The group got a preliminary design on the fax machine today -- supposed to add 26 phones and LAN connections into an existing building. After, of course, real estate gets the place cleaned out and rebuilt as an office. I didn't dodge fast enough and it's my project.
So I go over and scope out the place. There's an existing LAN, a pair of GDC553's matched to a pair of Cisco 2500's and three 24-port hubs, one of which is downstairs. I can extend the cat-5 patch panel to handle 26 more positions (run four 4-pair to each position), no problem other than needing conduits run when they construct the office. But the LAN needs upgrading to Cisco 2610's and 24-port Cisco 10/100 switches. Minor problem.
But downstairs.... yuck! The hub is just sitting on a wire shelf in the 1.1 with a mix of cat-5 cables direct hub to floor, some cat-3 cables, some cables split to carry two ethernet circuits on one 4-pair cable, and even some running on spare pairs of the 25-pair KTS (Key Telephone System - the antiques with light up button to select lines) cables.