Exam N10-007 topic 1 question 32 discussion

I agree with you Takoyaki.

RJ-45 cables are run horizontally from the IDF to the work area. You would use a tone generator for finding it. There COULD be fiber in there, but we are talking about an end-user having an issue, thus RJ-45, thus tone generator.

"An intermediate distribution frame (IDF) is a distribution frame in a central office or customer premises, which cross connects the user cable media to individual user line circuits and may serve as a distribution point for multipair cables from the main distribution frame (MDF) or combined distribution frame (CDF) to individual cables connected to equipment in areas remote from these frames. IDFs are used for telephone exchange central office, customer-premises equipment, wide area network (WAN), and local area network (LAN) environments, among others. In central office environments the IDF may contain circuit termination equipment from various auxiliary components. In WAN and LAN environments IDFs can hold devices of different types including backup systems (hard drives or other media as self-contained, or as RAIDs, CD-ROMs, etc.), networking (switches, hubs, routers), and connections (fiber optics, coaxial, category cables) and so on." IDF's can utilize any kind of cabling.

Regardless, an OTDR will only tell you how far out the break in the cable is. You'll need the tone generator to distinguish which cable out of the sea of cables in a rack room connects to the end user's PC.