We're doing a rewiring project at my work (server room is a mess of cables) and we've decided to go the route of cutting each cable to length and terminating them ourselves. In the past, I've used used plugs that had holes in the end that allowed the wires all the way through and then you just trim the excess (versus trimming all the wires to the same size first and then inserting them into the plug). I've found these plugs to be a lot easier to work with. Now that I'm ready to purchase some, I can't seem to find any that specifically say whether they have the holes in the end or not and googling "RJ45 plug with holes in the end" didn't really give me worthwhile results.
Does anyone know if there is a differentiating name for this type of plug? Or does anyone have a brand/part# of plugs like this?
They're generally called "EZ-RJ45" ends. I find them to be a pain in the rear. They require a special crimper that cuts off the excess, and even when brand new and sharp, these crimpers do an inadequate job, requiring me to use an angle cutter to snip off the remaining pairs one-by-one, thereby negating any time saved by not needing to worry about cutting the pairs to the correct length.
Figuring out how to crimp RJ45/cat5e jacks the real way is not difficult. Do five or six of them and you'll have a good feel for how much length you need to leave to get good conductivity to the pins as well as allowing the sleeve to extend under the plastic crimp in the jack.
I need to say, though, that this is a classic case of being penny wise, but pound foolish. You're asking for trouble by making these yourself. You'll likely be using solid-core Cat5e (or Cat6, whatever). This type of cable is not meant to be used for anything but wiring patch panel to patch panel. When used in any situation where the cable will get moved, brushed up against, etc., you will have cable failure, and it will be very annoying to troubleshoot. Additionally these cables will not have anti-snag boots.
Just purchase a good variety of lengths of pre-made patch cables with anti-snag boots. You'll thank yourself for making this decision.
These might be what you're looking for:
http://www.homedepot.com/buy/electrical/voice-data-communications/platinum-tools/ez-rj45-cat-5-connectors-50-pack-67870.html
Sounds like a whole lot more work than it'll ever be worth. It's common to just use one or two length cables in each rack to run back to an in-rack switch (we use 3 and 7 foot cables; switches are in the center). The in-rack switch then trunks back to core switches (or whatever the situation is). Use hook-n-loop tape to bundle the cables up and keep everything tidy. Also, label both ends of every cable with a unique number or similar.