An intermediate distribution frame, or IDF closet, is a cable rack in a central office or customer premises that cross connects and manages the IT or telecommunications cabling between a main distribution frame (MDF) and remote workstation devices.
Cables that enter a facility must first connect to a centralized MDF closet, then to each individual IDF closet, and finally on to workstations. An example would be a business located across multiple floors of a building may have an MDF on the first floor that connects to public lines from outside the building. That MDF then connects those lines to the internal network via an IDF placed on each individual floor.
IDF closets are commonly used for telephone exchange central offices, customer-premises equipment, wide area networks (WAN), and local area networks (LAN).
IDF Closet Management with DCIM Software
The strategic importance of small IT spaces such as IDF closets is increasing but managing remote IDF closets can be a challenge without the right tool. Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software is used by IT closet managers to:
- Visualize in 3D real-time views of all IDF closets, assets, and power/network connections across the entire deployment.
- Direct technicians to complete changes accurately and quickly with clear work orders and instructions.
- Remotely monitor power and environment across multiple locations in real-time to get advanced warning of potential issues like hot spot formation, power capacity limitations, and loss of redundancy.
- Provide common views of dashboards and reports to improve collaboration and productivity, and to manage to consistent KPIs across functional teams.
- Know the capacity of all infrastructure items with visual reports that overlay real-time data such as available space, budgeted and actual power, plus network and power port availability.
Want to see how Sunbird’s world-leading DCIM software makes it easy for you to manage IDF closets? Get your free test drive now!