IRM has a very detailed and flexible model for defining and managing cables.
It can easily represent simple standard cables like Ethernet patch cables, but also supports the definition of more complex cables such as:
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Octopus Cables (having singe connector at one end and multiple connectors at the other)
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Multipoint Cables (having multiple connectors at either end)
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Custom wiring (allowing user to specify which cable media terminates on which connection point within a plug definition)
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Splicing (allowing cables to be connected directly to each other using a fusion or mechanical splice)
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Un-terminated media (cable media that has no plugs but is terminated using by IDC connections on the equipment)
The following terms have a general meaning that most readers will immediately understand, but for IRM there is a very specific meaning, as all of these terms name objects in IRM.
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Term
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Meaning in IRM
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Media
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The most basic, indivisible unit of connectivity tracked by IRM, representing items such as an individual copper wire, twisted pair of copper wires, or strand of fiber. Media objects do not stand alone; they are always bundled into a Cable object. A Media is an "instance" object and is a "helper" object for a Cable.
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Media Definition
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A named "type" object that describes the characteristics of a single media in a Cable Type. Media Definitions do not stand alone; they are always bundled into a Cable Type object. Media Definitions are not shared across Cable Types; that is even though two Cable Types may have identical Media Definitions in the first position (media #1), those are still independent Media Definition objects. A Media Definition is a "helper" object for a Cable Type.
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Plug
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A Plug object represents a physical connector at the end of a Cable -- it is an instance object and is a "helper" object for a Cable.. A Plug has a set of connection points that represent the possible positions for each Media that is attached to the Plug.
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Connection Point
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A Connection Point gives a number to a position in a Plug or a Plug Definition. The number of connection points in the Plug indicates how many Media can be attached to the Plug. Correspondingly, the number of connection points in the Plug Definition indicates how many Media Definitions can be attached to the Plug Definition.
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Plug Definition
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A named "type" object that describes the characteristics of a single plug in a Cable Type. Plug Definitions do not stand alone; they are always bundled into a Cable Type object. Like Media Definitions, Plug Definitions are not shared across Cable Types. A Plug Definition is a "helper" object for a Cable Type.
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Plug Type
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Plug Type describes the general characteristics of a connector at the end of Cable. Unlike Plug Definition, it is not specific to any one Cable Type -- multiple Plug Definitions from multiple Cable Types can all reference the same Plug Type. An example Plug Type would be an RJ-45M.
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Cable Type
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A named "type" object that describes the characteristics of a single type of Cable. It describes most of the characteristics of a cable, but not its length. It uses a list of Media Definitions to describe its media and a list of Plug Definitions to describe its plugs.
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Cable
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A Cable object represents a real-world cable -- it is an instance object. A Cable uses a list of Media to describe its media and a list of Plugs to describe its plugs (connectors). Every Cable object has a mapping from its Media to its Plugs so that the system knows exactly which Media is attached to which connection point in each Plug. This mapping may be either in the Cable object itself (for custom-wired Cables) or in the Cable Type object (for standard Cables). A Cable object contains many fields that describe a particular cable, including its length and where it is physically placed in one or more Areas.
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