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Is there a way to find a UTP cable in a live network, without damaging the network?

The problem is we have some cables laying in the server-room from god knows where.

I want to find the other end of the cable without following the whole cable under the floor, which is difficult to reach.

I wanted to use a probe and tester but what if the other part of the cable is plugged in to a switch?

Doesn't the tone send through the cable damages the switch or network?

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    sometimes the easiest way is to unplug the cable and wait to see who complains
    – Javier
    Nov 28, 2014 at 19:26

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If your switch is managed, connect a device with a known MAC address to the end of the cable that you have access to, and then use the switch's command line to see what port if any that MAC address is connected to.

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    if I understand it correctly, he only has the server room end of the cable, the other end might be a switch, a station, something else, or maybe nothing at all
    – Javier
    Nov 28, 2014 at 19:28
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You can generally use a cable tester or 'fox and hound' probe without causing any damage to connected equipment. I've done this many many times in my network with several differemt testers and never had any problems.

Pretty much the only time you really have to worry about damaging hardware is when you're working with an OTDR on fiber, as the receiver optics can be very sensitive.

On a side note, you can also usually use a dumb (read: cheap) 2-piece cable tester with one end of the cable plugged into equipment instead of the remote, and get accurate results.

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