Please let me know if you have any reference document which would indicate the best practice for CAT5 patch panel.

More particularly, I am looking for information on when a patch panel is required

a) between 2 equipements in the same rack .. seems like adding 2 patch panel would be an overkill - please share your comments!

b) between 2 equipments in 2 rack but in the same row of racks .. is there a limit of length to allow connection without patch panel?

c) between 2 equipments in 2 racks but in different rows .. yes, the I suppose that in this case the 2 patch panels are required, but what I am looking for is a document to justify the cost of adding the patch panels

Best Regards;