordinate systems.
near-end patch panel identifier as specified in clause 8. This portion of the label is
optional if the patch panel has a separate patch panel identifier label.
either P or the entire word ports as space permits.
port number range at the near-end patch panel.
either - or the entire word to as space permits.
far-end space identifier that should only be used where the near-end and far end
patch panels are located in different spaces with separate coordinate systems.
far-end patch panel identifier as specified in clause 8.
either P or the entire word ports as space permits.
port number range at the far-end patch panel.

11

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
The patch panels identifier label or additional labels shall contain the associated port numbers.
The corresponding far-end patch panel identifier(s) with associated port numbers should be
included if space permits.
Each port, or the first and last ports of each subpanel shall be labeled. If space is available, the
ports on the patch panel should also be labeled. See figure 7, figure 8, figure 9, and figure 10 for
examples.
Patch panels that support backbone cabling between main distribution areas (MDAs) and
horizontal distribution areas (HDAs) should indicate the name of the HDAs or MDAs at which
the cables are terminated. See ANSI/TIA-942, Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for
Data Centers for additional information regarding MDAs, HDAs, and other computer room
spaces.
The text shall be machine printed, conspicuous, and large enough to be legible. Text may be a
mix of upper and lower case, and should use a font without serifs.
Where cables are diversely routed between patch panels, label colors should be different to
reflect cable route diversity.
Provided they do not conflict with any cable route diversity designation, different colors may also
be used for labels, twisted-pair cables, modular jacks, and twisted-pair patch cables to indicate
different applications (e.g., production, test, development, Internet), function (e.g., backbone or
horizontal), or destination (e.g. different MDAs or HDAs).
Use manufacturer provided labels and mounting surfaces wherever possible.
10.2 Twisted-Pair Patch Panels
Figure 7 shows a 48-port twisted-pair patch panel 35U from the bottom of cabinet AD02, with
identifier AD02-35 with:

12 cables to the patch panel 35U from the bottom of cabinet AG03, ports 01-12,
12 cables to the patch panel 31U from the bottom of cabinet AG04, ports 01-12,
12 cables to the patch panel 45U from the bottom of cabinet AG05, ports 01-12,
12 cables to the patch panel 41U from the bottom of cabinet AG06, ports 01-12.

In figure 7, the labels below each group of six ports includes the local and far-end patch panel
and port identifiers.

Figure 7 Labeling example for twisted-pair patch panel with label fields
Figure 8 provides an example of labeling for a twisted-pair patch panel that does not have a
manufacturer-provided label field for the patch panel identifier.

12

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

Figure 8 Labeling example for twisted-pair patch panel without patch panel label fields
10.3 Optical Fiber Patch Panels
Figure 9 and figure 10 show two methods of labeling an optical fiber patch panel using or
ignoring subpanels. In figure 9, the patch panel has subpanels, but they are ignored for
purposes of labeling.
The patch panel illustrated in both figure 9 and figure 10 is the patch panel that is located 35U
from the bottom of cabinet AD03 (patch panel AD03-35). It has 24 multimode fibers (12 pairs of
multimode fibers) each to:

patch panel AG10-41 ports 01-24,

patch panel AG11-41 ports 01-24,
patch panel AG13-41 ports 01-24.

In figure 10 port identifiers include the subpanel name.

Figure 9 Labeling example of an optical fiber patch panel ignoring subpanels

13

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

Figure 10 Labeling example of an optical fiber patch panel with subpanels

14

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
Patch panel labels may include additional information such as cable type, near-end
telecommunications space name, and far-end telecommunications space name (e.g. MDA or
HDA name). See figure 11 for a patch panel label including this additional information. The first
line on the door label identifies that the patch panel is located in the MDA, that it contains singlemode fiber, and that the patch panel is CZ54-45. The second through fourth lines of the door
label specify the patch panel where the cables on each port terminate. The second through
fourth lines also specify the HDAs where each of the far-end patch panels are located.

Figure 11 Labeling example of an optical fiber patch panel with optional MDA and HDA
identifiers

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ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

11

CABLE LABELING

Cable labels shall have a format of:

fs.x1y1-a1:p1n / fs.x2y2-a2:p2n
where:
fs.x1y1-a1 =

the near end patch panel identifier as specified in clause 8

p1n =

the near-end ports assigned to the cable,

fs.x2y2-a2 =

the far end patch panel identifier as specified in clause 8

p2n =

the far-end ports assigned to the cable.

Cable labeling shall be accomplished via machine printed labels. Text on labels should be a font
without serifs, upper case and large enough to be easily read. Labels shall be durably affixed to
both ends of each cable conspicuously displayed just prior to each cable being routed into the
termination device. Label colors shall reflect cable route diversity wherever applicable.
EXAMPLE 1 SINGLE FOUR-PAIR CABLE
For example, the cable connected to first position of the patch panel shown in figure 7 may
contain the following label showing the near end port AD02-35 port 01 to the far end port AG0335 port 01:
AD02-35:01 / AG03-35:01
The same cable in cabinet AG03 may have the following label, which contains the same
information, but with the sequence reversed:
AG03-35:01 / AD02-35:01
Alternatively, the two halves of the identifier may appear on two lines of text. For example, the
label
AD02-35:01 / AG03-35:01
may appear instead as:
AD02-35:01
AG03-35:01
EXAMPLE 2 MULTIFIBER TRUNK WITH MPO & LC CONNECTORS
A 12-strand multifiber trunk cable equipped with an MPO connector on one end, and LC
connectors on the other end as shown in figure 12, results in a labeling scheme described in
figure 13, and labeling application at the LC end per figure 14.

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ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
ZDA

42U

Free-standing
equipment no
patch panel

Figure 12 Sample MPO/LC layout

FREE STANDING

RACK INFORMATION

Figure 13 Sample MPO/LC labeling scheme

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ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
LC CONNECTOR, TYPICAL OF 48

TYPICAL LABEL LOCATION AND

APPEARANCE, NOT TO SCALE

-12
2
01
ds 01-1
n
a
str ands
1
tr
-0
08 -B s
FG 12-1
FD
12
s 01trand 13-24
s
2
s
d
8-0
FG0 1-B stran
F D 12
FG0
8
FD1 -03 stran
2-1-C
ds
SAMPLE 48 STRAND
stran 01-12
ds 01
GROUPING. MAY RANGE
-12
FG
FROM 12 - 144 STRANDS
FD 0812 04
-1- str
a
C
str nds
an
ds 01-1
13 2
12-STRAND SUB-GROUP, TYPICAL OF 4
-24

Figure 14 Sample MPO/LC labeling at LC end

18

STRAND 01
STRAND 02
STRAND 03
STRAND 04
STRAND 05
STRAND 06
STRAND 07
STRAND 08
STRAND 09
STRAND 10
STRAND 11
STRAND 12
STRAND 01
STRAND 02
STRAND 03
STRAND 04
STRAND 05
STRAND 06
STRAND 07
STRAND 08
STRAND 09
STRAND 10
STRAND 11
STRAND 12
STRAND 01
STRAND 02
STRAND 03
STRAND 04
STRAND 05
STRAND 06
STRAND 07
STRAND 08
STRAND 09
STRAND 10
STRAND 11
STRAND 12
STRAND 01
STRAND 02
STRAND 03
STRAND 04
STRAND 05
STRAND 06
STRAND 07
STRAND 08
STRAND 09
STRAND 10
STRAND 11
STRAND 12

ANSI/TIA-606-A-1

ANNEX A

(INFORMATIVE) LABELING OF PATCH CORDS AND EQUIPMENT CORDS

This annex is informative only and is not part of this Standard.

Patch cords and equipment cords should be equipped with at least two labels on each end to
identify the equipment or patch panels at both ends of the cord. The label closest to each
connector identifies the equipment or patch panel to which that cord is attached. The next label
toward the far-end of the cord identifies the equipment or patch panel at the other end of the
cord. These labels should contain the following information:

cabinet or rack identifier (the word cabinet or rack prior to cabinet or rack identifier
is suggested),

equipment or patch panel identifier (the word panel prior to panel identifier is
suggested),

port number or slot/port number (the word port prior to the port number is
suggested).

Example 1: large diameter cable directly run

between router SFRTR39 and T1 CSU for
circuit to New York office

To Cabinet AD02
Router SFRTR39
Port 4/2
Label A

Label B

Cabinet AD02
SFRTR39
Port 4/2

Cabinet AG03
CSU Chassis 2
Port 3/1

Local Equip
- Rack/cabinet ID
- Equip/panel ID
- Slot/Port or Port

To Cabinet AD04
Switch sfcoresw01 Label A
Slot 3 port 2
Cabinet AD04
sfcoresw01
Port 3/2

Label C
SFRTR39 to
NYRTR01
DHEC536137

Remote Equip
- Rack/cabinet ID
- Equip/panel ID
- Slot/Port or Port

Label C

Label A

Label B

SFRTR39 to
NYRTR01
DHEC536137

Cabinet AD02
SFRTR39
Port 4/2

Cabinet AG03
CSU Chassis 2
Port 3/1

Optional Label with

Additional Information
(e.g. circuit id, server id,
business partner, or name of
equipment and ends of
channel

Label B

Label C

Cabinet AD07
Panel 42
Port 24

sfcoresw01
To
sfhda03sw02

To Cabinet AG03
CSU Chassis 2
Slot 3 port 1

Label C
sfcoresw01
To
sfhda03sw02

Remote Equip
- Rack/cabinet ID
- Equip/panel ID
- Slot/Port or Port

Local Equip
- Rack/cabinet ID
- Equip/panel ID
- Slot/Port or Port

Label A

Label B

Cabinet AD04
sfcoresw01
Port 3/2

Cabinet AD07
Panel 42
Port 24

To Cabinet AD07
Panel 42 port 24

Example 2: small diameter cable from SF data center

core switch in MDA (sfcoresw01) to switch in HDA03
(sfhda03sw02) via patch panels

Figure 15 Equipment cord & patch cord labeling scheme

The four labels that should be installed on all patch cords and equipment cords are Labels A
and B in figure 15 above. They are identical on both ends of the cord, but the order of the labels
is reversed on each end because label A captures near-end connection information on the left
of the figure, and far-end connection information on the right.

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ANSI/TIA-606-A-1
An optional third label Label C in figure 15 - may be installed on each end of a patch cord or
equipment cord to provide additional information regarding function of the connection. This
additional information may be useful when tracing a connection that is routed through multiple
patch panels. This optional label may include server name, business partner name, remote
office name, circuit number, or name of equipment at each end of the channel. This third label
is the same on both ends of the cord.
Patch cord and equipment cord labeling should be accomplished via machine printed labels.
Text on labels should be a font without serifs, upper case, and large enough to be easily read.
Labels should be durably affixed to both ends of each patch cord and equipment cord. They
should be placed in the order indicated in figure 15, conspicuously displayed just prior to each
cord being routed into the device or panel, and placed where they can be read without
disconnecting the cord.

20