Notes and Standards docs Notes and Standardization guides Labels and CAD Identifications Device, Cable, and Panel Labeling scheme. V2 of the Device, Cable, and Panel Labeling scheme. It keeps the V1 content and makes the formats consistent. Items marked PROPOSAL are new rules that need your decision. Items marked UNTESTED have not been checked on a real printer or site. Items marked FIELD are how I actually label on jobs (first example: 919 Stanford, October 2026). Where FIELD and a proposal disagree, FIELD wins. Scope How to name and label sites, rooms, panels, patch panels, devices, and cables in my installations. Based loosely on ANSI/TIA-606 (see "Relation to TIA-606" below). Device naming (firewalls, switches, cameras, access control) is my own convention, not part of 606. General rules Rule Detail Characters Uppercase letters, digits, - and . . No & , no / . Lowercase is used only for the suffix letter (see below). IDs have no spaces. FIELD: location lines on a label may use spaces ( GARAGE RACK01 ). Patch panel port FIELD: P + panel number, dash, port. Example: P1-16 = patch panel 1, port 16. This dash is part of the port ID, not a field separator. - (dash) Separates fields: site, then room or device, then patch panel or role. Example: SASC-IDF.1.01-P6-12 . (dot) Separates numbers inside one field: floor, door or panel number, port. Example: IDF.1.01 = IDF, floor 1, door 01. SW01.49 = switch 01, port 49. Suffix letter Lowercase a , b , ... for a second item at the same spot, or the legs of a split cable. Example: SASC-IDF.1.01b , P6-12a . Padding PROPOSAL. Floor: 1 character. Door, panel, device number, port: 2 digits ( 01 ). Cable serial numbers: 3 digits ( 001 ). Floors PROPOSAL. 1 = ground or entry floor, 2 , 3 ... above. B = basement ( B , then C for a second basement level). Site prefix Required on room, panel, and device labels. May be left off cable labels when both ends are in the same site (saves label space). Same label both ends Every cable gets the same label at both ends. A cable label must use the exact device and port names on this page. Site codes Short code per site: letters, or the street number for a building ( 919 = 919 Stanford). Fill in the table as sites are added. Code Site Notes 919 919 Stanford Multi-unit residential. See "Multi-unit residential" below. SASC (fill in) MHF Wilson (fill in) 925 (fill in) Street number, like 919? Rooms, panels, and doors Doors and panels are numbered clockwise, starting at the Main Entry. PROPOSAL: on other floors, start at the stair or elevator nearest the Main Entry. Type Format Example Second one Main Point of Entry (MPOE) SITE-MPOE.floor.door SASC-MPOE.1.06 N/A. One MPOE per site. Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF) SITE-IDF.floor.door SASC-IDF.1.01 SASC-IDF.1.01b (second IDF behind the same door) Media cabinet / panel SITE-PNL.floor.number SASC-PNL.2.01 SASC-PNL.2.02 Facility door SITE-DR.floor.door SASC-DR.1.01 SASC-DR.1.02 Patch panel (inside a room or cabinet) P + number, top to bottom P6 P7 Patch panel port P#-port P6-12 P6-12a , P6-12b (split cable) Port, full name SITE-ROOM-P#-port SASC-IDF.1.01-P6-12 The patch panel face only needs the short form ( P6-12 ), because the room is already known. Use the full name in records and on riser cables. Notes MPOE: where the carrier's service enters the building (the demarc). In houses it is often under the stairs or in the basement. In large buildings, riser cables run from the MPOE (or the main equipment room) up to the IDFs on other floors. IDF: the room or rack on each floor that holds the switches for that floor. It connects back to the MPOE with riser cables. Device labels Network and server devices Type Format Example Second one ISP handoff (modem / ONT) SITE-ISP## MHF-ISP01 MHF-ISP02 . Put the carrier name (e.g. ATT) in the records, not the label. Firewall / router SITE-FW## SASC-FW01 SASC-FW02 (HA pair: 01 = primary) Aggregation / distribution switch SITE-AGG## SASC-AGG01 SASC-AGG02 Access switch SITE-SW## SASC-SW01 SASC-SW02 Wireless access point SITE-AP## SASC-AP01 PROPOSAL (new in V2) Server / host SITE-SRV## SASC-SRV01 PROPOSAL (new in V2) NAS SITE-NAS## SASC-NAS01 PROPOSAL (new in V2) UPS / PDU SITE-UPS## , SITE-PDU## SASC-UPS01 PROPOSAL (new in V2) Cameras Type Format Example Second one Internal camera SITE-INT-What SASC-INT-CashReg SASC-INT-CashReg02 External camera SITE-EXT-What SASC-EXT-DrivewayN SASC-EXT-DrivewayS Cameras are named for what they look at. INT and EXT show access level at a glance: tenants and employees can usually see external cameras, but access to internal cameras is tightly controlled. The camera name is the exception to the uppercase rule, so it stays readable. Access control (physical hardware in panels or on walls) Type Format Example Second one Door access hub SITE-CTL.floor.door SASC-CTL.1.05 SASC-CTL.1.05b Reader-Flex (no hub) SITE-CTL.floor.door SASC-CTL.1.01 SASC-CTL.1.01b Badge reader (controller)-RDR SASC-CTL.1.05-RDR SASC-CTL.1.05-RDRb (second reader, e.g. exit side) Door intercom (controller)-INT SASC-CTL.1.05-INT The door number in a CTL label is the same as in the door's own label ( SASC-DR.1.05 uses SASC-CTL.1.05 ). Cable labels Every cable gets the same wrap label at both ends. Upstream (the end closer to the ISP / core) always comes before downstream. Structured cable runs (in-wall: rack to unit, rack to outlet, riser) FIELD. Three-line label: Line Content Example 1 (large) Cable ID = the patch panel port at the upstream end P1-16 2 Upstream location (room or rack) GARAGE RACK01 3 Downstream location (unit or room, and position) APT-G.02 919 Stanford: the cable from garage rack 01, patch panel 1, port 16 to position 02 in the Apartment G media panel. The bottom line of this label is wrong: it says UNIT J.02 , but the cable goes to Apartment G. Use the layout, not the text. It should read APT-G.02 . Patch cords between devices Two-line label. Line 1 = upstream device and port, line 2 = downstream device and port, using the device names on this page plus .port . The diagram above is from V1 and may still show V1 formats. This is different from TIA-606, where the near end is printed first so the order flips at each end. Here the order is always upstream first, so the label reads the same everywhere. Cable Line 1 (upstream) Line 2 (downstream) Notes ISP to firewall ISP01 FW01.WAN1 Second WAN: ISP02 / FW01.WAN2 Firewall to aggregation switch FW01.03 AGG01.01 HA: FW02.03 / AGG02.01 Aggregation to access switch AGG01.10 SW01.49 Bond / LAG: label each member normally (e.g. AGG02.12 / SW01.49 and AGG02.13 / SW01.50 ). Record the LAG in the docs. Switch to patch panel (patch cord in rack) SW01.12 P6-12 Patch panel to wall outlet (horizontal) Three-line label: P6-12 / IDF.1.01 / FL1-WALL . The outlet faceplate shows P6-12 . Split cable: P6-12a , P6-12b Riser / backbone (between MPOE, IDFs, panels) Three-line label: P1-01 / MPOE.1.06 / IDF.2.01 Add the site prefix if the cable leaves the site. Building rack to unit media panel FIELD. Three-line label: P1-16 / GARAGE RACK01 / APT-G.02 See "Multi-unit residential". Camera IDF.1.01-P3-05 or SW01.05 INT-CashReg The bottom line is the camera name. Access hub to badge reader CTL.1.05 CTL.1.05-RDR Intercom: CTL.1.05 / CTL.1.05-INT Switch to access hub / Reader-Flex SW01.20 CTL.1.05 FIELD: the 919 Stanford label fits one large line ( P1-16 ) and two small lines of up to 13 characters ( GARAGE RACK01 ) on the wrap label, with the clear tail left for laminating. Printed on the 1.5" x 1.0" M7-31-427 stock. Longer lines (more than 13 characters) are UNTESTED. Service type (from V1) V1 used a service prefix on patch cables: NET-001 , TEL-001 , COM-001 . In V2 the panel port ID replaces the serial number. PROPOSAL: show the service with cable color (see Relation to TIA-606) or with a third line on the label. See Open questions. Multi-unit residential FIELD, from 919 Stanford. A building rack in the garage feeds a media panel (structured media enclosure) in each unit. The ISP's ONT sits in the unit media panel. Names Item Format Example Building rack (ROOM) RACK## GARAGE RACK01 Patch panel port in the building rack P#-port P1-16 Apartment (unit) APT- + unit letter APT-G Position in the unit media panel APT-(letter).## , counted left to right across the top row, then the next row APT-G.02 Room drop (unit panel to a room) Letter = location, in order A , B , C .... Number = cable at that location: A1 is the first cable, A2 the second. D1 , A2 ISP feed (single-mode fiber from the building rack to the unit ONT) ISP-(apartment letter) , location GARAGE ISP-G Tag on a cable inside the media panel APT-(letter) (drop) APT-G D1 Drop location (small text under or over the ID) FL#-MOUNT FL1-WALL , FL2-CEILING , FL1-DRBL Unused jack BLANK BLANK Unit media panel label strip Each jack gets an ID (large) and a location (small). Jacks fed from the building rack use the rack port as the ID and GARAGE as the location. Red keystones mark the jacks fed from the garage rack. Row 1 2 3 4 5 6 Top P1-15 GARAGE P1-16 GARAGE A1 FL1-DRBL C1 FL2-WALL E1 FL3-WALL BLANK Bottom GARAGE ISP-G BLANK B1 FL1-WALL D1 FL2-CEILING BLANK BLANK DRBL = doorbell. ISP-G = the ISP single-mode fiber for Apartment G, from the garage. Use APT- for units, not UNIT . Positions are counted across, so P1-16 is position .02 in the photo. Stacking: put a second cable to the same location directly under the first ( A1 on top, A2 below), so the cables for one location share a column. In the 919 Stanford photo each location has one cable, so A1 / B1 and C1 / D1 share columns. Hardware and labels Printer: Brady M710 Label type Size Brady part number Per roll Price (V1, date unknown) Ribbon Basic sticker 1.0" x 1.0" M7-19-423 250 $43.50 (fill in) Metallic label 1.0" x 2.0" M7-20-435 100 $40.00 (fill in) Cable wrap (self-laminating) 1.5" x 1.0" M7-31-427 250 $68.00 R4300 ($73.00) Templates Site template (editable): NetworkIdentification.docx Patch bay label templates: PatchBaySize_12portLevitonKeystone.docx PatchBaySize_12portSurfacemount.docx PatchBaySize_24portKeystone.docx PatchBaySize_24port.docx PatchBaySize_48port.docx These templates were made for V1 formats and may need updating. Relation to TIA-606 ANSI/TIA-606 is the US cabling administration standard. ISO/IEC 14763-2 is the international equivalent. This scheme borrows its ideas (unique IDs, both ends labeled, records kept) but uses its own formats. This scheme TIA-606 term MPOE Entrance facility (demarc). Often in the same room as the equipment room / main cross-connect (MDF). IDF Telecommunications room (TR) Riser cable Backbone cable Patch panel to outlet Horizontal link Multi-site with site codes Class 3 (campus) / Class 4 (multi-site) 606 color codes (from memory, not checked against the current revision) Color Use Orange Demarc / carrier Green Network connections (customer side of demarc) Purple Common equipment (servers, PBX) White First-level backbone Gray Second-level backbone Blue Horizontal (to the outlet) Brown Between buildings Yellow Miscellaneous (security, alarms) Red Key telephone systems 606-B cable example (kept from V1) Near end AG09-35:01/AJ06-35:01 , far end AJ06-35:01/AG09-35:01 . AG09 = rack at grid AG09, -35 = patch panel 35 rack units from the bottom, :01 = port 1, / = separates near end from far end. Newer revisions (606-C, 606-D) exist. I have not checked what changed. Changes from V1 Item V1 V2 MPOE SASC-MPO.1.6 SASC-MPOE.1.06 IDF second unit IDF-1-1a SASC-IDF.1.01b Doors SASC-01-DR01 SASC-DR.1.01 Firewall on cables FW-Primary-WAN1 FW01.WAN1 (same name as the device label) Aggregation switch AGG-## and AGGR-## AGG## , with its own device row Site 925 devices 925-FW01 Same format, but see Open questions about the code Wilson-MHF patch port MHF-IDF2.1-P1.1 MHF-IDF.2.01-P1-01 (same rule as every site) Access hub suffix 1.1A / 1.05a mixed Always lowercase: 1.05b Intercom / reader -IntCom , -Reader -INT , -RDR Cameras INTERNAL-CashReg SASC-INT-CashReg Camera cable SASC-CAM-1.05 Port ID / camera name Wire label order Two conflicting wordings Upstream before downstream. In-wall runs: 3 lines (ID / upstream / downstream), from field practice. Patch panel port P6.12 P6-12 (field practice) Bond cables -BONDa / -BONDb Label each member normally. LAG in the records. New General rules, site code table, AP / SRV / NAS / UPS / PDU, patch panel naming, 606 mapping Open questions Fill in the site code table. Is 925 a street number, like 919 ? Agree with the separator, padding, and floor proposals? Service type: drop NET / TEL / COM , use cable color, or add a third label line? What did COM mean? Are MPOE and MDF always the same room in your sites, or do you need an MDF room type? Do you want rack positions (rack units, as in 606) in the labels, or is P# top to bottom enough? Riser and outlet labels with lines longer than 13 characters still need a test print. Ribbon part numbers for the basic and metallic labels. Related pages V1 of this page, saved as a copy ending in "_old" (link to be added) Device, Cable, and Panel Labeling scheme_old ---- This is constantly changing as I try to document and standardize what I do in my installations. Hardware and Labels used: Printer: Brady M710 Label Maker: Labels: Label Type Label Size Brady Part Numer [URL] Count Per Roll Estimate Price Required Ribbon Basic Sticker 1.0" x 1.0" M7-19-423 250 $43.50 Metallic Label 1.0" x 2.0" M7-20-435 100 $40.00 Cable Wrap Sticker 1.5" x 1.0" M7-31-427 250 $68.00 R4300 - $73.00 Printable Site Template Guide: Editable Document: NetworkIdentification.docx Panels / Doors Labels:  All panels are counted clockwise from either MPOE or Main Entry. Start at the Main Doorway and count clockwise around the Facility. Location/Type First Example Expansion Main Point of Entry (Site)-MPOE.(Floor).(door) SASC-MPO.1.6 N/A - Only 1 MPOE per side Intermediate Distribution Frame (Site)-IDF.(Floor).(Door) SASC-IDF.1.1 IDF-1-1a, IDF-1-1b Media Cabinets/Panels (Site)-PNL.(Floor).(Panel Number) SASC-PNL.1.1, SASC-PNL.2.1 Facility Doors: (Site)-FL-DR##  SASC-01-DR01 Notes:  MPOE - This is where the internet comes into the building.  In residential buildings, it is commonly seen as a utility hidden under stairs or in basements.  In large commercial buildings, it's widely known that risers [cables that link IDFs in other floors or wings] are used. IDF - This is where your switching or server equipment is located to support each floor.  This commonly hosts switches that connect back to the MPOE  Cable Labels: 606-B Notes: Near end = AG09-35:01/AJ06-35:01 Far end = AJ06-35:01/AG09-35:01 If standing at rack location AG09, reading this near-end cable identifier will describe both the near-end and far-end locations. AG09 = Rack or cabinet at grid location AG09 within the data center -35 = Patch panel located 35 rack units from the bottom in rack AG09 :01 = Port 01 in patch panel located 35 rack units from the bottom of rack AG09 / = Separator for near-end/far-end location description AJ06 = Rack or cabinet at grid location AJ06 within the data center -35 = Patch panel located 35 rack units from the bottom in rack AJ06 :01 = Port 01 in patch panel located 35 rack units from the bottom of the rack in AJ06 Examples  First Example Expansion SASC Patch Bay to Environment (Panel Number).(Port Number on Panel) P6.12 P6.12a | P6.12b [only applies to split cables] SASC to Device (Panel Number).(Port Number on Panel) P6.12 P6.12a | P6.12b [only applies to split cables] Wilson-MHF (site)-(IDF#)-(Panel Number).Port Number MHF-IDF2.1-P1.1 N/A Device Labels: Controllers: Physical hardware in Panels, Walls or mounted to walls Location/Type First Example Expansion Door Access Hub (site)-CTL.(floor)-(door number) SASC-CTL.1.05 SASC-CTL.1.05a Door Intercom (Acesss Hub)-IntCom SASC-CTL.1.05-IntCom IntCom Door Badge Reader (Acesss Hub)-Reader SASC-CTL.1.05-Reader Network Devices: Location/Type First Example Expansion Firewall/Router (site)-FW## 925-FW01 925-FW02 Switches (site)-SW## 925-SW01 925-SW02 Cameras (location)-(object-in-camera) INTERNAL-CashReg INTERNAL-CashReg02 Notes: Cameras have special naming schemes.  We define them as internal or external to quickly identify access.  Tenants and Employees typically can access external cameras, but internal camera access is heavily policed.   A camera overlooking a driveway would be called "EXTERNAL-Driveway-North" Patch Bay printed label templates: PatchBaySize_12portLevitonKeystone.docx PatchBaySize_12portSurfacemount.docx PatchBaySize_24portKeystone.docx PatchBaySize_48port.docx PatchBaySize_24port.docx Wire In between Devices: 2x Layer labels.  Order of spanning tree.  Top of label = First location.   The bottom of the Label = end of the cable.  Device Fire Example Expansion/Options Device Top: Where it terminates Bottom: What it terminates  ISP to Firewall/Router (site)-ISP.## [Number or name] FW-Primary-PORT MHF-ISP.001 FW-Primary-WAN1 ISP-AT&T FW-Secondary-WAN2 Router to Distribution Switch FW/ROUT.Port AGGR-##.PORT FW-Primary.03 AGGR-01.01 FW-Secondary.03 AGGR-02.01 Router/Agg to L3/2 Switch IN MPOE AGG-##.Port SW##.Port AGGR-01.10 SW01.49 AGGR-02.12-BONDa AGGR-02.13-BONDb Patch Cables between IDF/MPOE and the environment (thing)-(floor)-(number) Service*-### *NET | *TEL | *COM | MHF-IDF.1.2 NET-001 *TEL-001 IDF-1-2 NET-001a Riser Cables [between MPOE, IDF, Panels] (site)-(thing).(floor).(number) (site)-(thing).(floor).(number) MHF-IDF.1.001 SASC-PNL.2.001 IDF-1-1.001a, IDF-1-1.001b PNL-1-2.002a Badge Readers (site)-CTL.(floor).(number)-Reader SASC-CTL.1.05-Reader Camera Cable (thing)-(floor)-(number) CAM-### SASC-CAM-1.05 Access-Hub (not in panel) (site)-CTL.(floor)-(door number) SASC-CTL.1.1A SASC-CTL.1.1B Reader-Flex (no Hub) (site)-CTL.(floor)-(door number) SASC-CTL.1.1A SASC-CTL.1.1B Badge Reader Install Notes Badge Reader Heights: Note:  Assume all measurements are to the "Center point" of object Location - Customer Interior Heights Exterior Heights Distance in from the doorjam Special Notes Paint/Color used SASC 46" from Ground to Badge reader 47" from ground to center of badge reader. Exterior: 7.5" from door jam, handle side + or - 2", varies based on if a light switch is in proximity of badge reader: Adjust to match switch center line External Boxes: BEHR Chiffon Cream MATTE Wilson's ADA Compliance is a must with Wilson Properties.  ADA Compliance Legal Expectations:  No lower than 36" and no higher than 48" DOJ CFR Part 36 Official Notes: Height and Reach Requirements ADA has certain height and reach requirements to allow access for customers in wheelchairs. As these height and reach limitations may cause the weather overhang on keypads to obstruct the vision of taller customers, PTI sells a housing for keypads that does not have a weather overhang. APEX keypads may also be flush-mounted in a wall to prevent this issue. Either of these items may be purchased from PTI.  Keypads should be mounted so that the top of the number touchpad is no more than 48” above the finished floor with no obstructions in locations where wheelchair access is available only from the front. See Figure 1. Keypads should be mounted so that the top of the number touchpad is no more than 54” above the finished floor with no obstructions in locations where the wheelchair has sideways access. See Figure 2. Keypads should not be mounted so as to protrude more than 4” from the wall. If mounted in a bollard or pylon, it may protrude up to 12”. Multiplexers and other items mounted higher on the wall or ceiling must be 80” or higher above the finished floor. See Figure 3. Falcon Base Units and computers should be placed on desks that meet ADA requirements between 28” – 34” tall with no more than 20” in reach depth for obstructed front access or 24” in reach depth for obstructed side reach access. See Figures 4 & 5. In Figure 4, if X < 20” then Y = 48”. When X = 20” to 25”, then Y = 44”. X should always be ≤ 25”.  Visual CAD: Recommended Vendors List Facility Vendors Service Vendor Name [link to website] Location Notes/Feedback Locksmith Parker Security & Locksmith Contact:  Fremont, CA.  Serving the greater East Bay They're great!  Constantly doing their best to make sure we're getting the best price for our needs.  They have a walk-in store in Fremont and will do rekeyings on the spot.  As someone who "likes to do it themselves," they have been great with supplies and parts for projects, or helping me to install select components on doors while I do low-voltage/wiring. IT and System Administration Vendors Service Vendor Name [link to website] Location Notes/Feedback Printers Cortron Systems Inc.     Contact: office@cortronsystems.com Contact: Devon@cortronsystems.com San Jose, CA serves the greater Bay Area   We lease 15 Printers, including a very high-end Plotter for a 50+ inch prints.  They offer a service that runs on Windows or Linux, though they recommend Windows, which monitors and reports the status of your printers back to them. I have 15 years of career in the IT space, and a Printer can be a real pain in the ass, especially at scale.  Cortron is the best I've ever had the opportunity to work with.  They're professional, knowledgeable about their technology, and excel in service and support.  I've worked with them without issues on various complicated projects.  We've upgraded printers in the office, and they have cloned configurations from the old to the new printer without issues, so our end users don't see any change in their process or have to "re-add" devices." ARM and Friends Home Servers Project R eason: I wanted to build a DVD-ingest tool for Plex to let me and others rip DVDs to our Plex server.  I have a stack of 8 small Dell mini desktops that are headed to e-waste.  Instead of sending them off, I've taken them and am upgrading them here and there to be remote nodes at friends' houses for adding content to Plex, for hosting Home Assistant, and for running SteamOS as a home media center. Warning Expected Outcome: Each unit will get: Proxmox 9.2 installed Custom network configurations for VPNing back to Plex Server 1x LXC Container running ARM [Vlan 10, Disk tray routed to LXC] 1x LXC Container running Home Assistant [Vlan 1, 1x USB port routed] 1x VM running SteamOS [Vlan 1, Graphic card routed, 2x USB port routed] Research: Knowledge/Learnings/Links/Notes Use me to hide long guides   Steps Taken | Work done: Step by step process Audio|Video Conference Room Designs: 2-4 Person Table Setup Tools Needed: Tool Type Link Notes Drill - Makita / Milwaukee / Dewalt  Home Depot 1" Hole Saw Bit Home Depot Low Voltage Scissors Home Depot Platt is another option 25ft Tape Measure Home Depot (optional) Label Maker Brady | Platt Shopping List: Accessory Type Link Notes 1x C8 to 2x C7 Wye Cable Amazon.com  Comes in two colors, white or black 1x NEMA 120v to C7 Adapter, 1ft Amazon.com Comes in two colors, white or black 1x Flat Plug white extension cord Amazon.com Rotating head is a must.  Subject to change based on distance from Wall 2x 96 Watt USB C Apple Charger Apple.com 100w is fine for most meetings, if you do a lot of image processing, Video editing, CAD designs you might want something closer to 200w 2x 2m 240w USB C Charger Cable Apple.com 1m might be all you need 1x 3m 1" Velcro - White Amazon.com For mounting the Chargers under the table 1x 1" White Cable Grommit Amazon.com White Cable Velcro Amazon.com Floor Velcro Cable Covery (For Carpet) Amazon .com Not the biggest fan of these but sometimes its the only solution for controlling cables that you can't put in the floor Drawing: