CABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH REMOTE LINE TESTING

摘要

A cable management system which provides routing of wired services between service lines (16) and user lines (18). Each service line enters the cable system at a service termination unit circuit card (22) which also holds a portion of a crosspoint switch matrix (126). Each user line enters the system at a line termination unit circuit card (20). The service termination unit circuit cards are all mounted to connectors (36) on a first side of a centerplane board (24) and the line termination unit circuit cards are mounted to connectors (36) on the other side of the centerplane board. Pins (37) extending through the centerplane board interconnect the connectors on the opposed sides of the centerplane board so that any service line can be connected to any user line. A system controller card (26) mounted to the centerplane board communicates with the circuit cards via a bus (38) on the centerplane board. Each of the termination unit circuit cards has a test port connector (204) for communication with a line tester (228), and a switch bank (206) for selectively connecting each of the lines on that card to the test port connector. The line tester may either be a handheld unit or be permanently installed as part of the cable management system. An active termination device (300) is provided at the end of each line remote from the cable management system. Each active termination device is arranged to respond to instructions received over the line for providing a desired termination of the line to assist in line testing.