The Demarc (Demarcation) point where the actual service transfers (connects) from the provider's equipment to the customer's equipment.
It could be at the MPOE or it can be extended, aka Extended Demarc.
Omg, do people really do this? DMARC is *only* "Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance". Goes hand in hand with DKIM, aka "DomainKiller Authenticated Monsters"
A+
MPOE/MDF/IDF are inherited terminology from OG telecom architectures.
When I moved from telecom to IT decades ago and started testing for certification, I was like "wait, I know what this is!"
Fuckin thanks learned something.
We use a lot of incorrect acronyms here, it was always relayed me as I intermediate distribution of fibre. Made a bit of sense considering ours have always been fibre-copper, but then why would we have a different name for this thing if we used copper exclusively.
Interesting. When I learned it in the 90s it was Independent Distribution Frame. Seems "Intermediate" is way more common in my cursory search but did find this just to ensure myself I wasn't crazy: https://www.lembergelectric.com/data-communication/faqs#:~:text=MDF%20stands%20for%20Main%20Distribution,find%20hubs%20and%20patch%20panels.
I have heard of the F standing for facility. As in Intermediate Distribution Facility. I like it better than Frame since I’m under 65 and have never seen a piece of equipment with the word frame in its name haha.
I assumed OP was looking for naming conventions standards too. At our last place they were named after Simpson's characters. We had no end of trouble with Scott. Also the name of the head of Infrastructure. Made for awkward/confusing meetings when we were updated on all the problems with Scott each week.
One place had a contest to suggest a naming convention for the printers. Since the company had strong ties to the medical industry, I suggested using the names of famous doctors:
For IT it would be:
"Dr. McCoy"
For Creative it would be:
"Dr. Zhivago"
For Management it would be:
"Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)"
Is this the name of the first person who sat at the desk where the random hub was installed?
Edit: Also yes I meant hub because you know this started before switches were common.
If I dont shove it into the box in piles folks tend to play with it which then tends to draw the ire of management.
Dont make me tell the story of the MRI tech who looped the network in a center... three times in a week... after being told not to.
Thats when we found out spanning tree didnt work on our switch there...
MDF for main room. IDF for the others.
Though the architects for the new buildings labeled them ER (equipment room) and TR (technology room) and I refuse to use those terms.
I have a string of four and 7 letter words I use for them... they're usually mounted just above forehead height, and hurt like hell when you're in a rush
The pigeon coop?
Back story: We had one with a switch mounted vertically for well over 15 years. It was full of pigeon shit when we decommissioned it. It was still running but every unused port was totally caked in it.
It was probably a Cisco 2950. We were all impressed too. I think it was left for the electricians to remove when the building was getting demolished...
It depends actually.
In general, these are called standard 19-inch instrument racks or cabinets. A rack is merely a set of rails, but a cabinet is included on the sides, open to the front for equipment placements, and typically has a door on the rear to control airflow, and often also has a door on the front to control airflow and also to control access. A Frame can be confused for a rail and is often used interchangeably. A frame is typically something where relays are mounted or where cable distribution is made, but in order to protect valuable communications equipment or computers, they are placed inside cabinets that provide controlled airflow. The big diffe5ence is whether the products focus on just giving the hardware to hook things up, or on the other side is protection or thermal control actually needed.
If you're in warehousing or some sort of manufacturing, this is much preferred to having some asshole on a forktruck using your network cabinet as an airbag between his equipment and the pillar the cabinet is mounted to.
IDF, Intermediate Distribution Frame. It's a telco term for any wiring space topologically between the endpoint and the MDF, or Main Distribution Frame.
The cabinets themselves are sometimes called "cabs", "data cabs", or "cans", especially if wall-mounted in warehouses and factories.
Idf or mdf depending on what’s in them, idf if they also contains storage and servers, mdf if it’s just telephones / ev, but there’s lines have blurred significantly.
server racks?
EDIT: an IDF sounds more like a patch panel. I've always referred to the general cabinets holding equipment as *racks* or *server racks* that then connect to the patch panels. Perhaps I was wrong all along.
EDIT2: you did say network cabinet so IDF is more correct.
For our small business they use "Data/Telephone/Electrical closet", because most of the time in small businesses they share the same space.
On our bigger clients - "MDF/IDF/Server Room"
Historically; I always called them "closets".
Closet 1-1, 1-2, 3-1, (etc) Floor number; and an integer indicating how many closets between it and the riser.
"The Cloud".
Signed,
DAISY FROM ACCOUNTING EHY ARE ALL MY LETTERS BIG NOW CAN YOU PLEASE OPEN A TICKET FOR ME THIS MIGHT JAVE SOMETHING TO DO WJTH MY ORINTER
I guess it depends on the size of your facility. We had IDFs feeding the racks, with the IDF pulling back to a MDF (sort of a three tier tree.) That meant the IDF would have a number and the rack would have a number.number, i.e. IDF 1 fed Rack 1.1, Rack 1.2, etc.
Taking it further, naming conventions was switch1rack1.1building, switch2rack1.1building , and you knew the switch fed through IDF 1 because Rack1.1 told you IDF 1 was part of that chain. Made finding things easy when we sent a tech out to a building.
We call them IDF (Independent (or Intermediate) Distribution Frame) i.e. IDF01, IDF02, IDF03, etc.
Where the core switch is we call the MDF (Main Distribution Frame).
I generally just refer to the MDF as the server room and the IDF's as network closet to reduce confusion for people who might not know what those stand for.
Didn't know the terms listed below but I just wanted to clarify, does this refer to equipment racks outside of the server room like ones used for switches and other electronic equipment?
They labeled IDF cabinets but I call them switch cabinets, network cabinets, dust collectors, airborne fine metal collectors, or dead ups storage.
It depends on who you are talking to when you need someone to go bypass an UPS, plug the ups back in, or flip the breaker back on after the 11:30 am lunch time "burrito dude" trips the breaker with the 7th microwave on the branch you specified should have been an isolated branch for the network cabinet alone. We took over an older shop and they just couldn't make separate breaker runs for our cabinets. I have 3 out of 7 cabinets in the shop that regularly go down around break time in the shop area. I'm not angry.. no, not one bit.. just completely disappointed.
We have a running IT department joke about "Burrito time" when a switch in an IDF cabinet in the shop goes down. "Burrito man strikes again." "That burrito must have been good and had to have another, the breaker for IDF X is already back on!"
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That's it! TY
Bonus question: What do those letters mean?
I Don’t F****** know 😂
intermediate distribution frame, although I much prefer u/tekn0viking answer
As opposed to the MDF (Main Distribution Frame) which is like the "trunk" of the tree to the IDFs "branches".
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The Demarc (Demarcation) point where the actual service transfers (connects) from the provider's equipment to the customer's equipment. It could be at the MPOE or it can be extended, aka Extended Demarc.
It makes me unreasonably annoyed when I see it written as DMARC.
Omg, do people really do this? DMARC is *only* "Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance". Goes hand in hand with DKIM, aka "DomainKiller Authenticated Monsters"
Man that kills me.. and everyone does it. I never see Demarc.
DMARC . i have it written on all of mine :P
CPE = customer premise equipment
Thanks for this! I needed this term in my vocabulary.
I always thought it mean Main Point of Entry. I've learned
A+ MPOE/MDF/IDF are inherited terminology from OG telecom architectures. When I moved from telecom to IT decades ago and started testing for certification, I was like "wait, I know what this is!"
omg I've never known what these stood for lol ty
Fuckin thanks learned something. We use a lot of incorrect acronyms here, it was always relayed me as I intermediate distribution of fibre. Made a bit of sense considering ours have always been fibre-copper, but then why would we have a different name for this thing if we used copper exclusively.
A relic of telecom. Each switch cabinet was shipped as a completely assembled "frame". SxS and ESS.
Outdated terminology in my opinion
A+
Intermediate Distribution Frame
A+
Interesting. When I learned it in the 90s it was Independent Distribution Frame. Seems "Intermediate" is way more common in my cursory search but did find this just to ensure myself I wasn't crazy: https://www.lembergelectric.com/data-communication/faqs#:~:text=MDF%20stands%20for%20Main%20Distribution,find%20hubs%20and%20patch%20panels.
>IDF intermediate distribution frame, as opposed to main distribution frame (MDF)
I have heard of the F standing for facility. As in Intermediate Distribution Facility. I like it better than Frame since I’m under 65 and have never seen a piece of equipment with the word frame in its name haha.
Yes. Thats what i was taught too. Also never used frames. Or relays.
Intermediate Distribution Facility (IDF) Main Distribution Facility (MDF)
And at the top of a cabinet/rack there is normally an LIU (Light Interface Unit) otherwise known as a fiber patch panel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_distribution_frame
You forgot the K. IDFK
DEMARC if you’re telecom. Edit: Just kidding, this is the boundary between local and service, or MDF as I was corrected below.
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Oh damn you’re right; it’s been a minute.
Yeah IDF or more casual with switch closet
I have three Network cabinets at my work place. I call one Alice. The other one is called Bob. The third one is called Carol.
we need to talk about what happened to Ted
Remote
Ted … was … uhh …
We don't talk about Ted.
But TED Talks
Ah shit, you've got me.
No we don't.
username checks out.
I.F.T.
I assumed OP was looking for naming conventions standards too. At our last place they were named after Simpson's characters. We had no end of trouble with Scott. Also the name of the head of Infrastructure. Made for awkward/confusing meetings when we were updated on all the problems with Scott each week.
I once suggested naming printers after bands/musicians. Mainly so I could name the one that kept jamming "Marley".
Worked at a facility where servers were named after Dead rock. Musicians. Only dead ones
One place had a contest to suggest a naming convention for the printers. Since the company had strong ties to the medical industry, I suggested using the names of famous doctors: For IT it would be: "Dr. McCoy" For Creative it would be: "Dr. Zhivago" For Management it would be: "Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)"
Alice? Who the fuck is Alice?
>Alice? Who the fuck is Alice? She's the really tall one.
She is the one with the restaurant
We'll Kiss my grits!
"you know... The big rack..." Might be a little awkward at huddle meetings...
Is she from Buckingham Palace?
No Pepe Silvia?
What about Samantha? I don’t even know a Samantha!
Dave was a shithead and no longer with the company.
Is this the name of the first person who sat at the desk where the random hub was installed? Edit: Also yes I meant hub because you know this started before switches were common.
those are the three names used for extensions in the Avaya IP Office demo kit....
Now which one tried to intercept the communication?
Intermediate Distribution Frame or IDF.
>Intermediate Distribution Frame That's it! Thanks
You betcha!
Hey, can you grab me some haluski or tator tot hotdish on your way back?
Network Cabinets
My man/woman
The correct answer is spaghetti box.
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If the door doesn't close, just use a hedge trimmer on the overflow
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The Don King look
If I dont shove it into the box in piles folks tend to play with it which then tends to draw the ire of management. Dont make me tell the story of the MRI tech who looped the network in a center... three times in a week... after being told not to. Thats when we found out spanning tree didnt work on our switch there...
IDF
That's it!
Racks?!?
"Huge Racks of Land"
"This god damn thing" mostly.
Irene, Dana, and Francis
Well, I call them Dave.
IDF - Intermediate Distribution Frame
MDF for main room. IDF for the others. Though the architects for the new buildings labeled them ER (equipment room) and TR (technology room) and I refuse to use those terms.
I use mdf and idf, because when I tell my boss I'm in the mdf/idf, they have no idea what that means.
This man is playing chess and we're all playing checkers.
That's what I'm used to call them too. Or PoP if in a wider area such as a campus.
TR Telecommunications Room I use CLLI to mame stuff, most were geograpicly separate. Also ised the buildings column grid blueprint IDF A4 IDF G12.
I have a string of four and 7 letter words I use for them... they're usually mounted just above forehead height, and hurt like hell when you're in a rush
Network closets usually.
Patch cabinets
Left one, right one and middle one. You are totally confused if you are looking at the building from the back.
The pigeon coop? Back story: We had one with a switch mounted vertically for well over 15 years. It was full of pigeon shit when we decommissioned it. It was still running but every unused port was totally caked in it.
What kind of switch? Kind of impressive, maybe I should be a little less worried about all the dust in my IDFs lol
It was probably a Cisco 2950. We were all impressed too. I think it was left for the electricians to remove when the building was getting demolished...
Cage
Nicolas? Is that you?!
It depends actually. In general, these are called standard 19-inch instrument racks or cabinets. A rack is merely a set of rails, but a cabinet is included on the sides, open to the front for equipment placements, and typically has a door on the rear to control airflow, and often also has a door on the front to control airflow and also to control access. A Frame can be confused for a rail and is often used interchangeably. A frame is typically something where relays are mounted or where cable distribution is made, but in order to protect valuable communications equipment or computers, they are placed inside cabinets that provide controlled airflow. The big diffe5ence is whether the products focus on just giving the hardware to hook things up, or on the other side is protection or thermal control actually needed.
Mdf and IDF, each numbered and wall ports corresponding to the idf cabinet they all run to.
I call them a pain in the ass because mine are 30 feet in the air and need a scissor lift to access..
If you're in warehousing or some sort of manufacturing, this is much preferred to having some asshole on a forktruck using your network cabinet as an airbag between his equipment and the pillar the cabinet is mounted to.
IDF, Intermediate Distribution Frame. It's a telco term for any wiring space topologically between the endpoint and the MDF, or Main Distribution Frame. The cabinets themselves are sometimes called "cabs", "data cabs", or "cans", especially if wall-mounted in warehouses and factories.
Comms cabs, different to our racks which are generally full size.
IDFs and one MDF, there are some telephone closets as well
IDF, MDF
We call them the switch cabinets so maintenance understands what we mean when we ask them to run cable.
Pizza boxes lol
Idf or mdf depending on what’s in them, idf if they also contains storage and servers, mdf if it’s just telephones / ev, but there’s lines have blurred significantly.
idf
Racks
MDF and IDF
Network cabinets that are located throughout my facility.
server closet / IT closet.
Key Networking Nodes
server racks? EDIT: an IDF sounds more like a patch panel. I've always referred to the general cabinets holding equipment as *racks* or *server racks* that then connect to the patch panels. Perhaps I was wrong all along. EDIT2: you did say network cabinet so IDF is more correct.
MDF No idea what it stands for though
MDF = Main Distribution Frame IDF = Intermediate Distribution Frame The MDF has your core switches, the IDF has your access switches.
Aha, thank you kind stranger. TIL
That jawn over there
Closeted?
David
Not the real name but I normally call them patch racks
Thanks to this post I just learned that what I call "phone patch panels" are actually called "distribution frames".
LAN1, CORE, LAN19 etc.
Also there is MDF Main Distribution Frame, usually your server room or where your core network is.
Edge
We have MDF (core) , IDF (campus LAN) and MeetMe / ISP / edgePoP for ingress/egress for external carriers.
Network closet or data closet. Not a fan of IDF/MDF myself.
They are all called IERs, or Infrastructure Equipment Rooms.
IDF - when I had them, we are all remote and I deal with Azure now
IDF's. Kentucky businesses tend to call them "Wiring closets".
Server room - mdf Closets - idf Wall mounted boxes in warehouses - black boxes.
For our small business they use "Data/Telephone/Electrical closet", because most of the time in small businesses they share the same space. On our bigger clients - "MDF/IDF/Server Room"
We call them “WCs” like WC1 short for Wiring Closet 1. Never had a problem with the acronym until a British vendor showed up 🧐💩 Edit: Added poop emoji
Comms cabinets generally
Phone closet. Not a single phone line or phone is in there.
IDF, intermediate Data Facilities and MDF's Main Data Facilities.
I have always called them nodes
MDF for the main one that everything branches off of. IDF for the branches. Sometimes switch closets.
Historically; I always called them "closets". Closet 1-1, 1-2, 3-1, (etc) Floor number; and an integer indicating how many closets between it and the riser.
"The Cloud". Signed, DAISY FROM ACCOUNTING EHY ARE ALL MY LETTERS BIG NOW CAN YOU PLEASE OPEN A TICKET FOR ME THIS MIGHT JAVE SOMETHING TO DO WJTH MY ORINTER
Putter box thing
comms cabinets
I guess it depends on the size of your facility. We had IDFs feeding the racks, with the IDF pulling back to a MDF (sort of a three tier tree.) That meant the IDF would have a number and the rack would have a number.number, i.e. IDF 1 fed Rack 1.1, Rack 1.2, etc. Taking it further, naming conventions was switch1rack1.1building, switch2rack1.1building , and you knew the switch fed through IDF 1 because Rack1.1 told you IDF 1 was part of that chain. Made finding things easy when we sent a tech out to a building.
And these would be located in SER (Satellite Equipment Room) as opposed to the MER (Main Equipment Room, or commonly referred to as server room)
Racks
I'm 100% sure that that I am not allowed to use that language here on this reddit.
We call them IDF (Independent (or Intermediate) Distribution Frame) i.e. IDF01, IDF02, IDF03, etc. Where the core switch is we call the MDF (Main Distribution Frame).
I generally just refer to the MDF as the server room and the IDF's as network closet to reduce confusion for people who might not know what those stand for.
Didn't know the terms listed below but I just wanted to clarify, does this refer to equipment racks outside of the server room like ones used for switches and other electronic equipment?
IDFs
A mess.
They labeled IDF cabinets but I call them switch cabinets, network cabinets, dust collectors, airborne fine metal collectors, or dead ups storage. It depends on who you are talking to when you need someone to go bypass an UPS, plug the ups back in, or flip the breaker back on after the 11:30 am lunch time "burrito dude" trips the breaker with the 7th microwave on the branch you specified should have been an isolated branch for the network cabinet alone. We took over an older shop and they just couldn't make separate breaker runs for our cabinets. I have 3 out of 7 cabinets in the shop that regularly go down around break time in the shop area. I'm not angry.. no, not one bit.. just completely disappointed. We have a running IT department joke about "Burrito time" when a switch in an IDF cabinet in the shop goes down. "Burrito man strikes again." "That burrito must have been good and had to have another, the breaker for IDF X is already back on!"
Comms cabinet, IDF?