Intermediate Distribution Frame

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What Does Intermediate Distribution Frame Mean?

An Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF) is a free-standing or wall mounted rack for wiring or cable from a Main Distribution Frame (MDF) – also called the Combined Distribution Frame (CDF) – and leading to individual cables for each piece of equipment such as workstations, personal computers and other end-user devices.

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IDFs are used for Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks (LANs), customer/end-user buildings and telephone exchange central offices.

Techopedia Explains Intermediate Distribution Frame

An Intermediate Distribution Frame for telephone exchange offices may also contain termination equipment for a variety of components. For LANs and WANs, IDFs may also contain: Components for backup systems such as hard drives, RAID arrays, CD-ROM drives, hubs, routers & switches for networking, and connections for fiber optic, coaxial and other cables.

An MDF may enter the first floor of a building from a phone company or other buildings then the IDF would run through the walls to each successive floor where connections for lines to individual workstations, personal computers, etc. are located.

Contractors are cautioned not to use the IDF rack for grounding other equipment, such as welding or test equipment. Possible voltage and current spikes may easily damage sensitive electronic equipment as the IDF may not have sufficient grounding to convey excess voltages to earth.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.