A guide to cabling-system labeling, compiled by Brady and Graybar and available for download from Graybar's website, includes a one-page explanation of the TIA-606-A standard. The explanation reads, in part, "The standard specifies administration for a generic telecommunications cabling system that will support a multi-product, multi-vendor environment. It provides a uniform administration approach that is independent of applications, which may change several times throughout the life of the telecommunications infrastructure."
The guide further explains that use of the 606-A standard "is intended to increase the value of the system owner's investment in the infrastructure by reducing the labor expense of maintaining the system, extending the useful economic life of the system and providing effective service to users."
Then the document explains the four classes of administration defined in TIA-606-A, as well as spelling out the unique identifiers associated with each element of the infrastructure. Finally, it discusses the visibility and durability of labels as referenced in the standard.