Abstract: Adapters for mounting patch panels to data center racks enable the patch panels to be repositioned with respect to the racks in a rotatable or pivotable manner. A patch panel mounted to an adapter has a jack or port on one side of the adapter, and a jack or port on another side of the adapter. With the adapter aligned at an obtuse angle with respect to a front edge of a rack, a component may be inserted into the rack, or removed from the rack. Subsequently, the adapter aligned at an acute angle, or any other angle, with respect to the front edge of the rack. Mounting patch panels to the adapters enables the patch panels to be maintained outside of the rack, and increases a number of components that may be installed within the rack, or space or volume that may e occupied by components within the rack.

Abstract: An access point to the Internet or another network is programmed with a set of rules for establishing or limiting a number or type of client device with which the access point may associate itself. The set of rules may be subjectively defined for a single access point in a network, or objectively defined for each of the access points in the network. The set of rules may further include static rules such as overall limits on numbers of clients, types of clients, or amounts or rates of data transfer, or dynamic rules that change over time, and may be modified to account for loading on one or more of the access points, thereby enabling each of the access points to be placed in an optimal configuration.

Abstract: Cable housing assemblies include frames and cable carriers slidably mounted to channels provided at edges of the frames. The cable carriers may house or support male or female connectors to the cables, which may be power or communications cables (e.g., Ethernet cables) that extend from the connectors within the cable carriers into the channels, and through voids within the frames to power sources or communications systems. The cable carriers are releasably inserted into channels at edges of the frames, and permitted to slide in either direction (e.g., up or down) to various positions within such channels, in order to make power or communications services available at such positions. When installed in association with a shelving unit, e.g., between a backerboard and shelves, the cable carriers may be used to provide power or communications services available to such shelves provided at any height within the shelving unit.