Rack mounting of fiber patch panels is done with either 19” or 23” equipment racks, both defined by the EIA-310 Standard. The 19′′ and 23′′ refers to the horizontal spacing between the two vertical posts to which the equipment will mount. For example, even with a patch panel, you should be able to still get ~100m for CAT5E,CAT6 at 1Gbps with POE. My feeble recollection of the BICSI standards from the dark ages is there. For patch cables, the same connectors can be used for different classifications if the length of the higher classified patch cables is less than the distance between the higher classified patch panel and any patch panel of a lower classification. From the back of the rack, they need to somehow have enough slack so that they can be terminated. Compatibility: Ensure the panel supports your cable category and fiber. 100m Ethernet distance usually refers to the complete channel, including horizontal cable and patch cords.
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