I am designing a network for a project and I am confused on how wiring closets are set up. In my project there is an office building with several floors and a lot of computers. What devices are used to connect the computers to the network in the wiring closet and how are each closet connected to each other?

Here is how I think it works: all the computers on a single floor are connected to switches (stacked together) in a wiring closet located on that floor. Then the switches in the wiring closets are connected to the switches in the main closet on the bottom floor which is where the main network connection comes in the building. Is this correct? Can all computers connect to switches that are linked to other switches? I've talked to one person who told me to use patch panels, what are they?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

A patch panel is basically a bunch of network jacks with a punchblock on the back. Say you've got a 24 port patch panel, it would have 24 RJ45 ports on the front for network cables, and 172 spots for wires to be conencted to on the back (8 for each network cable). No switches or anything in the patch panel... just an easy way to connect wires.

Say you wire each floor, and run all the wires into one closet. You hook each wire to a port on the back of a patch panel. You lable all the path panel ports, and label all the wall jacks to match. When you need to set up a new user, or troubleshoot a problem, you look at the wall jack that they're by. Go find that same number on the patch panel. All you have to do to make that port on the wall active is plug a regular old network cable from the patch panel to an open port on the switch.

Speaking of your question between closets... connections between switches, hubs or routers can be called a "backbone".

Metaphorically, the backbone is much like a spinal cord in which all traffic signals is routed through this backbone in order to connect network segments or LANS.

The backbone is usually a high bandwidth capable fiber optic cable that ties everything together.

With a lot of computers, you have to seriously consider the wiring scheme, so let's come up with a number of outlets and potential connections per floor and number of floors and per building before we can adequately address the problem at hand.

How important is it to have a managed switch, so, for instance, the "network administrator" can turn off ports.

Is there a need for any gigabit connections other than the backbone?

Is phone part of the retrofit?

Patch panels can be a way to go. If the density of connections are high, it might be just as easy to use 110 punch down blocks.

Are we talking CAT 5, CAT 5E or CAT6?