Structures¶
Structures are the anchor points of your cable plant. Every pathway starts and ends at a structure (or indoor location), and structures host conduit banks, equipment, and cable transitions.
Structure Types¶
| Type | Icon Shape | Color | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pole | Circle outline | Green | Aerial cable attachment |
| Manhole | Circle filled | Blue | Underground access, large |
| Handhole | Circle outline | Cyan | Underground access, small |
| Cabinet | Square rounded | Orange | Street-level enclosure |
| Vault | Square filled | Purple | Underground concrete vault |
| Pedestal | Square outline | Yellow | Above-ground distribution |
| Building Entrance | Square dot | Red | Cable entry to building |
| Splice Closure | Circle dot | Brown | Inline splice housing |
| Tower | Crosshair | Dark Red | Communication tower |
| Roof | Triangle | Gray | Rooftop mount |
| Equipment Room | Square outline | Teal | Indoor telecom room |
| Telecom Closet | Diamond | Indigo | Indoor wiring closet |
| Riser Room | Diamond outline | Pink | Vertical cable transition |
Creating a Structure¶
- Navigate to Plugins > Pathways > Structures
- Click Add
- Fill in the fields:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Unique identifier (e.g., MH-001, POLE-042) |
| Structure Type | No | Type from the table above |
| Site | No | NetBox site this structure belongs to |
| Location | Yes | Geographic point or polygon — click the map or enter coordinates |
| Elevation | No | Elevation in meters |
| Dimensions | No | Height, width, length, depth in meters |
| Installation Date | No | When the structure was installed |
| Tenant | No | Owning tenant |
| Access Notes | No | Instructions for field crews (e.g., "Key #42, contact dispatch") |
Location Geometry¶
Structure locations can be either a Point (lat/lon) or a Polygon (footprint). The map and GIS tools use the structure's centroid for marker placement regardless of geometry type.
The location picker on the form supports:
- Click to place — Click the map to set a point
- Draw polygon — Use polygon draw tools for building footprints
- Manual entry — Enter WKT or coordinates directly
Structures on the Map¶
On the interactive map, structures appear as markers with shapes and colors matching their type (see table above). Clicking a structure marker opens the sidebar detail panel with:
- Structure name and type
- Site assignment
- Dimensions and elevation
- Connected pathways
- Associated conduit banks
Filtering¶
The structure list supports filtering by:
- Site — Filter by NetBox site
- Structure Type — Filter by type (pole, manhole, etc.)
- Tenant — Filter by owning tenant
- Has Location — Filter structures with/without coordinates
Conduit Banks¶
Each structure can have one or more conduit banks. A conduit bank represents a wall or face of the structure with conduit openings. See Cable Routing for details on bank configuration and conduit positioning.
Bulk Operations¶
The structure list view supports bulk editing and deletion. Select multiple structures using the checkboxes, then use the toolbar actions to:
- Assign to a site
- Change structure type
- Assign a tenant
- Delete selected structures