A JackDefinition builds on the information from a Connector Type, adding information common to some particular type of port found on various types of equipment. It is normal for several Jack Definitions to use the same Connector Type and for each of those Jack Definitions to be used across several Equipment Types. For example, there may be a single RJ45 Connector Type that is used by several Jack Definitions, which describe different variations of RJ45 ports, such as 10/100 Mbps ports, GigEports, PoE ports, etc. In turn, many Equipment Types can use each of those Jack Definitions, for example there may be hundreds of Equipment Types that support GigE ports and use the same Jack Definition.
The screenshot images and text below explain in more detail the main features of the Jack Definition Manager dialog, which is the main point in the application for defining and managing Connector Types.
This is a standard Manager-type dialog that appears throughout the IRM application. It consists of a main grid that lists all existing Jack Definitions and their basic properties, such as
Name of the Jack Definition
Connector Type used by this Jack Definition
whether the connector is of Male or Female Gender
the Connection Definitions described by this Jack Definition
the Data Rate value (applicable only to data ports)
the Package Name, Package Version and Data Source indicate where this Jack Definition was defined
has additional action buttons for adding, editing and removing Jack Definitions
has the Quick Search box, which enables quick filtering of the grid
has pagination controls, which enable browsing through the grid
Clicking on the + Action button opens the Jack Definition Properties sub-dialog, displayed below (the same dialog opens on click of the pencil Action button)
This dialog enables setting of the same properties as displayed in the main dialog grid, with the Connection Definitions being listed separately into a data grid and having a separate Connection Definition Properties sub-dialog, displayed below that enables editing them.
A Connection Definition defines a single type of Connection, which is the elementary unit of connectivity for equipment and is contained in a Jack Definition.
