Rubin,
there is no need for a patch panel as the DX has 1 port for each T1/E1 line. Actually, you will probably see 8 ports since the one chassis is used for all the models of DX, but in your case, DX2024, only the first 2 T1/E1 ports will work (that is what the 2 part is in the model name). Additionally, this model will only support 24 calls over IP (the 24 part of the model name).
For the most part, the config is very similar to the AX, the only difference is when you configure the actual T1/E1 as there are several options for that.
If you would like more help on this, please contact me directly at mike_voip@hotmail.com.
Mike M
mike_voip@hotmail.com