Networking company Siemon has launched the MapIT G2 Copper Interconnect System. This network management product is an extension of the MapIT G2 Intelligent Infrastructure Management (IIM) solution. It aims to provide SMBs with a more “cost-effective option, which simplifies installation,” according to a Siemon press release submitted to ChannelPro-SMB.
“This system gives complete visibility and control of the entire physical layer network,” the company says of the MapIT G2 Copper Interconnect System. “It enables the tracking and monitoring of ports in real time and management of network documentation.”
With the MapIT G2 Copper Interconnect, switch ports are connected from the switch directly to the smart copper patch panel. This designed eliminates the cost of a second copper patch panel as well as the related patch cords used in a traditional cross-connect configuration.
The Interconnect Control Module (ICM) is an important part of the Interconnect solution. It is a hand-held Ethernet device that creates a software-based link between the switch port and the smart patch panel port. The ICM discovers the switch side of the patch connection and, through a few simple steps, recognizes the connection to the smart panel, verifying the data on the LCD display.
This device is used by technicians during initial installation and when making subsequent moves, adds, and changes.
“The MapIT G2 system is designed to help network and data center professionals to manage, monitor, and secure their physical IT infrastructures,” says Robert Carlson, Siemon’s vice president of global marketing. “It provides a host of capabilities to help optimize the network, to safeguard it, and maintain it at peak performance.”
In addition, Siemon reports its MapIT G2 reduces power consumption, “using 75 per cent less power than other IIM systems.”