Editing Outside plant (section)

==Context==
[[Image:Distribution-frame-0a-messy.jpg|thumb|alt=A Main Distribution Frame showing 110 punch block and twisted pair wiring|Distribution Frame]]
[[File:Cleveland blizzard 1913, poles down.png|thumb|Damage to outside plant, 1913]]
Network connections between devices such as computers, printers, and phones require a physical infrastructure to carry and process signals. Typically, this infrastructure will consist of:
* Cables from wall outlets and jacks run to a [[Wiring closet|communications closets]], sometimes referred to as station cable.
* Cables connecting one [[Wiring closet|communications closet]] to another, sometimes referred to as riser cable.
* Racks containing telecommunications hardware, such as [[Network switch|switches]], [[router (computing)|router]]s, and [[repeater]]s.
* Cables connecting one building to another.
* Exterior communications cabinets containing hardware outside of buildings.
* Radio transceivers used inside or outside buildings, such as [[wireless access point]]s, and hardware associated with them, such as antennas and towers.

The portion of this infrastructure contained within a building is the [[inside plant]], and the portion of this infrastructure connecting buildings or facilities is the outside plant. Where these two plants meet in a given structure is the [[demarcation point]].

Outside plant cabling, whether copper or fiber, is generally installed as [[aerial cable]] between poles, in an [[Utility tunnel|underground conduit]] system, or by direct burial.<ref name="OPC">
{{ cite web
  | url=http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_outside_plant_cabling/
  | title=Outside Plant Cabling
  | access-date=2010-02-02
}}
</ref>
Hardware associated with the outside plant must be either protected from the elements (for example, [[distribution frame]]s are generally protected by a street side cabinet) or constructed with materials suitable for exposure to the elements. Installation of the outside plant elements often require construction of significant physical infrastructure, such as underground vaults.<ref>
{{ cite web
  | url=http://www.ecmag.com/?fa=article&articleID=10340
  | title=Preparing for Outside Plant Installation
  | access-date=2010-02-02
}}
</ref> In older large installations, cabling is sometimes protected by air pressure systems designed to prevent water infiltration. While this is not a modern approach, the cost of replacement of the older cabling with sealed cabling is often prohibitively expensive.<ref name="UAPS">
{{ cite web
  | url=http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_understanding_air_pressure/index.html
  | title=Understand Air Pressure Systems for OSP Cabling
  | access-date=2010-02-02
}}
</ref> The cabling used in the outside plant must also be protected from electrical disturbances caused by lightning or voltage surges due to electrical shorts or induction.<ref name="PYAWBAG">
{{ cite web
  | url=http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_protecting_assets_bonding/index.html
  | title=Protecting Your Assets with Bonding and Grounding
  | access-date=2010-02-02
}}
</ref>