Cabling & connections¶
Danbyte records the physical connections between ports — patch cables, breakouts, trunks, and links that run through patch panels — and can trace any connection from one end to the other.
Terminable ports: interfaces, front/rear (patch-panel) ports, console + console-server ports, power ports/outlets/feeds, and aux ports — so USB console links or video runs are first-class cables.
Connect two ports¶
- Open DCIM → Cables and click Add cable (or start from a port's detail page).
- Build each end — A side then B side — the same way:
- pick the port type (interface, front/rear port, console, console server, power port, or power outlet),
- pick the device with the searchable device picker (use its advanced search to filter by site, role, tag, …),
- tick the port(s) on that device. Selected ports appear as chips; switch the device or type and keep ticking to add ports from several devices on the same end (breakout).
- Optionally set the cable's type, status, length, color, and a description.
- Save.
A port can be cabled only once — Danbyte rejects connecting a port that's already in use, so every connection stays unambiguous.
Cable type¶
Pick the medium from the Type dropdown, organised into sub-categories —
copper twisted pair (CAT3–CAT8, MRJ21), twinax/DAC, coaxial (RG-6…RG-213,
LMR-100…400), fiber multimode (OM1–OM5), fiber single-mode (OS1/OS2), AOC,
power, and USB. Start typing (e.g. om4, os2, dac, rg-6) to filter.
Full taxonomy: Interface & cable types.
Cable status & color¶
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Status | connected, planned, or decommissioning. |
| Length | a number plus a unit (m / cm / ft / in). |
| Color | the literal color of the physical cable — shown on the topology map and the cable page's path strip. |
A cable's detail page draws its end-to-end path under the A/B boxes —
every device and panel the run passes through as linked chips, with the
pass-through ports shown front ⇄ rear and each cable segment labelled
(the current cable highlighted). Breakout fan-outs fall back to the Trace tab.
Connection shapes¶
You're not limited to one-to-one patches:
| Shape | A side | B side | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patch | 1 port | 1 port | switch ⇄ server |
| Breakout | 1 port | many ports | one QSFP → four SFP |
| Trunk | many | many | bundled links |
Patch panels¶
A patch panel is just a device with front ports and rear ports. Each front jack maps to a rear strand. When a cable lands on a front port, the connection passes through to the rear and continues on whatever's cabled there — so a link can cross several panels and Danbyte still follows it.
Manage a panel's front/rear ports from its device page, alongside its interfaces.
Tracing a connection¶
Every interface, cable, and panel port has a Trace tab. It walks the connection end to end — hopping across each cable and through each patch panel — and draws the whole path as a single chain, so you can see the real far end of a link even when it runs through three panels to get there.
Topology map¶
The Topology page (sidebar, under DCIM) draws an interactive device-to- device map of your cabling. Filter it by site to focus on one location, or by device to pull in just that device's neighbours. Drag nodes around, use the minimap to navigate, and click re-layout to tidy it up. Cable colors carry through to the links. On very large networks, filter by site first — the map will prompt you.
Connecting from a port¶
You don't have to start from the Cables page: any uncabled interface offers a Connect cable button — on the interfaces table (row action) and in the interface detail header. It opens the cable form with that port already on the A side; pick the B side and save.