cim 20070901 sep_2007

Solutions for Premises and Campus Communication Systems Worldwide Solutions for Premises and Campus Communication Systems Worldwide

www.cable-install.com

September 2007September 2007

Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Search Issue Next PageFor navigation instructions please click here

Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Search Issue Next PageFor navigation instructions please click here

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cable-install.com&id=12233&adid=PCOVER 1E1

Nothing is more treasured in field termination than exceptional optical performance. The secret to UniCam® Pretium™-Performance Connectors is inside – a laser-cleaved, factory-polished fiber stub that ensures outstanding connectivity ina no-epoxy/no-polish (NENP) connector. UniCam Pretium-Performance Multimode Connectors offer 0.1 dB insertion loss.And UniCam Pretium-Performance Single-Mode Connectors enable 0.2 dB insertion loss. That’s exceptional optical performance in less than a minute per fiber, from the most widely deployed NENP connector on the market. Naturally ...Customer-focused innovation is second nature at Corning.www.corning.com/cablesystems/cimls

Exceptional optical performance comes naturally.

© 2007 Corning Cable Systems LLC / LS-02413

Previous Page Contents Zoom In Zoom Out Front Cover Search Issue Next Page BA

M SaGEFC7Installation MaintenanceC7



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.corning.com/cablesystems/cimls&id=12233&adid=PCOVER 2A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cable-install.com&id=12233&adid=logo

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.qmags.com&id=12233&adid=logo



Are you ready to feel the speed?Super fast testing with the WireScope Pro LAN Cabling Tester

© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2006

Agilent’s WireScope Pro tester sweeps a full 1GHz in a few seconds, boosting your test speed to new industry leading Cat 6A and Cat 7 autotest times of 9 seconds. It also accelerates your copper and fiber testing with dual-wavelength fi ber probes, the elimination of fi eld calibration, and a new auto-increment capability.

The WireScope Pro tester is the only handheld to provide Alien Crosstalk (AXT) measurements simultaneously on multiple ‘exciter’ cables, as well as produce fi nal results on the spot, so you can quickly handle any future AXT fi eld testing requirements. Alternative approaches could take hours to complete and require PC post processing to see the results.

With simple software upgrades and a robust hardware platform operating at 1 GHz frequency, you’ll save on the cost of test because you’ll stay state-of-the-art for many years, eliminating the need to buy new testers every year or two.

Experience the speed of the WireScope Pro tester now at www.agilent.com/fi nd/wirescope or by talking to one of our engineers by calling our 800 #s.

u.s. 1-800-829-4444, ext. 5465canada 1-877-894-4414, ext. 5465www.agilent.com/fi nd/wirescope





_________________________

_____________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.agilent.com/find/wirescope&id=12233&adid=P1A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.agilent.com/find/wirescope&id=12233&adid=P1A2





Our U.S. area of expertise.

1-800-622-77115290 Concourse Drive • Roanoke, Virginia 24019 • Phone 540-265-0690 • www.occfiber.com

No matter where you’re located, our fiber optic cable products are there. Optical Cable Corporation

has built a network of reliable stocking distributors and a dedicated sales team committed to

getting you the best fiber optic cables for your requirements when you need them...where you

need them. For over 20 years, we have been manufacturing the broadest range of top-performing

tight-buffered fiber optic cables for most applications in the government, military, and commercial

markets. Your order is our top priority. Contact Optical Cable Corporation for a stocking

distributor nearest you. We are where you are.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.occfiber.com&id=12233&adid=P2A1





departments

Cabling Installation & Maintenance ■ September 2007 ■ 3

features


SEPTEMBER 2007 VOL. 15, NO. 9

ABOUT THE COVER

Communities in a rural Georgia school district,

with a big boost from the Federal government, now

have a district-wide network that can support 10-Gbit

Ethernet, Power over Ethernet, VoIP, wireless, and the most advanced teaching

technologies available. Stacey Barber, director of

technology for the Emanuel County School District, oversees the high-speed

interconnectivity.TO LEARN MORE,

SEE PAGE 19.

11 Blown fi ber systems see growth and acceptanceVendors enhance product lines as blown fi ber increases market share in specifi c regions. BETSY ZIOBRON

19 Back to school with 10-Gbit EthernetRural Georgia school district acquires E-rate funds to implement the most advanced UTP cabling available. MICHAEL O’CONNOR

29 IPLM: Why it achieves value beyond port countIntelligent Physical Layer Management systems can bring to the physical layer the capabilities that are possible at higher layers of the network. MICHAEL PULA

37 Feeling hot, hot, hot and not liking itWhile heat has always been an issue in data centers, density makes it a critical concern today. PATRICK McLAUGHLIN

41 Will 802.11n be a good neighbor?The protocol is being designed to interoperate with legacy a/b/g access points, with a non-high-throughput duplicate mode aiding performance. FANNY MLINARSKY

47 Hot-air isolation coolshigh-density data centers Methods for isolating the chilled supply air from the hot return air are plenty, and worthy of consideration. IAN SEATON

55 Cabling considerations for network-based videoThe cabling installation professional’s role in the deployment of video over IP is crucial; so is the need to perform the tasks well. STEVE SURFARO

59 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

■ San Francisco colocation facility expands data center

■ APC launches 3-in-1 data center design tools

■ Acquisition, upgrades move ConEst rapidly forward

4 EditorialDon’t accept short shrift

9 PerspectiveOptical connectivity a good choice in the data center DOUG COLEMAN

77 New Products 80 Product Focus:

ENCLOSURES

CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE (ISSN 1073-3108), a trademark, is published 12 times a year, monthly, by PennWell Corporation, 1421 South Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112; telephone (918) 835-3161; fax (918) 831-9497; Web address www.pennwell.com. Editorial offi ces: 98 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, NH 03062-5737; telephone (603) 891-0123. © 2007 CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE. All rights reserved. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specifi c clients, is granted by CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE (ISSN 1073-3108), provided that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 USA; (978) 750-8400. Prior to photocopying items for educational classroom use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 USA; (978) 750-8400. For further information, check CCC Online at the following address: http://www.copyright.com/. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted. Bulk reprints can be ordered from Diane Troyer, telephone (603) 891-9135. Corporate offi cers: Frank T. Lauinger, Chairman; Robert F. Biolchini, President and CEO.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE, Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 3280, Northbrook, Il 60065-3280. Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: P.O. Box 1632, Windsor, ON N9A 7C9. Periodicals postage paid at Tulsa, OK 74101 and other additional offi ces. Subscriptions: In the U.S.: one year $74; Canada/Int’l surface : one year $84; International via air: one year $100. If available, back issues can be purchased for $16 in the U.S. and $21 elsewhere. We make portions of our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that may be important for your work. If you do not want to receive those offers and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at List Services, CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE, 98 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, NH 03062-5737-“Canada return address: PO Box 122, Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6S4”.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.pennwell.com&id=12233&adid=P3E1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cable-install.com&id=12233&adid=P3E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=http://www.copyright.com/&id=12233&adid=P3E2





PATRICK MPATRICK MccLAUGHLINLAUGHLINChief EditorChief Editor

[email protected]@pennwell.com

4 ■ September 2007 ■ Cabling Installation & Maintenance www.cable-install.com

Don’t accept short shrift

OK, this month I won’t be as wordy as I normally am. Th at’s mostly because I’m

not allowed to be anymore. As you may have noticed, the space in which I write my monthly diatribe is no lon-ger a full page; it’s now accompanied by our editorial masthead, which sits

to the right of this writing in the sec-tion of the page we aff ectionatelyrefer to as the

“gutter.” Rumor has it the reason I now have 2/3 of a page rather than a

full page for this column is that with less space, I’m less likely to makesuperfl uous references to movies, my children, and the Boston Red Sox.

Once you’re fi nished reading this page (maybe you were done a cou-ple of sentences ago), the next article you turn to will be an opinion piece written by Doug Coleman of Corning Cable Systems. And you won’t have to get too far into it—simply reading the headline might suffi ce—before it becomes clear he is a man of strong opinions, and has the ability to artic-ulate them pretty clearly.

In his opinion piece, Doug (as in Doug Mientkiewicz, the Red Sox fi rst baseman who recorded the fi nal out of the 2004 World Series—hah!) Cole-man makes the case that fi ber-optic cabling systems are clearly superior to copper-based systems and are the wise choice, if not the only real choice, for high-speed communications.

Once we received the article here in our editorial department, it was the topic of several conversations, most of which debated whether it

was anything more than a gratuitous thrashing of all type and manner of copper-based cabling. Ultimately, the decision was mine, and that decision was to run the article with Doug’s commentary pretty much undiluted.

Th at doesn’t mean I personallyendorse the viewpoint. No more than I endorse the opinion that shielded cabling is the clear choice for high-speed systems, which you’ve also seen on the pages of this publication in months past. Or, that unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling can be engineered to continue to meet the electrical performance necessary to support the next generation of high-speed signal transmission. It might.It might not.

Doug Coleman’s highly opinion-ated article appears in this issue for a couple of basic reasons. First, he makes solid arguments based on sound technical information. And second, I like to think this maga-zine is an unbiased forum in which ideas can be exchanged. I learned a long time ago not to tell you, ouraudience, what to think. You can and do think for yourselves. If we can give you more to think about, we’redoing our jobs.

If you disagree with anything you see in this or any other issue of the magazine, you are not only welcome but also encouraged to let me know. As Doug Coleman’s article indicates, I’d like all opinions to be heard.

Chief Editor / Patrick McLaughlin(603) 891-9222 • [email protected]

Executive Editor / Steve Smith(603) 891-9139 • [email protected]

Senior Editor / Matt Vincent(603) 891-9262 • [email protected]

Circulation Manager / Michelle Blake(603) 891-9360 • [email protected]

Art Director / Kelli Mylchreest

Lead Illustrator / Dan Rodd

Senior Vice President/Group Publishing DirectorMark Finkelstein(603) 891-9133 • [email protected]

Associate Publisher/National Sales ManagerEd Murphy(603) 891-9260 • [email protected]

CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE EXECUTIVE AND EDITORIAL OFFICES

PennWell ATD98 Spit Brook RoadNashua, NH 03062-5737Tel: (603) 891-0123, fax: (603) 891-9245Internet: www.cable-install.com

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES:For subscriptions or to change your format to print or digital, please go to: www.cim-subscribe.com. Subscriptions outside the USA are available in digital format only.

CORPORATE OFFICERS

Chairman / Frank T. Lauinger

President and Chief Executive Offi cerRobert F. Biolchini

Chief Financial Offi cer / Mark C. Wilmoth

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

Senior Executive AssistantCarol WoodwardTel: (603) 891-9112, fax: (603) 891-9287 [email protected]

VP Audience Development / Gloria S. Adams

ATD PUBLISHING SERVICES DEPARTMENTS

Art Director / Meg Fuschetti

Production Director / Mari Rodriguez(603) 891-9193 • [email protected]

Marketing Communication ManagerKristen Jones(603) 891-9425 • [email protected]

Ad Traffi c Manager / Jackie Linker(918) 832-9314 • [email protected]

PRINTED IN THE USA GST NO. 126813153

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40052420







http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cim-subscribe.com&id=12233&adid=P4E2





THE PRESENTATION.

THE SIGN-OFF. THE LAST HURDLE TO THE FINAL APPROVAL OF WHAT YOU

BELIEVED WAS ALREADY OVER.

There comes a moment in every project when each decision

you’ve made is put to the test. Success and failure hang in

the balance, as closing one deal takes longer than pitching

the next. At moments like these, your most crucial decision

was actually one of your first: your distributor. If it’s Graybar,

you’re not on your own. Our nationwide supply chain, local

support network and trusted suppliers stand ready for any

‘moment of truth’ you encounter. So keep pushing forward;

we’ll be right there.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT GRAYBAR.COM/CORNING OR CALL 1-800-GRAYBAR (472-9227).





___________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.graybar.com/corning&id=12233&adid=P5A1





N E T W O R K S U P E R V I S I O N

Turn your cable tester into an OTDR









Imagine. A cable tester that becomes a compact,

easy-to-use, full-featured OTDR. Better yet, imagine

what that means for your business. A single tool to

test copper and fiber. An OTDR your current tech-

nicians can easily use. Fiber jobs you couldn’t do

before. Just snap the DTX Compact OTDR module

onto a DTX mainframe – the industry’s benchmark for

cable certification – now you’re ready

to test like a fiber expert. Perform

Basic (Tier 1) and Extended (Tier 2)

fiber certification. Perform powerful

single-ended troubleshooting. Deliver

professional documentation. Win jobs

that require OTDR testing and watch

your revenue and profits increase. Get

the new DTX Compact OTDR and watch

the transformation begin.

Go to www.flukenetworks.com/seehow to enter to

win a DTX Compact OTDR and see a live demo.

See how the DTX Compact OTDR Module can turn

your cable tester into an OTDR and your staff

into fiber experts – to completely transform

your fiber business.

©2007 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved. 02177

and watch the transformation begin.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.flukenetworks.com/seehow&id=12233&adid=P7A1





LABELING DOESN’T GET ANY

EASIER.Create labels on a PC and download to RHINO 6000. Or create and print your labels at the worksite. Either way, rugged and affordable RHINO 6000 simplifi es labeling with advanced functions that are genuine time-savers. And RHINO labels stay stuck, long after you’re gone.

• PC-connectivity for fast label downloads – and uploads for documentation purposes

• Over 250 easy-to-fi nd, pre-programmed industry terms and symbols save you time

• ”Hot Keys” for instant wire and cable wraps, fl ags, vertical and fi xed length labels, patch panels, distribution modules and more

• Intuitive graphical interface lets you create, edit and preview multiple labels on our largest backlit LCD

• Save and recall over 1,000 custom labels including industry terms, graphics, logos

and symbols

• Integrated impact bumpers

• Prints on RHINO labels up to 1” wide

w w w . r h i n o l a b e l i n g . c o m

NEW RHINO 6000. Exclusive features.Extreme control.

© 2007 DYMO - A Newell Rubbermaid Company 29124

WIN

One of Five Yamaha Rhino 4x4s!Details at www.rhinopromo.com

ENTER TO WIN FOR YOURCHANCE

No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not increase your chance of winning. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., age 21 or older. Void where prohibited. Enter online at www.rhinopromo.com between 12:00:00 am EST 3/8/07 and 11:59:59 pm EST 11/30/07 (“Promotion Period”), or at participating industry tradeshows and retailer events during the Promotion Period. Subject to offi cial rules available at www.rhinopromo.com.

P C C O N N E C T I V I T Y





__________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.rhinopromo.com&id=12233&adid=P8A4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.rhinolabeling.com&id=12233&adid=P8A1







www.cable-install.com Cabling Installation & Maintenance ■ September 2007 ■ 9

Optical connectivity can maximize a data cen-ter’s overall operations

efficiency. Optical cable withlaser-optimized 50-μm OM3fi ber provides bandwidth capabili-ties that support up to 10-Gbit/sec transmission for existing applica-tions as well as future-data-rateapplications of 16 Gbits/sec to100 Gbits/sec and beyond. The

transmission per-formance, data-rate scalability, pathway-and-space utilization, electronics port densi-ty, power and cooling effi ciencies, and ease ofinstallation and test-ing are factors that make optical con-

nectivity a serious contender to 10GBase-T and copper connectiv-ity in the data center.

IEEE 802.3ae released the op-tical 10-Gbit Ethernet standard in 2002, with the 10GBase-SRphysica l media dependent (PMD) for short-range links up to 300 meters emerging as the dominant and best-suited10-Gbit connectivity solution in the data center using OM3 fi ber.The 10GBase-T standard,approved in 2006, provides guid-ance for 10-Gbit transmission on 4-pair twisted-pair copper cablewithin a 500-MHz bandwidth. But the outlook for transmission faster

than 10 Gbits/sec on copper links is doubtful due to the requireddistances in the data center as well as the LAN.

10-Gig on twisted pairCategory 6 UTP copper cable has been widely deployed in data cen-ters, but it has limitations associ-ated with supporting 10-Gbit/sec transmission. Th e cable reach israted in the range of 37 to 55 meters, but many industry experts believe that anything longer than 37 metersmay be subject to alien crosstalkbecause of theextended operating frequency.

Category 6 performance issuesprompted development of Cat-egory 6A, which is intendedto support 10-Gbit/sec opera-tion up to 100meters. Category 6Acable, however, typically increasesthe outside diameter of previ-ous-generation Category 6 coppercable by about 40% in an attempt to mitigate internal and external noise impairments. Such a cable design can be more challenging to route through network pathways andrequires more complex testing and fi eld-termination methods than a single, slender fi ber-optic cable.

When copper connectivity is used, most 10-Gig copper systems will likely require removal of legacy Cat-egory 6 UTP cable and installation of Category 6A . To date, the Cat-egory 6A detailed cable standardsfrom the Telecommunications In-dustry Association (TIA; www.tiaonline.org) and the Interna-

tional Electrotechnical Commis-sion (IEC; www.iec.ch) have not yet been completed. So, all Category 6A networks installed before the stan-dards are completed are eff ectively proprietary solutions withpotential interoperability issues. Minimal10-Gig interoperability has been demonstrated among differ-ent Category 6A and hardware manufacturers.

Shielded Category 6 and 7 cop-per cables are also being considered in place of UTP copper cables for10-Gig operation. UTP cables have been the de facto copper cables used in North America. In comparison, shieldedcopper cables have rare-ly been deployed due to specialinstallation and termination practices. Thecable’s stiffness, weight, and large bend radii, as well as grounding and bond-ing issues, make it complex toinstall. In addition, some in theindustry believe they present Powerover Ethernet (PoE) concernsrelated to heat dissipation.

The extended operatingfrequency range of 10-Gbit copper cable requires higher power con-sumption (10 to 15 watts) of the 10-Gbit interfaces due to increased insertion loss and the need to over-come internal and external crosstalkissues. Electronic digital signal processing (DSP) techniques arerequired to correct internal noiseimpairments, which contrib-ute signifi cantly to the inherent time delay while recovering the

Optical connectivity agood choice in the data center

DOUG COLEMAN DOUG COLEMAN is manager of technology is manager of technology and standards with Corning Cable Systems and standards with Corning Cable Systems (www.corningcablesystems.com).(www.corningcablesystems.com). continued on page 68





________

____

_________________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.iec.ch&id=12233&adid=P9E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.corningcablesystems.com&id=12233&adid=P9E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.tiaonline.org&id=12233&adid=P9E2





W W W . F U T U R E F L E X . C O MC a l l f o r y o u r f r e e s a m p l e k i t . 8 7 7 . 3 5 6 . F L E X ( 3 5 3 9 )

Fiber on DemandTM

> The world’s most advanced fiber optic infrastructure for the enterprise network.

>ESPN >Pentagon >USAA >Starbucks Coffee >National Institutes of Health (NIH) >CNN >Mayo Clinic

>Johns Hopkins University >DFW International Airport >Atlanta Motor Speedway >Nissan...and more.

© 2004 Sumitomo Electr ic L ightwave

A I R - B L O W N F I B E R ®





________________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.futureflex.com&id=12233&adid=P10A1







design

First installed in themid-1980s by British Telecom for use in outside-plant (OSP) applications, blown optical fi ber is a system in whichfi ber is blown into a network of microduct tubes via an air-delivery system of com-pressed air or nitrogen. While blown fi ber still represents a very small percentage of the premises marketplace, and critics continue to question the system’s fi ber pro-tection and cost savings, acceptance is being fueled by new standards and the buy-in of some key customers. Meanwhile, vendors continueto enhance their systems with new products and features, and manyclaim growth in specifi c marketsegments.

Gaining ground“We’re now seeing real live applications that requirea lot more bandwidth and create an increaseddemand for fi ber,” says Kurt Templeman, product man-ager for Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, which man-ufactures the FutureFLEX air-blown optical fiber system (www. futurefl ex.com). “Th at, combined withfi ber-rich customers, is certainly helping the blownfi ber market.”

According to Sumitomo, acceptance of blown fi ber has improved, and the company has experienced signifi cant growth in the commercial premises marketplace where they focus their eff orts.

“Th e technology is not so far out in left fi eld any-more, and there are many ‘who’s who’ that are install-ing it, which is giving much more credibility to thetechnology,” says Templeman. As an example, the compa-ny says that blown fi ber at McCarran International Air-port in Las Vegas led to similar airport projects, includingDallas/Forth Worth, Miami International, and Boston’sLogan.

Avoiding disruption during network expansions andreconfi gurations continues to be a huge factor in determin-ing which market segments experience the most growth. As aresult, most blown fi ber vendors are experiencing success inareas like convention centers, stadiums, airports, hospi-tals, and military applications.

“Blown fi ber eliminates disruption of day-to-day busi-ness operations when changes are required,” says Tibor van Melsem Kocsis, commercial director for Emtelle (www.emtelle.com), manufacturer of the Fiber-

Emtelle recently launched blowing equipment that allows install-ers to blow in fi ber with counts of 1 to 96 using a single machine, sharply reducing setup time.

➤

Blown fi ber systemssee growth and acceptance

Vendors enhance product lines as blown fiber increases market share in specific markets and regions.

BETSY ZIOBRON BETSY ZIOBRON is a freelance writer and regular contributor to is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Cabling Cabling Installation & MaintenanceInstallation & Maintenance. She can be reached at: [email protected]. She can be reached at: [email protected]





______________

____________



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.emtelle.com&id=12233&adid=P11E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.futureflex.com&id=12233&adid=P11E2






fl ow blown fi ber system. “Th ere is no opening of the ceilings, and these customers can literally ask one person to go to the central offi ce and blow in new fi ber.”

According to van Melsem, lack of disruption is also sig-nifi cant in fi ber-to-the-home (FTTH) applications where Emtelle is gaining traction throughout Europe. “When you look at FTTH in urban areas, disruption is even more of anissue,” he explains. “In Germany, there are several cities wherenobody gets a permit to dig up a street. In some of those areas, we have installed microducts throughout sewer systems that allow communities to blow in fi ber to specifi c locations.”

General Cable (www.generalcable.com), which off ers the Blolite system, has not seen as much growth in the commer-cial arena, but has experienced success in military and non-military specialty markets. “We are gaining traction in specialty markets because these customers can really see the value of replac-ing the fi ber, and many of the ap-plications require infrastructures to be spec’d in for 50 or 60 years,” says Greg Carnes, fi ber productmanager for General Cable.

Acceptance is also being fueled by an increase in the number of com-panies focusing on the technology, such as Prysmian (formerly Pire-lli Cables and Systems), Ericsson of Sweden, and Dura-Line. “We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of companies that have moved into blown fi ber,” says van Melsem. “It’s good to have competition because that means people see that there is a market for this technology.”

Standards to bootFor years, critics of blown fi ber have pointed out the lack of stan-dards as one of the foremost issues for not supporting the technology;however, Th e International Elec-trotechnical Commission (IEC;www.iec.ch) recently published the fi rst global blown fi ber standard (IEC 60794-5), which included defi nitions of blown fi ber products and a test menu for customers.

“While the IEC standard won’t be the driving factor for market growth in Europe, it will defi nitely help; when tech-nology is written down in standards, it always has morecredibility,” says van Melsem. According to Emtelle, the standard will enable those who manufacture, install, and

operate blown fi ber technology to communicate with great-er clarity, cooperate more effi ciently, and design and installincreasingly eff ective blown fi ber systems.

IEC 60794-6, Microduct Cabling for Installation by Blow-ing, covers OSP products and addresses issues like opticalfi ber, microducts, installation and operating conditions, and testing and quality assurance. Th e test methods called out in the standard are based on the already widely accepted IEC 60794-12 standard. Currently in draft form, two other stan-dards (IEC 60794-5-10 and 60794-5-20) will further detail the acceptance criteria for the testing of mini-cables and fi ber unit systems. It is expected that these standards will be fi nalized late this year or early 2008.

Although the new IEC standard will have more infl u-ence in Europe than in the United States, domestic manu-facturers believe it can only help the acceptance of blown fibertechnology here. “It certainly can’t hurt us to have a standard, but only time will tell what its infl uence will be here in the U.S.,” says Carnes of General Cable.

Some vendors focus more on blown fiber technology thanothers, but all continue to promote their products with new features and technologies. Sumitomo Elec-tric Lightwave recently expanded its FutureFLEX product line with new hybrid fi ber bundles that the company says can yield a three-fold increase in effi ciency for each individual tube.

“We’re now seeing a wide array in the types of fi ber coming into network operation centers because customers are laying multipletopologies over the same back-bone infrastructure,” says Tem-pleman. “Th ese customers require diff erent types for various applica-tions, like voice, data, security, and

building automation, which is why we decided to off er thehybrid bundle.”

Th ese new hybrid bundles allow traditional 50- and 62.5-μm multimode, singlemode, and laser-optimized 50-μm fi ber to share one of FutureFLEX’s 19 tubes, whereas previously they were blown into one or more of the inner tube cells, requiring a two-step fi ber insertion.

Emtelle has focused most of its recent eff orts on ➤

Blown optical fi ber is a system in which fi ber is blown into a network of microduct tubes via an air delivery system of compressed air or nitrogen. (Source: General Cable)





_______________

_______

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.generalcable.com&id=12233&adid=P12E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.iec.ch&id=12233&adid=P12E2





Like the Mars Rover’s continuing leadership in the exploration of space, Mohawk’sGigaLAN10™ UTP copper cable continues to lead the way in supporting 10GbE.

Mohawk’s GigaLAN10, the highest performance Augmented Category 6 cable to support 10BASE-T to a full 100 meters, exceeds the latest IEEE and TIA/EIArequirements. GigaLAN10’s patented inner FlexWeb®

construction, combined with their unique jacketed designs, knocks out concerns with alien crosstalk in the emerging Augmented Category 6 requirements.

Mohawk leaps over the competition to stay ahead of technology for all topologies. For more information visit www.mohawk-cable.com or call 800-422-9961.

MOHAWKCabling Excellence for Open Architecture

VISIT OUR BOOTH #603 AT BISCI, LAS VEGAS





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.mohawk-cable.com&id=12233&adid=P13A1






products that contribute economically to the acceptance of blown fi ber to the home by driving down the cost oflabor, which can account for nearly 70% of the total costfor a FTTH investment. “As soon as we can drive down that cost of labor, by either reducing the amount of labor required or simplifying the process, that has a huge impact on thetotal cost,” says van Melsem. “We believe that training is one of the key diff erentiators that make a blown fi ber installa-tion successful. By off ering focused, simple training, consul-tants, engineers, and installers can understand the variousdynamics involved and provide better, faster installations.”

Emtelle has also introduced a full line of enclosures that are geared toward blown fi ber systems, and also recently launched blowing equipment that lets installers blow in fi ber with counts of 1 to 96 on the same machine. “Th e new blowing equipment allows installers to reduce setup time and become very familiar with one machine,” says van Melsem. “When it comes to labor costs, we see reducing setup time as a real benefi t.”

While blown fi ber is not a huge focus for General Cable, the company says it is a good product line that it will continue to promote. General Cable’s Blolite is available in all fi ber types, and the company recently introduced a larger 19-tube cable.

“Because we’ve been successful in specialty markets, we can continue to make product enhancements and off er our prod-ucts in the commercial space as well,” says Carnes.

Worldwide potentialTh roughout the world, blown fi ber has growth potential in sev-eral specifi c markets and regions. In Europe, the most signifi -cant area for growth is in the FTTH market, where labor rates are high, operating expenses are of constant concern, and the business models are an advantage.

“Th ere are quite a few business models in Europe that are

driving FTTH,” says van Melsem. “We’re seeing things like local authorities investing with commercial companies to improve the infrastructure. Denmark alone, which is arelatively small country, has 1.3 billion Euros reserved to build out FTTH.”

Van Melsem adds, “When it comes to FTTH, investments can be easily upgraded when takeup rate goes up. Main-tenance is cheaper, and the use of preterminated blown fi ber reduces the amount of labor and specialized skills required.”

Th e FTTH market in the U.S., however, does not off er as much growth potential. “Incumbent service providers likeVerizon are not bending over backwards to put in blownfi ber,” says Templeman. “Th e cost models in Europe don’t nec-

essarily work here in the U.S. Th ey have a lot more multiple-dwelling units and historical concerns than we do.”

Global reachTh e Middle East is another region showing recent interest in blown fi ber technology,with daily requests coming out of countries like Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and United Arab Emir-ates (UAE), where a lot of money is being targeted to build, or rebuild and revitalize, the region. Installers and designers in that region are considering which technology they shouldinvest in, and certain regulations are pushing someinstallers to consider blown fi ber.

“Here in Iran, we have a producer of traditional fi ber that our government urges all the installers to buy from,” ➤

Sumitomo reports signifi cant growth in deployment of its FutureFLEX blown fi ber system in the commercial premises marketplace where the company focuses its efforts.

In Europe, blown fi ber is a popular means of bringing fi ber to the home, which means that a fi ber-optic system sometimes must travel through diffi cult terrain. (Source: Emtelle)














_____________





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.greenlee.com&id=12233&adid=P15A1

They’ll

World!ROCKYour

Get top performance from our newfamily of fiber optic test equipment!These precision instruments will amaze you in terms of their performance and affordability. They’re also easy to use, enabling you to take center stage as you fly through fiber optic test routines. These units are equipped with impact-resistant rubber boots and are made to take whatever you dish out.

1.800.5000.FIS161 Clear Road • Oriskany, NY 13424Tel: 315.736.2206 • Fax: 315.736.2285info@fiberinstrumentsales.comwww.fiberinstrumentsales.com


explains Naser Vahidi, an Iranianinstaller. “If we want to work indepen-dently, we have to approach our projects with another type of solution, like blown fi ber. “

A good deal of blown fi ber is beinginstalled in Dubai, UAE, which hasrecently attracted worldwide attention through innovative real estate projects and is increasingly developing as a hub for IT and fi nance. “Dubai has unbeliev-able structures, and they want everything to be the most advanced,” says Alexandra Manning, marketing communications manager with Sumitomo. “Money is not an issue, and they understand that they have many resources to protect, they’re going to have a lot of changes, and the blown fi ber system makes the most sense.”

Healthcare opportunitiesIn the U.S., the most potential for growth continues to be the healthcare, education, and entertainment industries, as well as

military and specialty applications.“When it comes to hospitals, blown fi -

ber off ers a very clean installation that saves IT departments so much hassle withinfections disease control agencies and offi cers,” says Manning. “Once the tubes are installed, they can blow fi ber any-where without disturbing the airfl ow or having to move patients to accommodateinstallation.”

Despite better acceptance and growth, product enhancements, and worldwide potential, blown fi ber technology still has an uphill climb. “Acceptance has a lot to

do with the period of time that a market or region has beenfamiliar with the technology, “ says van Melsem. “When we deal with customers that have been deploying traditional tech-nology for a long period of time, it makes it more complicated to convince them otherwise. Th at’s human nature.”

General Cable has experienced success in the military and non-military specialty markets with its Blolite blown fi ber system.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.fiberinstrumentsales.com&id=12233&adid=P16A1










____________________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=http://up.commscope.com/designguide&id=12233&adid=P17A1





Follow The Leader In Shielded Technology

1970s“Vampire”Tap

1980s4 Position

DataConnector

1990sShieldedModular

Jack

Tyco Electronics has always been

on the cutting edge of shielded

technology. We have been designing

and manufacturing quality shielded

communications products for more

than three decades. In fact, we

introduced our first fully shielded

twisted pair cabling products in

the early ‘80s –and from that point

forward, have been the leading

advocate for shielded technology

across the globe.

Tyco Electronics has always believed

what the industry is just now

realizing, that a Shielded System is

by far the best choice for today’s

10 G performance requirements.

Proceed With Confidence

If you are considering upgrading

to a 10 G solution, then come to

the brand that knows shielded best!

Visit www.ampnetconnect.com to

see why a high performance 10 G

Shielded Cabling System from Tyco

Electronics is the best choice for

your structured cabling needs.

The new AMP-TWIST Jack is our latest shielded product evolution.

It can be terminated and grounded in about 90 seconds, quicker and

more reliably than any similar producton the market.

Please join us at the 2007 Fall Conference (booth # 802) to see why our 10 G solution is right for you.1-800-553-0938 www.ampnetconnect.com

Tyco Electronics, TE Logo, AMP, AMP NETCONNECT, NETCONNECT, and AMP-TWIST are trademarks.

Other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ampnetconnect.com&id=12233&adid=P18A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ampnetconnect.com&id=12233&adid=P18A2







installation

Encompassing 686 square miles and slightly more than 22,000 residents, Emanuel County includes Swainsboro and seven surrounding communitieslocated in east-central Georgia, 90 miles west of Savan-nah. Here in this rural area, a county school district believes a strong educational program in each of its eight schools is the foundation for a thriving and pro-gressive community.

Even more unexpected is the district’s forward-think-ing approach as it embarks on the installation of a new district-wide network capable of supporting 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) and today’s most advanced network technologies.

Years in the makingOriginally implemented in the mid 1990s, the network serving Emanuel County’s schools included a mix of Category 4, Category 5, fi ber, leased T-1 circuits, and 10-Mbit/sec switches that by 2004 no longer served the needs of students and faculty.

“Every time we needed more connectivity, we would add another low-end switch,” says Jerry Stefansen, for-mer director of technology who stayed on as part-time project consultant for the district, following retirement in 2005. “We ended up with too much cabling and dai-sy-chaining that eventually became a huge wiring night-mare. We were also having constant repairs and requests for higher-speed applications.”

In fall 2004, Butch Frye, superintendent for the dis-trict, challenged the schools to move forward andreplace the network instead of just fi xing what wasalready in place. Armed with nearly a $500,000 com-mitment from the community through an approved

local option sales tax, the school district embarked on the task of planning the network and applying for theremaining 83% of funds through the federal govern-ment’s Schools and Libraries Program, commonly known as E-Rate. (See sidebar, “What is E-Rate?,” page 20.)

“In the E-Rate application process, we included

Stacey Barber, director of technology for the Emanuel County School District, examines a connection that was part of the district’s recent $2.8-million network upgrade.

➤

Back to schoolwith 10-Gbit Ethernet

Rural Georgia school district acquires E-rate funds to implement the most advanced UTP cabling available.

MICHAEL O’CONNOR MICHAEL O’CONNOR is a technical marketing director for Hubbell is a technical marketing director for Hubbell Premise Wiring, Inc. (www.hubbell-premise.com), a subsidiary of Hubbell Premise Wiring, Inc. (www.hubbell-premise.com), a subsidiary of Hubbell Inc. He is an active member of the TIA, IEEE, BICSI, and CSI.Inc. He is an active member of the TIA, IEEE, BICSI, and CSI.





_____________



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.hubbell-premise.com&id=12233&adid=P19E2






everything from switches to cabling to telephony, but we did not call for a specifi c type of cabling or vendor at that time,”explains Stacey Barber, the district’s current director of tech-nology. “We simply stated that we wanted the very latest in cop-per and fi ber technology to carry us forward at least another10 years and support the advanced applications we desired.”

Th e technology plan for Emanuel School District wasapproved and open for bid through E-Rate. When Atlanta-based Systems & Solutions, Inc. (SSI; www.systemsandsolutions.net) bid on the project, the district felt their response was the most creative and comprehensive.

Applying for E-Rate funds can be a lengthy process, which for Emanuel County School District meant its share of paper-work. “We started planning in late 2004 and submitted ourapplication in February 2006,” says Barber. “It was another eight months before we were offi cially approved for E-Rate funds.” Th e fi nal budget for the project ended up at nearly$2.8 million, with E-Rate providing approximately $2.3 million. Th e project then moved forward with an expected completion before the start of the 2007-2008 academic year,three years following the superintendent’s initial request.

Choosing fi rst-class solutionsBy the time the project was approved for funding through E-Rate, technology had evolved signifi cantly. Voice over IP (VoIP), Power over Ethernet (PoE), and 10-Gigabit network speeds had become a reality. As the project progressed, SSI suggested the possibility of selecting an Augmented Cate-gory 6 (Category 6A) unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cablecapable of supporting 10GbE over a 100-meter channel per the ratifi ed IEEE 802.3an 10GBase-T standard andTIA 568-B.2-10 draft standard.

Looking toward the future, Emanuel School District

Systems & Solutions Inc.’s Avery Hinson, RCDD, and Arvin Weaver, lead technician, check some of the 2,400 Augmented Category 6 connec-tions meant to support 10-Gigabit Ethernet transmission.

Under the direction of the Federal Communications Com-mission, the Universal Service Administrative Company

(USAC) administers the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, commonly known as “E-Rate.” TheE-Rate fund provides discounts to assist most U.S. schools and libraries in obtaining affordable telecommunications services.

Funding, ranging from 20 to 90%, depends on the level of poverty and urban/rural status of the specifi c population being served. It covers four categories: telecommunications services; Internet access; internal connections; and basic maintenance of internal connections.

To apply for E-Rate funds, applicants must fi rst prepare a technology plan to demonstrate clear goals, a professionaldevelopment strategy, needs assessment, required budget, and evaluation process. Once the plan is approved, applicants complete a Form 470 to describe the specifi c products, ser-vices, and functions being requested.

“Instead of a formal bidding process like you have in the com-mercial marketplace, the E-Rate Form 470 becomes a world-wide RFP [request for proposal] that anyone can read andrespond to,” says Jerry Stefansen, former director of technology and part-time project consultant for Emanuel County School District. “For our recent project, we put absolutely everything we needed on that form. We had several companies bid oneither part or all of the project, and we evaluated each response as E-Rate requires us to do.”

Once the applicant selects a service provider or contrac-tor, that applicant must complete Form 471 Services Ordered and Certifi cation Form, which is the actual request for funding. The process then enters a Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review, which includes proof of funds for non-discounted por-tions of the budget, questions and clarifi cations, verifi cation of certifi cations and statements, and other requirements.

“We had to answer several questions, which required a lot of time and research,” says Stefansen. “They scrutinizeevery aspect of a project and ask the right questions. Since fi rstapplying for E-Rate funds nearly a decade ago, I’ve seen a huge improvement in the review process and in their understanding of the technology. Having E-Rate put their stamp of approval on a project means that it’s a good project.”

Once the Form 471 is approved, applicants and service providers submit further forms to indicate that services havebegun and to receive payment. More information is avail-able by visiting www.usac.org and clicking on Schools andLibraries.—MO

What is E-Rate?

➤





__

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.systemsandsolutions.net&id=12233&adid=P20E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.usac.org&id=12233&adid=P20E2





WWW.JDSU.COM/IVT600

TELEPHONE 1 805 383-1500

FAX 1 805 383-1595

What more can the IVT600 do?

It also performs outlet identifica-

tion and active network Ethernet

verification through DHCP and

ping – helping verify network

connectivity and ensuring server

connections are functioning

properly.

INTRODUCING THE TRI-PORTER™ IVT600—THE FIRST TRIPLE-PLAY HOME CABLING QUALIFIER AND TESTERNow you can test and assure voice, data and video and perform a fullrange of vital premises cabling tests with a single, groundbreaking tool,the JDSU Tri-Porter IVT600. It replaces up to six instruments: a DSL-safetelephone test set, a network tester, a tone generator, a cable tester/verifier, a tone detector/cable finder, and a coax mapper—all in onelightweight solution.

The Tri-Porter IVT600 delivers the power to analyze test, talk and tracecharacteristics with a single tool. It handles physical wiring tests,including verification of wiring integrity and wire mapping—on bothtwisted pair and coaxial cables. For talk applications, it offers VoIP testing and SLIC emulation. And for trace, it provides advanced tonegeneration and tracing , with the ability to trace coax through splitters.The result—fast, efficient delivery of IP-based voice, video and dataservices in the home or small office.

Register to win a Tri-Porter IVT600 Network Qualification and TestingTool! If you win, tell us how it simplifies your jobs and we’ll profile youand your company in a future ad.Visit www.jdsu.com/ivt600

GET SIMPLE.

TRI-PORTER COMBINES

SIX TOOLS IN ONE.

> GET SIMPLE.

TRI-PORTER COMBINES

SIX TOOLS IN ONE.

>





__________

___________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.jdsu.com/ivt600&id=12233&adid=P21A3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.jdsu.com/know&id=12233&adid=P21A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.jdsu.com/ivt600&id=12233&adid=P21A2






agreed. “We examined three Category 6A solutions on the mar-ket,” says Avery Hinson, RCDD, director of communications with SSI. “To be fair, I had the vendors send both cable andconnectivity. Given the alien-crosstalk concerns of 10-Gig UTP, we looked at separation be-tween pairs in the cable. Th e three vendors’ cables really weren’t that different, but the differences inconnectivity were more obvious.”

SSI and the school district ultimatelyselected Hubbell Premise Wiring’s NextSpeed Ascent 10GbE UTP solu-tion, backed by a 25-year warranty that covers applications designated to run over a Category 6A cabling infrastruc-ture. Th e NextSpeed Ascent solution includes copper components designed with advanced modeling, engineering, and manufacturing processes to pro-vide low-level alien crosstalk (ANEXT) connectivity.

Connectivity components feature a coated rear adapter for shielding, stag-gered insulation-displacement connec-tion (IDC) towers to off set pairs and ports, separation between upper and lower IDCs, and a reversed color code to furtherreduce ANEXT.

“Nobody went to the extent that Hub-bell had in trying to eliminate alien crosstalk in connectivity; the stag-

gering of the connections is ingenious, and the robust jacks have more separation than the others we looked at,” says Hinson. “Th at, combined with the guarantee that ifinstalled correctly we would get 10-Gig performance,ultimately led to our decision.”

SSI also suggested the Hubbell system because of the district’s plans to move to VoIP and PoE applications, including PoE-enabled wireless access points (WAPs). “Th e heavier copper of the Category 6A cable allows it to transmit and support morepower,” explains Hinson. “Th at means that the school will beable to take advantage of future PoE applications withouthaving to replace any cable.” Th e NextSpeed Ascent solutionexceeds the current IEEE 802.3af PoE standard that spec-ifi es a maximum load power of 15.4 watts; it supportsa load power of at least 30 watts, which is in line with thefuture 802.3at PoE Plus standard in development. “We don’t know what’s going to happen in two years, but we

want to be prepared for any situation,” says Barber. “Already, the school board is pushing for wireless and smart board appli-

cations in every classroom. We eventually want to get as much throughput to the desktop as possible, and we don’t want our cabling to be like a PC that isobsolete in 12 to 18 months.”

Emanuel School Dis-trict educates 4,500 students spread out over eight schools:Swainsboro primary, elemen-tary, middle, and high schools; Twin City Elementary; Emanu-el County Institute in Twin City; Adrian School of Performing Arts (K-8); and Emanuel CountyPreschool Center. Th e cabling project includes seven of the schools, with the Twin City and Adrian locations connectedthrough T-1 circuits. Th e four main Swainsboro schools that house 85% of the students are located along a single tract of land and are each connected to the main network operations center via 12 strands of single-mode fi ber.

Hubbell’s NextSpeed Ascent 10GbE Augmented Category 6unshielded twisted-pair system features a coated rear adapter for shielding, staggered insulation-displacement connection towers to offset pairs and ports, separation between upper and lower IDCs, and reversed color code to reduce alien crosstalk.

From 19 telecommunications rooms, more than 500,000 feet of Aug-mented Category 6 cable provide connections within seven schools in classrooms, administrative locations, and computer labs (including the one shown here).

➤










Modular Plugs Patch Cords Copper Cables

Optical ConnectorsFiber Optic Cables

Patch Panels

Cross Connection

Cable Trays

Access Floor Cabinets and Racks Tools

Installation Accessories

www.hyperline.comHyperline Systems 2212 Gladwin Crescent, unit C7, Ottawa, Ontario, K1B 5N1, CanadaPhone: 1-613-736-8500, toll-free: 1-866-63-HYPER (1-866-634-9737), fax: 1-613-736-9752

EXCELLENT QUALITY, COMPETITIVE PRICE, FAST DELIVERY

c a b l i n g s y s t e m sCABLING SYSTEMS MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.hyperline.com&id=12233&adid=P23A1






Smart thinking, fast learning“Th e Emanuel County Preschool Center was not included in this project because they have a federal Head Start program, and existing federal programs are excluded from E-Rate funds,”explains Barber. “We will eventually build a new preschool, and the cabling will be part of that separate project. Th e new school will connect to our system through a T-1 circuit.”

From 19 telecommunications rooms (TRs), more than 500,000 feet of NextSpeed Ascent Category 6A cable is used to provide a total of 2,400 Category 6A connections spread out among the seven schools in classrooms, computer labs, andadministrative locations. Instead of implementing a main crossconnect in each school, the 19 TRs are each home run back to the main network operations center that contains all the core switches. A satellite operations center provides redun-dancy should the main operations center go down.

“We needed to cut down on ‘feet’ time,” says Barber. “Hav-ing all the TRs in each school home run back to one location eliminates all the middle connectivity and enables us to

Jerry Stefansen, consultant for the school district, shows Systems & So-lutions Inc.’s chief executive offi cer Ruston Russell and lead technician Demetrius Morgan the back of an Augmented Category 6 patch panel.

➤





___________


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.wti.com&id=12233&adid=P24A1





Stewart Connector

Stewart Connector understands that specifying and sourcing quality modular connectors for premise and campuswide communications systems can be a tough job. Especially as technology, standards, and products continue to evolve. That is why we ve engineered our plugs and jacks to ensure your networks superior performance... today and tomorrow.

PLUGS-CAT 3 to 7a

www.stewartconnector.com • 717/235-7512

Premise WiringCAT 6 • CAT 6a • CAT 7aModular Plugs & Jacks

• For Solid & Stranded Cable

•Shielded and Unshielded

• Polished Contacts for High

•Multiple Keying and Wire Insertion Life

Management Options

JACKS-CAT 3 to 7a

•Horizontal, Vertical, and Angled• Shielded and Unshielded

• Single and Multi-Port Designs• PCB and Cable Mounted Designs

Mounting Options


manage the schools from one location.”Cabling began first at Swainsboro elementary and

primary schools, which are the newest facilities with the most available space for TRs. Th e larger size Category 6Acable presented some initial obstacles. “It was challenging for our technicians at fi rst, but they’ve learned a lot throughoutthe process and are now easily working with thelarger cable,” says Hinson. “We ended up having todesign our pathways to accommodate the larger cable,breaking it up into separate bundleswhere it enters the rack instead of using one large bundle.

“Th ankfully, Hubbell has provided excel-lent support,” adds Hinson. “Our local Hub-bell representative, Tony Campbell, came to the job site to make sure everything was beinginstalled correctly. We had some testingissues, and Tony got us a new tester. Hub-bell really followed through to ensure that we succeeded on this project.”

Cindy Howland, account manager for Graybar (www.graybar.com), provided all Hubbell cabling and connectivity compo-nents for the project. Hubbell also provided a 10-Gig installation practices guide for its system, which includes such suggestions as using surface-mount boxes for extra space and maintaining proper bend radius.

Rural, yet technologically advancedSystem installation was completed in June, and the summer months have been spent installing servers and Cisco switches,connecting everything together, and test-ing the new district-wide network. In the process, the school district kept its existing network up and running to avoid down-time and to provide a seamless changeover to the new network.

The result of the project is a dis-trict-wide network capable of support-ing 10-GbE speeds, PoE, VoIP, wireless, and the most advanced teaching tech-nologies available. “Our teachers come back from conferences all fi red up to try new teaching methods and technolo-gies; we don’t want to prevent them frombeing progressive just because we don’t have the infrastructure to support it,” says Barber.

“Now, with an up-to-date, reliable net-

work,” he adds, “we can provide the resources necessary for students to learn and teachers to teach.”

Barber concludes, “Our district has always been at the fore-front of technology with very forward-thinking superinten-dents. We’re in a very rural area, and our students can’t go on a lot of fi eld trips. Th rough this new 10 Gig network, we can use Internet and videoconferencing capabilities to expose them to the outside world—just as if we were located in any majorU.S. city.”





____________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.graybar.com&id=12233&adid=P25E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.stewartconnector.com&id=12233&adid=P25A1





BUSINESSLINK ® FROM DODGE,THERE WHEN YOU NEED US.It’s the one resource business owners rely on. With extended hours, next bay priority service, free loaner vehicles and free membership, you can forget about downtime. And best of all, BusinessLink ® enrollment is free, no matter what you drive. For more info, visit dodge.com/businesslink or call 877-2THELINK (877-284-3546).





It’s the one resource business owners rely on. With extended hours, next bay priority service, free loaner vehicles and free membership, you can forget about downtime. And best of all, BusinessLink ® enrollment is free, no matter what you drive. For more info, visit dodge.com/businesslink or call 877-2THELINK (877-284-3546).

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.dodge.com/businesslink&id=12233&adid=P26A1





2007, www.intellichoice.com™ Chrysler Financial is a business unit of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services. Dodge and BusinessLink are registered trademarks of DaimlerChrysler.





___________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.intellichoice.com&id=12233&adid=P27A1





MILAN SWITCH PRODUCTS SIMPLY CONNECT THE DEVICES YOU NEED.

MILAN makes switching technology accessible to evenmore applications, more needs, and more importantly,more people. Transition Networks, the industry leader inproduct quality, availability and support, now offers MILANswitching products as a way to simply connect the devicesthey need.

Why pay more for simplicity? www.milan.com 800 ~ 526 ~ 9267

MILAN make the connection.

Providing data and power, MILAN'sPower-Over-Ethernet switches rangefrom 4- to 24-ports.

MILAN’s MIL-SM801 series of layer 2managed switches provides high performance non-blocking switching.

The MIL-SM2401M Series is MILAN’smost powerful, flexible line of Layer 2management switches.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.milan.com&id=12233&adid=P28A1







technology

Achieving maximumnetwork uptime to runmission-critical applicationsrequires attention to all aspects of good network housekeeping. With links in the data center numbering in the thou-sands, and with the density of connecteddevices becoming more diffi cult to phys-ically trace, this good-housekeepingeff ort includes a view into physical layer connectivity. Of all network layers, how-ever, the physical layer typically off ers the least amount of visibility.

Intelligent physical layer management (IPLM) systems provide this visibility. Th ese systems map, monitor, and man-age real-time patch-fi eld connectivity, and continuously record networked asset movements and confi guration changesoccurring throughout the enterprise and data center.

Automating real-time informationThe core value these systems bring to an organization is automating the process of gathering and recordingaccurate, real-time information on the status of connections across the network, thus minimizing downtime and improv-ing operational effi ciencies. IPLM systems are being used for more than just monitoring of ports and cords, and are adding additional value by helping networkmanagers optimize network capacity, improve asset tracking, and enhance network security.

Traditional network management systems, cover-

ing OSI Layer 3 and higher, monitor mul-tiple network anddata traffi c parameters. Th ese solutions typicallyidentify that a broken or interrupted link has occurred, but do not report on the pre-cise physical-layer con-nections where many problems are known to originate. Th e pro-cess of physically locat-ing or tracing the links may take an hour or more to accomplish.

In contrast, thefocus of an IPLM tool is to guide network ad-ministrators in plan-ning and implementing cabling changes, and to provide real-time mon-

itoring of patch-fi eld connectivity events. An “event” with the physical layer is defi ned as a change in state ofthe patch fi eld or monitored links (i.e., a connection or disconnection of any link or network asset).

To accomplish these tasks, IPLM systems rely on three specifi c functions:• Intelligent patch fi elds and/or cords provide real-time

connectivity information, which is read by the activehardware;

Good network housekeeping goes beyond proper cable management to include the ability to electroni-cally monitor or redirect links, keeping the cable infrastructure intact.

➤

IPLM: Why it achieves valuebeyond port count

Intelligent Physical Layer Management systems can bring to the physical layer the capabilities that are possible at higher layers of the network.

MICHAEL PULA MICHAEL PULA is product line manager with Panduit Corp. is product line manager with Panduit Corp. (www.panduit.com).(www.panduit.com).





_________



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.panduit.com&id=12233&adid=P29E2






• Active hardware scans or monitors the patch fi eld andreports changes in state;

• A soft ware application compiles the information, stores it in a database, and may formulate a recommendation orresponse based upon system conditions, such as pending work orders.Th ese functions work together to track and record all net-

work events in real time, ensuring that the network database is current and accurate. As activities are recorded to the da-tabase, the system analyzes this information and takes ap-propriate pre-programmed actions. For instance, in a data center, an unscheduled disruption or alteration to a server con-nection might trigger an alarm to a network administrator.Because the location and port num-ber of the event are readily available, IT or security staff can quickly locate and effi ciently react to this and other unauthorized network changes.

Many IPLM systems inte-grate with other managed net-work systems to enable greater control of the entire network. Byextending traditional network man-agement of OSI Layers 3 and above into the physical layer (Layer 1), or-ganizations can monitor all devices in the network with greater visibility.

IPLM systems also improve the effi ciency and accuracy of moves, adds, and changes (MACs) through a work-order process that helps network managers plan, priori-tize, and assign all changes in the system. As the MACs are beingcompleted, the system records the time and date of theactions, and automatically updates the database to refl ectthe new patch confi guration, ensuring that patch-fi eldinformation is 100% accurate at all times.

Th ese automated processes reduce mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) by helping prevent human error and unauthor-ized patch-fi eld changes, whether deliberate or accidental. In this way, network managers can leverage the IPLM tools to streamline operations and maintenance processes, resulting inlower technical-service costs and increased network uptimeand reliability. Furthermore, network maintenance can bedirected remotely from a network-management station and assigned to specifi c individuals.

Asset management is a largely overlooked aspect of organiza-tional networks. In fact, Gartner Research (www.gartner.com)found that even with network-management tools inplace,organizations fail to track 40% of their distributed-

computing hardware assets. Failing to account for all net-worked assets can negatively aff ect network manageability, cause delays in MAC processes, and even impact the reliabil-ity of service levels. Th is can introduce a multitude of business risks—operational, fi nancial, legal, and regulatory.

What’s connected where?To mitigate these risks, IPLM technologies can identify and track the movements of all assets connected to the network, giving administrators the ability to see what is connected and where. Th ese systems identify new assets connected to the network as well as existing assets that have not been used for a prescribed period of time. Also, if the database is unable to

locate a given asset at its expectedlocation, the network manager can be alerted to determine whether the asset is missing or is actually present but disconnected/powered off . Th is feature of IPLM systems helps to pre-vent potential device theft or unau-thorized device relocation.

Using Simple Network Manage-ment Protocol (SNMP) on connected devices—which may include wireless access points, Internet Protocol sur-veillance cameras, or even a laptop connected to the network—the IPLM system can query the network infra-structure for specifi c information on these devices, such as type, and IP and MAC (media access control—not to be confused with moves/adds/changes MACs) addresses. Further-more, an IPLM system can document

and record any movements to a centralized database, provid-ing real-time updates of changes while ensuring that informa-tion is accurate at all times.

For example, before an individual logs onto, orattempts to log onto, the network with a laptop, the system can identify the laptop via its MAC address and the location of the laptop within the network. By monitoring the laptop’s physical connectivity, the organization continually verifi es that the laptop is on-site and is active, aiding in hardwareasset management. Th is visibility can be extended to any end-point device that is connected to the network, including Voice over IP phones and IP security cameras, as well as hardware such as servers.

Th e ability of IPLM solutions to map all physical con-nections also enables network administrators to optimizedata center capacity by tracking switch-port availability in thedatabase. IPLM systems can feature management soft - ➤

Panduit’s PanView IPLM System uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) integrated into the patch panel to guide changes to network connectivity. A blinking LED indicates that a patch cord needs to be removed, while a steady LED indicates where the patch cord needs to be inserted.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.gartner.com&id=12233&adid=P30E1






AirES® technology is the only cabling design element that

improves virtually every attribute associated with Cat 6A

data cables, and soon it will be available from your

cable provider.

With AirES (“Air Enhanced System”), air is intro-

duced as an insulator in arched channels around

each individual conductor. Using air actually im-

proves dielectrics and increases signal strength

and transmission speed, while reducing crosstalk.

With AirES, Cat 6A cables can be up to 22% smaller.

Since one of the constraints of Cat 6A has been its large

diameter, AirES technology is a critical enabling force

in the implementation of 10 Gigabit ethernet.

The market has clearly shown a preference for

a single source “end-to-end” 10 Gig solution.

AirES is the critical enabling technology that

brings it all together.

Does yourcable provider useAirES® technology?

Coming soon to your cable provider

Typical Category 6A Category 6A with AirES®

Get a smaller Cat 6A cable with better performance.

...now they can.

AirES is a registered trademark of ADC Digital Communications, Inc.

Make sure your cable provider can offer you the most complete, smallest diameter, “end-to-end” 10 Gig solution available. Contact your cable provider for more information.










ware that graphically displays tracked assets within the net-work, providing a virtual map of servers and other active data center equipment as well as the connectivity between the equip-ment. IPLM tools can also be used to monitor port consump-tion and notify network managers as the network approaches capacity limitations, as well as identify where available net-work ports and assets are located to quickly reclaim network capacity. (See sidebar, “IPLM in action,” page 34.)

Security at and beyond the physical layerIntrusion detection is “top of mind” for many IT managers and corporate security personnel. Security in the data center has traditionally centered on preventative measures, such as restricting unauthorized access to the network via login/pass-word, domain, subnet, virtual private network, or other sim-ilar restrictions to protect the network from data corruption, viruses, or actual physical damage. Security of telecommuni-cations rooms can also be enhanced through use of electroniclocks, badge readers, and other lockout technologies, butthese measures cannot prevent employees or visitors within the building from gaining network access.

With an IPLM system, unauthorized network access can be identifi ed in real time by comparing the MAC and IP

addresses of devices requesting access to those authorized within the network database. Upon connection, any uniden-tifi ed MAC or IP addresses would trigger an alert to IT

The PanView System employs mapping capabilities to identify the exact location of any unknown MAC or IP addresses. The computer-aided design module integrated into the system visualizes network assets and movements to help administrators optimize network capacity.

➤





________________________________


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.microcare.com/cablebandwidth&id=12233&adid=P32A1





Chances are you don’t know. Some fiber manufacturersdon’t specify bandwidth in the critical center region of the fiber. But when you select OFS’ LaserWave® OM3fiber, you get outstanding performance right down to the core. LaserWave fiber delivers DMD specified in the 0 – 5 micron range and up to twice the bandwidth forlasers that launch power in the fiber’s center. Enjoy fast,reliable transmission and easier connectivity. To learn more,ask your cabler about OFS or visit ofsoptics.com/fiber.

What’s at the core of your fiber?


or security personnel so that immediate action can be taken, helping to prevent potential security breaches and minimize costly network downtime.

Detecting an intrusion and triggering an alert is only the beginning. Integrating an IPLM system into a comprehen-sive managed network system can allow preprogrammedsecurity actions to be automatically triggered within the network. For instance, upon detection of an unauthor-ized network access attempt, the IPLM system can trig-ger the managed network system to immediately close down the port or site ofthe attempted access. Additionally, this event could initiateanother function, such as the dispatch of security personnel to the location of the attempted breach.

Security has also expanded beyond these critical issues to include such concepts as regulatory compliance and reportingrequirements. Through a combina-tion of static inventoried demarcation points and active monitoring of asset movement through the network, IPLM systems automate physical layer doc-umentation to ensure that sensitiveinformation is recorded accurately andsecurely. These systems helporganizations comply with industry reg-ulations, such as Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB) with comprehensive reporting thatreduces the costs associated withpreparation for regulatory audits.

In situations in which data ware-housing protects critical informa-tion, the ability to restore the physicalinfrastructure links that access data is just as important as the ability to restorethe content itself. IPLM systems canassist in the process of recoveringdata center and LAN configurationinformation; as the system monitors the physical layer, its database continuouslyrecords asset movements and confi gura-tion changes occurring throughout the system, eliminating the need for manual record-keeping. Th e database information may also be used to provide a “snapshot” of the enterprise network, guiding there-creation and restoration of allconnectivity points throughout the network,including the data center and

all data rooms, as part of an emergency or disaster-recovery measure.

Th e security and availability of network-based processes are critical to the business health of most enterprises. IPLM solu-tions address these concerns by providing additional physi-cal layer visibility via continuous monitoring of the patch-fi eld connectivity, as well as documenting and reporting all physical-layer events. Th is visibility lets network managers quicklyrespond to disturbances in the network, minimizing ➤





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ofsoptics.com/fiber&id=12233&adid=P33A1







downtime and improving security. IPLM sys-tems also enable network managers to conduct maintenance from remote locations, for more-effi cient management of network resources and substantially reduced operational costs.

Tracking assets, mapping connectionsIPLM tools provide additional value by enabling asset tracking and resource optimization across increasingly complex network architectures. Th e ability of IPLM tools to track asset move-ments enhances security by helping network administrators quickly identify unauthorizeddevices and facilitate the access of authorized users. Th ese tools also help IT staff optimize network capacity by mapping all available physical connections and monitoring portconsumption.

For organizations searching for optimum availability,security, and manageability of their physical infrastructure, an IPLM system is a critical solution that enables both operational effi ciencies and cost savings.

Defiance Electric and Cross-over Inc. of Enfi eld, NH (www.

defi anceelectric.com) has provideddesign/build services to commer-cial, industrial, and institutional customers since 1978. Pete Had-lock, vice president, says, “Panduit has worked with Defi ance Electric and Crossover Inc. to establish the kind of cooperative partnership that we can deliver to our own clients.”

Recently, Defi ance specifi ed Pan-duit’s PanView System, an intelligent physical layer management system, to a client seeking effi cient remote network-monitoring capabilities to reduce operating expenses and opti-mize overall network reliability. Even though the client understood the ben-efi ts that the PanView System offered to remotely manage patch fi elds, the

client was surprised how quickly the system helped optimize its network investment.

In one telling example, the client needed additional port space andinquired about purchasing new switch-ing equipment. As an alternative, Defi -ance Electric and Crossover Inc. recom-mended using the PanView System to run a report of assets to quickly locate any “forgotten” network ports. Sure enough, the report revealed a port that had not been used for more than 90 days. The client simply reallocated this port,leveraging assets it already owned and avoiding the cost of new networkequipment and cable drops.

The entire process, from the ini-tial phone call to the identifica-tion of the port, took less than 10minutes.—MP

IPLM in action





___


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.defianceelectric.com&id=12233&adid=P34E1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.trinetusa.com&id=12233&adid=P34A1





Data Center Myth Busters

FactWith proper airflow management you can usenetwork switches in a hot aisle/cold aisle layout.

MythNetwork switches with side-to-side airflow shouldnot be used in a hot aisle/cold aisle layout.

www.chatsworth.com or [email protected] 800-834-4969

Designed to meet third party specifications forCisco 6500 & 9500 switches

Do Network Switches With Side-To-SideAirflow Compromise Your Hot Aisle/ColdAisle Layout?Chatsworth Products, Inc. (CPI) would like to introduce you to the new N-Series TeraFrame™ Network Cabinet, engineered to combat thermalchallenges and manage large amounts of cable in a hot aisle/cold aislelayout.

Thermal Management• Remove Hot Exhaust Air – Isolate

and re-direct exhaust air from network switches into the hot aisle.

• Maximize Energy Efficiency – CPI Passive Cooling™ Solutions involve no active components and decrease total cost of ownership.

• Supports Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle Layout – Allows switches and servers to be situated next to one another.

CFD shows hot exhaust air froma side-to-side switch being re-directed to the back of the cabi-net through the Network SwitchExhaust Duct.

Temperature Variation

Net

wo

rk S

wit

ch E

xhau

st D

uct





_________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.chatsworth.com&id=12233&adid=P35A1





P R E - T E R M I N A T E D ,

P R E - T E S T E D ,

P R E - A N Y O N E E L S E .

phone: [800] 822 4352

emai l : in fo@htamer icas .com

www.he l le rmann.t y ton.com/cm1

PROVEN PERFORMANCE. PROVEN RELIABILITY. RAPIDNET. When it comes to pre-terminated network cabling

solutions, HellermannTyton is the leader. Pioneering the fi rst Category 6 pre-terminated network cabling system,

HellermannTyton has, for years, delivered successful RapidNet installations across the globe – including leading US

data centers in government, fi nancial, healthcare, educational and enterprise applications. RapidNet is available

in copper and fi ber modular confi gurations and offers the time tested performance and reliability required

for system critical applications. Assuring on-time project completion in the most demanding circumstances,

RapidNet has been verifi ed to reduce installation time by 85% over traditional methods.

RapidNet has been proven in the fi eld, now let us prove to you how RapidNet can enhance your business. Go

online for more information and register for your free “Proven in the Field” t-shirt, www.hellermann.tyton.com/cm1





____________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.hellermann.tyton.com/cm1&id=12233&adid=P36A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.hellermann.tyton.com/cm1&id=12233&adid=P36A2







data center

Since January, Cabling Installation & Maintenance has dedicated multiple pages in each issue to one or anoth-er aspect of data center management. Over the course of those nine months, I have commented privately (and only half-jokingly) on several oc-casions that when data centers is the subject of a conversation, it does not really matter what topic(s) are discussed initially; sooner or later, the conversation will funnel down to the topic of heat, heat generation, and heat dissipation.

It is a fact of life for data center managers,and some might argue it is the fact of theirprofessional lives.

Blasts from the pastConsider these quotes from our fi rst eight months of coverage devoted to data centers:• In January, Corning Cable Systems’ (www.

corningcablesystems.com) data center special-ist Alan Ugolini commented, “If you stacked up the issues that are important in a data center, cooling would be on top.”

• Th e next month, when the offi cial topic under discus-sion was structured cabling systems’ role in data center management, John Schmidt, senior product manager with ADC (www.adc.com), noted, “Proper cable man-agement and routing are essential, and have an impact on cooling and thermal management.”

• In March, we delved into the question of whethercable-conveyance systems should be run overhead or under raised fl oors within data centers. Cable Man-agement Solutions’ (www.snaketray.com) president Roger Jette stated off the top, “One of the driving fac-tors has little to do with cable, but rather with ther-

mal management. Some data center managers want to keep the space underneath the fl oor reserved for massive amounts of air to help cool the data center. Th ey run the cable overhead so nothing but air can run under the fl oor.”Th e next several months followed suit. Several data-

center-related topics mentioned, if they did not explic-itly revolve around, ridding the data center of massive amounts of heat. In this issue we are—surprise!—kick-ing off four consecutive months of coverage on how to eff ectively cool data centers.

Th orough answers are not easy to come by, nor are the available solutions simple. If they were simple and plen-tiful, trade-media coverage would not reach the feverpitch that it has. And the Environmental Protection Agen-cy (EPA) would not have researched and recently issueda report on the enormous amounts of energy ➤

Feeling hot, hot, hot…and not liking it

While heat has always been an issue in data centers, density makes it a critical concern today.

PATRICK MPATRICK MCCLAUGHLIN LAUGHLIN is chief editor ois chief editor of Cabling Installation & f Cabling Installation & Maintenance.Maintenance.

This photo exemplifi es how densely servers can be deployed in an open-frame rack. The computing power within a rack full of blade servers generates signifi cant heat in a concentrated area, signifi cantly challeng-ing data center managers to mitigate that heat.





____

_________



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.snaketray.com&id=12233&adid=P37E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.adc.com&id=12233&adid=P37E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.corningcablesystems.com&id=12233&adid=P37E2






that are being spent to operate and cool data centers.Th is month, we will take a step back from the fray and ob-

serve why the problem exists, and some of the current think-ing about solutions. Next month, we will look closely at some of the technological developments undertaken by enclo-sure makers so those products can help rather than hin-der cooling eff orts. And in the fi nal two months of the year, we will examine some holistic approaches to heat, cooling, and energy conservation that will go far beyond the realm of structured cabling systems. Th ose articles will also examine the recent EPA report on data center energy consumption and proposals for greater effi ciency.

Here and now“Heat has always been a big issue in data centers, with inte-grated circuits providing computing power and producing heat,” explains Arnie Evdokimo, president of data-center de-sign and heating/ventilating/air-conditioning (HVAC) fi rm DPAir (www.dpair.com). While the phenomenon has been go-ing on for years—decades even—he says the situation is com-ing to a crescendo: “Th e biggest problem today is the density of heat. Blade servers really are a culprit, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Many have pointed to the blade server as the quintessen-tial source of dense heat. Th e compaction of such signifi -cant amounts of computing power into a small footprint letsdata center managers save real estate because so much com-

puting can take place in so little space. A byproduct of theenergy required to generate that computing power is heat, as Evdokimo pointed out. With the density of today’s blade servers, racks/enclosures today can house 4 to 5 kW of powerusage. Some predictions hold that in just a few years, asingle rack will hold 47 kW.

“Th e kilowatt density has changed a lot,” Evdokimo says, add-ing that as a designer of HVAC systems for data centers, he

“must provide more tonnage [or cooling] in that area. Cooling systems are now occupying more space, sometimes including the entire perimeter of a data center.”

Echoing Roger Jette’s remarks from earlier, Evdokimo notes that raised-fl oor heights have evolved be-cause deeper fl oors allow more air to run over chillers: “Some older centers have shallow fl oors, and many of those fl oors are covered in cable, which decreases cool-ing effi ciency.”

Overall, he says, there are two primary tips to be employed by those with the lux-ury (or responsibility) of designing a data center from scratch:1. A deep fl oor with no restrictions. “Use a

4-ft . raised fl oor when possible,” he says. “Make sure it is above water-level grade and include subfl oor drains. Provide plenty of room for cables, power equip-ment, and serviceability.”

2. Build a high ceiling into the data cen-ter. While a standard practice in many areas can be six feet in height, Evdoki-mo recommends 12- to 14-ft . ceilings. Th e benefi t, he explains, is that “the heat can go across the room and stratify.” A downside of this approach is that thedata center will have more open space to fi re-protect, meaning more volume to cover with expensive fi re- suppression gases. But what has held true in the gen-eral construction trade for many years

“The biggest problem today is the density of

heat. Blade servers really are a culprit, and it’s

going to get worse before it gets better.”





___________

________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.dpair.com&id=12233&adid=P38E1






http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.pducables.com&id=12233&adid=P38A1


also holds true in data-center build-ing: You get nothing for nothing. If data center managers want their equipment to reside in a physical envi-ronment that is well-equipped to deal with dense heat loads, it will cost them.On page 47 of this month’s issue, you

will fi nd an article authored by Ian Seaton of Chatsworth Products Inc. (www.chatsworth.com) that describes a philosophy the company embracesand around which it has developed products: passive cooling. Chatsworth espouses that complete separation of

return air from supply air can sharp-ly reduce the burden placed on datacenter HVAC systems.

Seaton comments, “Given current cir-cumstances, people are going to start facing these issues and specifying this practice [complete separation of return and supply air] into design specifi ca-tions. When you can use free air, and maintain complete isolation between supply air and return air, you can start delivering air in the mid-70s.”

Peeling back the layersWhile the cause of near-crisis heat gen-eration in today’s data centers is fairly straightforward, the means by which to address the problem is many-layered and has not come close to achieving con-sensus among industry thinkers. In the coming months, we will peel back some of those layers and provide practicalinformation for the many data center managers who must make decisionstoday about their facilities’ futures.

If data center managers

want their equipment to re-

side in a physical environ-

ment that is well-equipped

to deal with dense heat

loads, it will cost them.





_______________

_________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.chatsworth.com&id=12233&adid=P39E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.snaketray.com&id=12233&adid=P38A1





All of the cool data centers are using it.Finally, a fiber optic cable designed specifically for data center and storage area

network applications. Berk-Tek’s Micro Data Center Plenum cable construction

provides a 50% smaller cross-sectional area than equivalent fiber count indoor

fiber optic cables. This prevents cabinet and pathway congestion and allows for

enhanced airflow. The result: more efficient cooling.

All Berk-Tek MDP cables are offered in multimode and single-mode fiber

constructions, including GIGAlite™, GIGAlite-10 and GIGAlite-10XB, the

industry’s highest performing laser optimized 50 micron fiber. Engineered to

reduce cabinet and pathway congestion and to make installing, terminating

and subunit handling easier, MDP is the choice for all your DC/SAN installations.

For more information on Berk-Tek’s patent-pending Micro Data Center Plenum fiber optic

cable, call 1-800-BERK-TEK or visit www.berktek.com, Quick Search Term: MDPFOC.

www.berktek.com

B E C A U S E Y O U R B U S I N E S S R U N S T H R O U G H U S

A New Breed of Fiber Optic Cable

Berk-Tek’s new patent-pending MDP fiber optic cable has been designed exclusively to deliver best-in-class micro-cabling technology specifically to indoor-only DC/SAN and building backbone environments.

Intelligent Design� Available from 4-72 fibers� Over 50% smaller than ribbon cable� No preferential bend, as is common

in ribbon cable� Incorporates all-dry loose-tube

technology� Available with aluminum or steel

interlocking armor� Improved ease of installation,

termination and subunit handling� Available pre-terminated with

multifiber or single-fiber connectors

MICRO DATA CENTER PLENUM (MDP)

NEW 48F 48F STACKEDMDP CABLE RIBBON CABLE

Illustrations enlarged for detail.

(0.231“ OD) (0.520“ OD)

All New Cable Design From Berk-Tek!





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.berktek.com&id=12233&adid=P40A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.berktek.com&id=12233&adid=P40A2







wireless

On June 25, the Wi-FiAlliance (www.wi-fi .org) of-fi cially started its 802.11n draft 2.0 certifi cation, and products from 14 vendors (and counting) are now certifi ed.

But will these new products work well side-by-side with their legacy counterparts? Can they be phased into the existing network gradually, or will 802.11n systems require exclusively 802.11n equipment?

802.11n’s technological advancesTh e new generation 802.11n technology is expected to gain signifi cant market momentum in 2008, with the 802.11n chipsets dominating total chipset sales by 2012, according to ABI Research (www.abiresearch.com). In the home, 802.11n will off er suffi cient bandwidth to run video, voice, anddata applications. In the enterprise, 802.11n will support mission-critical ap-plications with throughput comparableto Fast Ethernet.

Draft IEEE 802.11n specifi cation is based on multiple-input multiple-out-put (MIMO) radio technology. MIMO is a major innovation in wireless data communications and a technology that is being adapted by other standards, in-cluding WiMAX and long-term evolu-tion (LTE)—the emerging standard for 4G cellular.

MIMO uses spatial multiplexing to transport two or more data streams simultaneously in the same frequency channel. Spatial multiplexing can double the through-put of a wireless channel when two spatial streams are transmitted. Generating multiple spatial streams

requires multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and distinct, uncorrelated paths for each stream through the medium.

While the legacy networks operate in a 20-MHz chan-nel, 802.11n permits the use of 20- and 40-MHz chan-nels with up to four spatial streams per channel. With four spatial streams in a 40-MHz channel, the maximum transmission data rate is up to 600 Mbits/sec. Current products can transmit at up to 300 Mbits/sec using two spatial streams in a 40-MHz channel.

In addition to spatial multiplexing, physical layer (PHY) improvements include more effi cient orthogo-

nal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and short guard interval (GI—a time period at the end of each OFDM symbol introduced to let mul-tipath refl ections settle prior to trans-mitting the next symbol).

With 52 data subcarriers, the high-est data rate per stream of 802.11n is 65 Mbits/sec, versus 54 Mbits/secfor the 48 data subcarrier legacy technology. Legacy 802.11a/b/g de-vices use 800-ns GI, while 802.11n devices can optionally use GI of

400 ns, shortening the OFDM symbol by 400 ns. Short GI reduces the symbol time from 4 microseconds forlegacy networks to 3.6 microseconds for 802.11n,thereby increasing the symbol rate by 10%.

Th e emerging 802.11n specifi cation is more than justa new PHY. It is a whole new standard with effi ciency improvements in the medium access control (MAC) and PHY layers. A signifi cant contributor to 802.11 protocol overhead is the acknowledgement (ACK) protocol—an ACK packet sent by the receiving station to the

The “certifi ed” mark granted by the Wi-Fi Alliance can be seen on products that have been proven to meet the specifi cations of 802.11a/b/g, as well as the specs of the draft 802.11n.

➤

Will 802.11n bea good neighbor?

The protocol is designed to interoperate with legacy a/b/g access points, with a non-high-throughput duplicate mode aiding performance.

FANNY MLINARSKY FANNY MLINARSKY is president and principal consultant at octoScope is president and principal consultant at octoScope (www.octoscope.com), a consulting company focused on wireless and RF (www.octoscope.com), a consulting company focused on wireless and RF product design and advocacy. She can be reached at: [email protected] design and advocacy. She can be reached at: [email protected]





_______________

__________



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.octoscope.com&id=12233&adid=P41E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.abiresearch.com&id=12233&adid=P41E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.wi-fi.org&id=12233&adid=P41E2






transmitting station to acknowledge each received frame. If the transmitter does not receive an ACK, it retransmits the frame.

ACKs and inter-frame gaps take up a signifi cant percent-age of airlink capacity, and 802.11n has introduced protocols—frame aggregation and block ACK—to improve the effi ciency of the airlink. • Frame aggregation is the method of combining several

frames into one, thereby reducing the number of inter-frame gaps and ACK frames. Aggregate frames on the air-link, called aggregate MAC protocol data unit (A-MPDU), can reach the length of 64-k bytes and are made up of mul-tiple traditional frames that can range in size from 52 to 2,304 bytes.

• Block ACK is the method of sending a single acknowledge-ment packet to confi rm receipt of multiple frames. Block ACK improves the effi ciency by removing the need to trans-mit an ACK frame for every transmitted frame on the link. While the block ACK protocol exists in the current 802.11 standard, it is not widely deployed. 802.11n has shortened the block ACK frame from the legacy 128 bytes to 8 bytes, to improve airlink effi ciency.

Backward compatibility, protection modeTh e PHY and MAC improvements introduced by 802.11n bring impressive range and throughput performance to new-generation Wi-Fi networks. But these new protocols have thepotential of interfering with or hampering the performance of legacy networks.

To achieve backward compatibility and coexistence with leg-acy networks, 802.11n had to take special precautions against the potential disruption of the collision-avoidance mecha-nism. Collision avoidance is central to all 802.11 networks and lets multiple stations share the airlink effi ciently. For col-lision avoidance to work, all stations must be able to interpret each other’s packets and exchange information on how long each station intends to occupy the medium.

Network allocation vector (NAV) is the main mechanism of collision avoidance—the indicator of time kept by each station when transmission onto the wireless medium cannot be ini-tiated. NAV information is derived by each station from the announcements by other stations of how long they intend to occupy the medium.

Th e new 802.11n protocols, such as more-effi cient OFDM, short GI, aggregate frames, and block ACK, cannot be

Five concerns about the draft 802.11n’s interoperability and backward-compatibility capabilities may trouble some potential

users; however, the 802.11n draft standard addresses each of one.

Concern: 40-MHz channels in 2.4-GHz bandExplanation: Traditional 802.11a/b/g channels are 20-MHz wide. To increase the throughput, 802.11n service can operate in a40-MHz channel made up of two legacy channels. With only70 MHz available in the already overcrowded 2.4-GHz band,40-MHz operation can potentially disrupt existing installations and fall victim to 11 possible overlapping channels. At 2.4 GHz, channels are specifi ed on a 5-MHz boundary. The non-overlap-ping 20-MHz channels are channels 1, 6, and 11. If a legacy 802.11b/g service operates in any other channel, its spectrum may fall partially into the channel of a neighboring network and be the source of signifi cant interference because the packets of an overlapping channel may be undecipherable, preventing the collision-avoidance protocol from working.How 802.11n addresses the concern: This issue was addressed by introducing new coexistence protocols that include methodol-ogy for detecting wireless LAN activity in the band, and for switch-ing channels when necessary to avoid interference. These are complex protocols requiring coordinated periodic scanning of all channels, and the 802.11 working group may still refi ne them. For now, the Wi-Fi Alliance certifi cation does not allow 40-MHz operation in the 2.4-GHz band.

Concern: More effi cient orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)Explanation: Legacy receivers are unable to demodulate a52-data subcarrier signal, and packets with such signaling will appear to legacy receivers as noise disrupting the collision-avoid-ance protocol and compromising airlink effi ciency.

Concern: Short guard interval (GI)Explanation: Legacy devices are unable to process packets with a short GI.

Concern: Frame aggregationExplanation: Legacy devices are unable to process aggregate frames.

Concern: Block acknowledgement (ACK)Explanation: Legacy devices use 128-byte block ACK frame and cannot understand the 802.11n 8-byte block ACK.How 802.11n addresses OFDM effi ciency, short GI, frame aggre-gation, and block ACK: These conditions require that the legacy stations not attempt to interpret the traffi c they are unable toreceive and decode. The non-high throughput (HT) mode is used to protect legacy networks from 802.11n traffi c. Prior to trans-mitting 802.11n-specifi c protocols, two packets are sent on both halves of the 40-MHz channel, simultaneously announcing the network allocation vector (NAV) to let the legacy stations know how long to stay off the air. During this interval, the 802.11n pro-tocol can be used without disturbing legacy networks.

802.11n addresses interoperability and backward compatibility

➤










Small Space.Big Results.The Mighty Mo® Telecom EnclosureConnect the backbone cable, switches, and up to 48 ports of high performance connectivity. Increase performance, add flexibility, and free up space in your Telecom Room – all at a lower cost. Call us at 888-879-0724, or visit www.ortronics.com today tolearn how the Mighty Mo telecom enclosure will changethe way you bring high performance to the desktop.

Endless Possibilities.

E X P E R T I S E . T E C H N O L O G Y . S O L U T I O N S .





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ortronics.com&id=12233&adid=P43A1





Reel cablemanagement.Real simple.Real clean.

No more mess. No cablechaos. AMETEK’s HunterSpring retractable cordreels are pre-tensioned tosmoothly retract electricalconnections and storethem safely out of the way.Perfect for rack systems,server bays, aviation orindustrial use. Ruggedbraided steel. Availablewith velcro, tie-wrap,crimped cable or customtermination. Learn moreat: www.ametekusg.comor call 215-257-6531.

HUNTER SPRING PRODUCTS


interpreted by the legacy devices and may appear as strong noise that occupies a signifi cant percentage of the airlink capacity. Th e 802.11n traffi c can pose aserious disruption to the legacy networks that wouldn’t know how to predict the duration of such traffi c on the airlink, and thus wouldn’t be able to avoidcolliding with it.

To address this issue, the 802.11n draft incorporates a protocol specifi -cally designed to protect legacy networks from the potential disruption by 802.11n traffi c that they are unable to understand. Th is protection protocol is called non-high throughput (non-HT) duplicate mode. In this mode, prior

to the use of 802.11n-specifi c protocols, two packets are sent on both halves of the 40-MHz channel simultaneously, announcing the NAV to let the leg-acy stations know how long to stay off the air. Following the non-HT dupli-cate mode NAV message, the 802.11n protocol can be used for the announcedduration of time without disturbing legacy networks.

Th e sidebar, “802.11n addresses interoperability and backward compatibility” (page 42), looks at specifi c concerns.

Deploying within a legacy networkDraft 802.11n equipment compliant with the Wi-Fi alliance 802.11n certifi cation (certifi ed products are listed on the organization’s Web site, www.wi-fi .org), is expected to be aware of and interoperate with the legacy equipment. Th e 802.11n protocol has been architected for backward compatibility and interoperability with the legacy equipment, either mixed in the same network or operating in separate networks side-by-side with the legacy devices.

When 802.11 stations or access points detect the presence of legacy devices or nearby networks, they are required to use protection protocols, such as non-HT duplicate mode. Th us, the Wi-Fi Alliance expects that 802.11n draft 2.0-certifi ed devices can be gradually deployed within legacy networks or side-by-side with legacy networks without the need to upgrade the entire network to 802.11n.

Th e issue of 40-MHz channels in the 2.4-MHz band is still a potential con-cern, but sites that can tolerate 40-MHz 802.11n channels can use draft 802.11n to double the bandwidth for video and other multimedia services.

Mixed vs. Greenfi eld performanceTh e highest performance is achievable in Greenfi eld mode, with only 802.11n stations in the network and no legacy devices within reception reach. If legacy devices or networks are present, 802.11n devices communicate using protec-tion mode, which reduces network effi ciency. Nevertheless, gains in perfor-mance even in a mixed network should be apparent.

Spatial multiplexing and 40-MHz channels alone can quadruple the through-put of 802.11n devices. A Wi-Fi Alliance white paper, Wi-Fi Certifi ed 802.11n draft 2.0: Longer-range, faster-throughput, multimedia-grade Wi-Fi networks, downloadable from the alliance’s website, provides a complete overview ofperformance improvements off ered by 802.11n.

An independent test by octoScope of draft 802.11n products demonstrates the level of improvement achieved by the 802.11n devices over the legacy equipment.

802.11n has been architected for backward com-

patibility and interoperability with legacy equipment.





_________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.wi-fi.org&id=12233&adid=P44E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ametekusg.com&id=12233&adid=P44A1





www.EXFO.comTelecom Test and Measurement

Can you afford to miss outon important events?

More accurate. More flexible.EXFO’s OTDRs: the benchmark.

Characterizing closely spaced event requires shorter dead zones,fast data analysis and comprehensive reporting applications.Covering all network architectures from long-haul/metro to FTTHaccess and LAN/WAN, EXFO’s platform-based and handheld OTDRsdeliver just that—day in, day out.

Discover our complete range of OTDRs at EXFO.com/OTDR, orcall 1 800 663-3936.

From core to access, we test.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.exfo.com/otdr&id=12233&adid=P45A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.exfo.com&id=12233&adid=P45A2





Your Cable ManagementHeadaches Are Over.

The Cure? Cooper B-Line’s New RCM+™ Cable Management System.

Now, you have access to the most feature rich cable management system in the industry. Introducing Cooper B-Line’s new RCM+, a smartly designed system offering you simplified cable management and outstanding flexibility for all typesof installations—all at an affordable total cost!

It all comes down to flexibility, affordability and ease of installation. RCM+ cable managers feature an innovative, modular design giving you the flexibility andoptions you need to customize, upgrade or retrofit your structured cablingsystems. Plus, RCM+ delivers the same top end, labor saving features of muchhigher priced systems—think “name brand” product at a “generic” price.

No matter what your cable management requirements, look to Cooper B-Line’sRCM+ cable managers to cure all your cable management headaches.

For more information on RCM+ or B-Line’s comprehensive lines of cabinets and enclosures, rack and runway, cable tray systems, bolted framing or spring steel fasteners, simply contact your nearest distributor or visit us atwww.cooperbline.com/RCM+.

A Better Way To Manage Your Cable©2005 Cooper B-Line.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cooperbline.com/RCM+&id=12233&adid=P46A1





Venturi effect Vena Contracta effect

Air flow



thermal management

The fi rst paragraph of an article about cooling data centers will give away that ar-ticle’s ageWhen I fi rst startedwriting and speaking about data center thermal management some seven or eight years ago, I alwaysfelt compelled to open with a review of the heat-density forecasts from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE; www.ashrae.org) and the Uptime Institute (www.upsite.com) with the motive of scar-ing the reader or listener into staying with me to the end. Such rhetorical ploys are no longer necessary, soinstead I can get right to the point:

Contrary to some well-intentioned and self-serv-ing sound and fury, air is quite capable of dissipating heat loads in excess of 30 kilowatts (kW) per rack, anddoing it quite economically. Th at will be good news to the 92% of data center managers who have not yet tried liquid cooling, and the 65% who said they wouldnever use liquid cooling in their data centers,according to research presented in “Data CenterInfrastructure: Too Soon for Liquid Cooling,”(www.searchdatacenter.com, July 13, 2007).

Th e key principle in eff ectively using air to cool higher heat densities is to achieve as complete isolation as possi-ble between the chilled supply air and the heated return air. Th is guiding principle is the reason for laying out a data center in hot aisles and cold aisles, is supported by all reputable standards, and is cited as best practice in recent studies by the Lawrence Berkeley National Labo-ratory (www.lbl.gov) and Intel (www.intel.com).

Current practicesTh e current state of the art has seen isolation evolve from relative isolation to essentially complete isolation. Th is has been accomplished by various practices, including:• Cabinets with ducted exhausts directing heated air

into a suspended ceiling return plenum;• Cabinets direct-ducted back to the cooling unit;• Enclosed hot aisles with exhaust air ducted out of the

data center space (direct-ducted to the AC, ductedinto a suspended ceiling return plenum or ducted out of the building);

• Th e partial, although more complete than legacy, hot-aisle/cold-aisle. In this method isolation is accom-plished by evacuating hot aisles into a suspendedceiling return plenum through ceiling grates, or rout-ing exhaust air through cabinet chimney ducts into the space above the equipment in a room with much higher than normal slab-to-slab height. In both of these latter partial-isolation strategies, the

eff ectiveness of the isolation can be improved on anaccess fl oor by extending the perforated tiles

The Venturi effect (left) can create high-velocity, low-pressure areas in the rear of a cabinet within a data center, while the Vena Contracta effect (right) can produce low-pressure areas at the highest point of exhaust ducts.

➤

Hot-air isolation coolshigh-density data centers

Methods for isolating the chilled supply air from the hot return air are plenty, and worthy of close examination.

IAN SEATON IAN SEATON is technology marketing manager for Chatsworth Products is technology marketing manager for Chatsworth Products Inc. (www.chatsworth.com).Inc. (www.chatsworth.com).





________

__ ____

_______

__________

___________




http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.intel.com&id=12233&adid=P47E6

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.lbl.gov&id=12233&adid=P47E5

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.searchdatacenter.com&id=12233&adid=P47E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ashrae.org&id=12233&adid=P47E2


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.upsite.com&id=12233&adid=P47E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.upsite.com&id=12233&adid=P47E3





20 40 60 80

600,000Base

Option AOption B

Option C

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0 100

Annualoperating

cost ($)

Percent populated(Data from Sloan, 2006)

HVAC options, annual cost comparison

HVAC operating costsLocation Hot aisle/

Cold aisleSupply-return isolation

Atlanta $318,722 $122,712

Boston $413,673 $137,217

Dallas $1,042,479 $289,010

Denver $449,557 $120,636

Minneapolis $655,527 $216,306

San Jose, CA $742,564 $185,496

Seattle $514,168 $138,806

Wenatchee, WA $225,010 $71,137


beyond the end of the row of cabinets to help block returnair recirculation around the ends of the rows.

Th e cabinets in these isolation topologies actually serve as the barrier in the room that secures the separation between supply air and return air and, therefore, need to include allelements of best practices, such as blanking panels in allunused rack-mount spaces, means of sealing off recirculation around the perimeters of the equipment mounting area, and a means of sealing off cable access-tile cutouts.

Fans are sometimes used to route the return air through and out of this barrier system, but their use can be avoided—along with the extra power consumption, heat, noise, and poten-tial failure points—by engineering spaces that take advantage of the basic physics of the Bernoulli Equation. In particular, the Venturi eff ect can create high-velocity, low-pressure areas in the rear of the cabinet and the Vena Contracta eff ect can produce low-pressure areas at the apex of exhaust ducts. Both of these “eff ects” can, therefore, work together to eff ectively remove heat from cabinets without additional fans.

Theory and practiceHigh densities can be achieved with this degree of isolation because it frees the individual cabinet heat load from its dependency relationship on the delivery of chilled air from an immediately adjacent perforated fl oor tile. Th ebasis of the conventional wisdom about the limits to air cool-ing (typically, in the range of 6 to 8 kW per cabinet) resides in the relationship among airfl ow, temperature-rise, and heat dissipation.

This relationship can be described by the equationCFM = 3.1W/ΔT, where CFM is the cumulative air consump-tion of the equipment in the cabinet, W is the heat load of the cabinet in watts, and ΔT is the diff erence between the equip-ment intake temperature and its exhaust temperature.

Because there is some fi xed limit on how much air can be pushed through a perforated fl oor tile or tile grate, the CFM part of this relationship defi nes the ceiling on air cooling. For example, if we were able to get 800 CFM through a tile grate and we had equipment in the cabinet that operated with a 20°F temperature rise, we could fi gure we could cool about 5.2 kW in that cabinet:

800 CFM = 3.1W/20°FΔTW = 5161.3

But by removing the return air from the room, that depen-dency on chilled air being delivered from a near-enough source to diminish the eff ects of mixing with recirculated return air

is broken. Th e delivery points for the chilled air no longer matter; chilled air can enter the room anywhere, and as long as the room remains pressurized, there will be, by defi nition, adequate air volume in the room to cool any heat load any place in the room.

Elevated supply-air temperaturesTh is isolation between supply air and return air also means that supply-air temperatures can be run signifi cantly higher. Typically, supply air is set around 55°F in order to meet the ASHRAE TC9.9 recommendation for air delivered to equip-ment to fall in the 68 to 77°F range. Th e lower supply air

temperature is required to com-pensate for the natural mixing that takes place in the data centerbetween supply air andrecirculated return air, and typi-cally results in signifi cant tempera-ture stratifi cation from equipment lower in the cabinet to equipment higher in the cabinet.

Without any return air in the room, there is no longer any such stratifi cation and, therefore, no longer a need to deliver supply air

below the required temperature for the equipment. In a room with such isolation, it is safe to raise that supply air up to the 68 to 77°F range.

Higher supply-air temperatures, in conjunction with cooling unit economizers, off er a signifi cant economic benefi t

A study by The McKinstry Co. examined HVAC operating costs in eight geographic regions of the United States, then assessed different means of improving overall HVAC effi ciency. In the study, all data centers employed hot-aisle/cold-aisle best practices. The baseline used chilled-water CRAC units with a waterside economizer. Option A employed chill water air handlers with air side economizers and stream humidifi ers. Option B employed chilled-water air handlers with evaporative air economizers. And Option C employed the same cooling plant as Option B, but also had absolute separation between the supply air and return air.

➤










Delivering Solutions that Keep You Connected

(800) 424-5666www.generalcable.com

From copper to fiber, General

Cable has a 10 Gigabit Ethernet

solution for you. We’re proud to

offer high-quality

and cables

that support 10 Gig, and can be

customized to fit any network,

including:

• Backbone to horizontal drop

• Outside plant to inside your data center

• 37m to over 30km

With more than 100 years of

wire and cable experience,

General Cable has the

resources, product offerings

and applications support you

can depend on.

®

®

General Cablehas the solutions.

I want options.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.generalcable.com&id=12233&adid=P49A1






for the data center operator. Historically, the return-on-invest-ment for water side economizers for data center applications has been a hard sell in most geographic areas. Chiller plants typically need to keep water at 42°F to deliver 55°F supply air and assuming a 5°F approach temperature, the economizer would only take over for the chiller plant when the tempera-ture dropped below 37°F.

With the supply air temperature allowed to creep into the 70s°F, however, then the condenser water can run around 55°F and with a 5°F approach temperature; the economizer can kick in whenever the temperature drops below 50°F. At that tem-perature, data center operators in most areas of the country would have access to signifi cantly more “free” days of cooling. In fact, Intel reported a $144,000 energy savings for a medi-um-sized data center in the Pacifi c Northwest that depended

fi rst on the eff ective return-air isolation to allow higher sup-ply-air temperature. (Reference: “Reducing Data Center Energy Consumption with Wet Side Economizers,” Intel white paperauthored by Doug Garday, May 2007.)

Additionally, McKinstry Co. (www.mckinstry.com) has an-alyzed the economic benefi ts of deploying chilled-water air handlers with evaporative air economizers and absolute sep-aration of supply air and return air in the data center. Five-megawatt data center tenants, in eight diff erent geographic areas, found signifi cant cooling-cost savings versus a bench-mark facility with standard open hot aisles and cold aisles,using chilled-water computer-room air-conditioning (CRAC) units with water economizers.

Th e McKinstry study also looked at various options for im-proving the total effi ciency of the standard data center open hot-aisle/cold-aisle arrangement compared to the fully isolated arrangement at various levels of loading, and found the segre-gated supply-air and return-air models delivered lower oper-ating costs than all other combinations.

While the variations between regions can be extreme, the chart of average HVAC operating costs (page 48) neverthe-less provides an accurate view of the relative operating econo-mies of the diff erent systems. Th e “base” data center employs chilled-water CRAC units with water side economizer, with the room arranged according to hot-aisle/cold-aisle best prac-tices. Option A employs chilled-water air handlers with air side economizer and stream humidifi er, again with hot-aisle/cold-aisle best practices. Option B employs chilled-water air

Employing the strategy of isolating sup-

ply air from return air can provide an

economical path for making incremental

density increases.





______________

__________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.mckinstry.com&id=12233&adid=P50E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.pulizzi.com&id=12233&adid=P50A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.pulizzi.com/ipc&id=12233&adid=P50A2





➤


handlers with evaporative air economizer and hot-aisle/cold-aisle best practices. Option C employs the same cooling plant as Option B, but assumes absolute separation between thesupply air and return air.

Isolation versus other methodsWhile the evidence clearly favors the model of fully isolatingsupply air from return air over standard hot-aisle/cold-aisle arrangements with open space return-air paths for both lower operating costs and higher densities, there are also some implications regarding the claims of proponents of closely coupled liq-uid-cooled solutions.

For example, it is claimed that closely coupled liquid-cooled solutions are more economical to implement incrementally,thus saving the cost of operating a full-blown data center cooling plant when a room is not fully built out. Th e McKin-stry Co. data suggest otherwise, however, with the extremely low operating costs for Option C when the space is less than 50% populated.

In addition, lower operating costs in gen-eral have been central to the value proposi-tion off ered for closely coupled liquid-cooled solutions, particularly as a rebuttal toobjections over their signifi cantly high-er acquisition costs. In fact, the keynote address at this past spring’s AFCOMData Center World (www.afcom.com),delivered by HP’s (www.hp.com) Christian Belady, explained the power usage eff ec-tiveness (PUE) metric for measuring data center power and cooling effi ciency (total data center power consumption dividedby IT power consumption); it suggested a PUE of 1.6 was a measure of effi ciencytoward which the industry could aspire withclosely coupled liquid cooling solutions.

Compare this to today’s typical data center with a PUE around 3.0 and per-haps a 2.4, which can be achieved throughimplementing best practices in the hot aisle/cold-aisle arrangements, or maybe even a computational fl uid dynamics (CFD)-en-abled 2.0 PUE. Th e previously cited Intel white paper on wet side economizers uses the HVAC eff ectiveness ratio as a metric to demonstrate the effi ciency of their solution model, but that 6.19 ratio on an IT load of

5,830 kW equated to a PUE of approximately 1.3.In addition, the eight data center models in the McKinstry

study showed cooling-operating costs (HVAC + electricity + water + maintenance) ranging from only 5.1% up to 9.1% of the total data center operating costs (IT + UPS + trans-formers). Proponents of close-coupled cooling solutions also claim to make more fl oor space available for IT; however, theMcKinstry study shows an average of less than 2% of thedata center fl oor space is taken up by indoor HVAC





___________

_________

__________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.afcom.com&id=12233&adid=P51E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.hp.com&id=12233&adid=P51E2

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.paladin-tools.com&id=12233&adid=P51A1






equipment. Th erefore, with recognized higher acquisition costs and apparently without the touted operating cost advantages, close-coupled solutions do not appear to off er the user bene-fi ts that overcome redundancy and fail-over concerns.

Finally, while the message is clear regarding the opera-tional advantages of air cooling where maximum isolation is maintained between supply air and return air, particularly in conjunction with centralized chilled-water air handlers and evaporative economizers, the data center operator can still reap benefi ts in a space equipped with conventional chilled-water CRAC units and water side economizers.

Th e primary benefi t derives from increased cooling-uniteffi ciency because of higher return-air temperatures result-ing from eliminating the cooling eff ect of mixing with by-pass air in the data center. Th ese effi ciency gains can be quite remarkable (see table at left ). Employing the strategy of iso-lating supply air from return air can provide an economical path for making incremental density increases.

A paradigm-shifting designI don’t want to leave you underestimating the complexityinvolved with implementing a well-engineered air-cooleddata center with eff ective isolation between cool supply airand heated return air. Building this style of data center,however, is not really any more complex than any data center design and construction project, whether it be a conventionalhot-aisle/cold-aisle arrangement or a close-coupled liquid-cooled variation. It just requires making a bit of a paradigm shift up front; you will fi nd that most HVAC engineers will understand these values quite clearly.

Th e rewards are higher operating effi ciencies, lower energycosts, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing you have created an environment that minimizes the kinds of com-plexity that jeopardizes uptime availability.

Effect of return air temperatures on CRAC performance ratingCooling unit Supply air

temperatureReturn air temperature

Cooling capacity

Standard 10-ton CRAC

60° F 70° F 7.8 tons

60° F 90° F 15.5 tons

60° F 105° F 20.7 tons

Standard 30-ton CRAC

60° F 70° F 23.0 tons

60° F 90° F 46.0 tons

60° F 105° F 61.3 tons

Source: ANSYS Corp.





_______________


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.quiktron.com&id=12233&adid=P52A1





See what our expertshave to say...Dave Valentukonis takes the mystery out ofscreened and shielded cabling

DAVE VALENTUKONIS

Siemon’s Global Technical Support Manager

W W W . S I E M O N . C O MCONNECTING THE WORLD TO A HIGHER STANDARDW W W . S I E M O N . C O M

➤ Watch his video at: www.siemon.com/dave





_________________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.siemon.com/dave&id=12233&adid=P53A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.siemon.com&id=12233&adid=P53A2





ON-TIME DELIVERY IS NOT ANOPTION.

At ScanSource Security, our 600,000 square foot warehouse, fi lled with the most up-to-date products, like At ScanSource Security, our 600,000 square foot warehouse, fi lled with the most up-to-date products, like

Panasonic video surveillance products, is located right on the property of one of the world’s largest overnight Panasonic video surveillance products, is located right on the property of one of the world’s largest overnight

delivery companies. And because our logistics team is focused on speed, accuracy, and accountability, delivery companies. And because our logistics team is focused on speed, accuracy, and accountability,

we’ve been able to achieve a 99.7% shipment accuracy rate, even while offering free shipping on most we’ve been able to achieve a 99.7% shipment accuracy rate, even while offering free shipping on most

orders. Which means you can keep your promises to your customers. And we can keep our promise to you.orders. Which means you can keep your promises to your customers. And we can keep our promise to you.

800.964.8994 | www.scansourcesecurity.com

To call it an option implies we offer something else.To call it an option implies we offer something else.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.scansourcesecurity.com&id=12233&adid=P54A1







security

Cabling installation professionals typically play a signifi cant role in the instal-lation and deployment of any new video-over-Internet Protocol (IP) project, whether the network is shared or dedicated solely to a single func-tion, such as security operations.

If the system will be run over a shared or public network, infor-mation-technology (IT) personnel or a systems integrator who has special exper-tise in network installations will need to getinvolved, but even then, cabling installation profes-sionals will play a signifi cant role in the system’sdeployment and implementation. Th ere sim-ply is no replacement for the expertise andcapabilities of a cabling professional.

Th e fi rst step in defi ning system parameters, equipment selection, and means of deployment is a comprehensive site survey, which includes a complete assessment of existing conditions. Security experts should implement this survey, since they have experience with security- and sur-veillance-related issues, along with awareness of hot spots warranting specifi c attention and precautions.

Security, IT, and cabling professionals should all be involved in an assessment of infrastructure to assure that objectives and functionality issues are addressed, and to ensure high levels of interoperability among dis-parate systems and/or means of signal deployment and transmission.

Surveying the landscapeBecause cable quality and installation technique have a signifi cant impact on a system’s video refresh rate and

throughput, good infra-structure is a necessity for any systems-based instal-lation requiring correctly

specified, installed, and connectorized cable:

• Th e correct cable must be selected to meet specifi c application require-ments and to assure that it is installed

in a manner that minimizes or elim-inates crosstalk.• Camera and recorder placement is an important consideration as

well, particularly with regard to wiring-plant topology and location of network switches. Larger systems may require distributed architecture with

network video recorders (NVRs) located through-out the facility to help localize and optimize band-width use.

• Environmental conditions also need careful monitoring to ensure continuous and prolonged equipment life—especially recording devices using hard disk drives that run continuously and generate excessive heat.

• Lighting conditions and systems should be assessed for specifi c monitoring assignments and to elimi-nate troublesome conditions, such as high con-

When building the infrastructure for a net-work of IP cameras, like Panasonic’s BB-HCM511, cabling

installers will recognize the familiar RJ-45 port into which the terminated twisted-pair cables will plug.

➤

Cabling considerations for network-based video

The cabling installation professional’s role in the deployment of video over IP is crucial; so is the need to perform their tasks well.

STEVE SURFARO STEVE SURFARO is group manager and strategic technical liaison with is group manager and strategic technical liaison with Panasonic System Solutions Company (www.panasonic.co.Panasonic System Solutions Company (www.panasonic.com).





__________



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.www.panasonic.panasonic.com)&id=12233&adid=P55E2





WWW.MEGGER.COM

New Megger SCT2000Structured Cable TesterThe SCT2000 is the first tester to truly uncomplicate thecertification and evaluation of copper and fiber cablinginstallations. It is simply the must intuitive and easy-to-operate LAN certification tester on the market today!That alone makes it a tester to try.Now, add all of these other impressive features:

1 to 1,000 MHz frequency range. Certifies twisted pairto all approved ISO and TIA standard, including ISO Class F.Powerful diagnostics pinpoint the distance to linkdisturbances on each measured pair.Unique “connector-less” recessed copper and fiber opticadapters eliminate virtually all potential adapter or testerdamage…keeping your SCT on the job.Unparalleled result storage capability. Internal memorystores over 5,000 certification test results, or 100 graphicresults.Powerful certification management software organizes,edits, views, prints, saves or archives test results by job site,customer, campus building and more.Large color VGA LCD display provides a rich graphical userinterface, speeding users through twisted pair and fiberoptic cabling certification and diagnosis.“Talk” feature allows two-way voice communicationbetween the main and remote units.

Really? How easy is it?Request a live demonstration at your location today by calling1-800-723-2861 ext. 8518, email us at [email protected] orgo online to www.megger.com/sct for complete product specifications.

It’s already knownas the easiest ever!It’s already knownas the easiest ever!


trast, and to accommodate specifi c camera functions, such as day/night switchover or automatic back focus.

• Th e potential for external sources of system disruption, such as vandalism, also needs to be weighed to determine the most appropriate cameras for specifi c site placement.An eff ective way to initiate the site survey is by determin-

ing zones of protection, beginning at the most remote point of contact with your facility (i.e., the street and/or road and walk-way access points), proceeding to actual entry points, followed by internal areas of high importance. Th e farthest points willrequire good peripheral coverage, while the middle andinterior locations will need more focused protectiontailored to your specifi c security priorities.

Continuing with the site survey, the next step is to deter-mine whether this will be a server-based or an embedded system. Th is is a critical distinction; server-based recorders equire camera and/or soft ware licenses, have variablenetwork throughput, require additional soft ware to pro-tect fi les, and require an advanced skill set to maintain.Embedded systems, on the other hand, usually have no cam-era-licensing costs, have a fi xed network throughput, andoff er exclusive fi le protection through a proprietary operat-ing system.

In addition, look at the number and type of cameras that will be deployed to determine the type of recording system, recorder capacity, and recorder type.

How much bandwidth do they eat?Th e issue of bandwidth allocation can be tricky. Higher band-width correlates to higher resolution and motion, but requires a greater investment. Th is equation rises exponentially when large numbers of cameras (particularly megapixel cameras) and recorders are added to a network.

A diligent determination will include consideration of how cameras will be monitored, what the user will need to see versus record, available bandwidth, and the functionalrequirements to determine what type of compression best fi ts the need. MPEG-4 is best for monitoring and multicast capability, while JPEG is more appropriate for higher-reso-lution recording.

Bandwidth requirements can be calculated by accumulating total camera bandwidth for each NVR, typical multiple-user monitoring-station bandwidth values for each NVR, totals to nearest network switch, multiple network-switch bandwidth, and individual-user monitoring-station bandwidth values.

Use an estimate of maximum load to determine the area system power requirement, simulating continuous operation of pan/tilt/zoom cameras. Power over Ethernet capabilityfacilitates installation for network video cameras, resulting in lower installation costs and reduced operational overhead. Th e potential for large expenditures on maintenance and





____________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.megger.com/sct&id=12233&adid=P56A1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.megger.com&id=12233&adid=P56A2





• Smart Solutions: NVR, IP software, hybrid systems• Powerful monitoring features included

• Megapixel IP cameras and analog cameras• Open integration with other systems

• Simple, cost-efficient IP camera licensing• One easy to use, powerful interface

www.exacq.com • 317.845.5710


service calls is also reduced because cameras can be adjust-ed, checked, or even reconfi gured remotely without the need for on-site service.

A networked system is more easily scalable than a point-to-point system, because camera locations can freely and safely be added or changed without incurring substantial costs for installation and wiring, and without the potential of having to shut down the system during installation. Whether usinganalog or network cameras, there is also a need to consider the additional power required for a camera-housing heater/blower based on the site’s exposure to the elements.

Once these determinations have been made and the installation is complete, test the system response by going through the most common network usage scenarios.Simulate as many network conditions and loads as possible for components, edgedevices, and infrastructure, and providerecovery scenarios from the most common and reasonable failures. Th en publish a net-work-video commissioning statement to specify the system deployment, including step-by-step staging, programming, instal-lation, and commissioning tasks, as well as division of responsibilities and acceptance-test criteria.

While installation best practices vary between dedicated and shared networks, there are common methods of selecting the system confi guration that is best for anindividual application. Th e initial selec-tion criteria for cameras will always remain the same, whether for analog or IP-basedvideo devices: Th e camera needs to have the ability to produce an image in simple or diffi cult lighting conditions. Should a specialized camera be required that does not have a network version available, you can use a video encoder and incorporate the analog camera(s) plus encoder into the video-over-IP system.

Options and expertiseGiving users a variety of means to access video streams over a network can enhance the overall security the system provides. For example, video feeds can be linked to access-control events to reduce piggybacking or tailgating. Loss-prevention teams can also use network video recordings with special

video analyzers to reduce shrinkage and theft , and humanresources personnel may access network video in adistribution center for work habits and safety concerns.

Collaboration is the first step in planning andimplementing networked-video deployment. When youallow infrastructure designers to use their expertise fordata transport, and IT professionals to use theirs fordeployment or shared networks, best practices will become a reality.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.exacq.com&id=12233&adid=P57A1






Through engineering Times Microwave Systems advances technology bysolving demanding interconnection problems. Times specializes in the designand manufacture of innovative high performance flexible and semi-rigid coaxialcables, connectors, and cable assemblies for RF transmission from HF throughmicrowave frequencies.

New Products from Times:

• LMR® Bundled Cable - cables preassembled under common outer jacket

• Advantage Connectors - EZ no-solder connectors

• EZ-400-NMC-2 - LMR®-400 two piece EZ type N male clamp connector

• LMR®-lite - light weight, low loss, high performance coaxial cables

• SilverLine™ QMA - reliable, professional grade test cables & adaptors

• SilverLine™ TuffGrip - test cables with hefty hand grip for field use

World Headquarters: 358 Hall Avenue, Wallingford, CT 06492 • Tel: 203-949-8400, 1-800-867-2629 Fax: 203-949-8423International Sales: 4 School Brae, Dysart, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland KY1 2XB UK • Tel: +44(0)1592655428 Fax: +44(0)1592653162

China Sales: Unit A, Floor 14, East Ocean Center, No. 618 Yan’an Road East, Shanghai, China 200001 • Tel: 86-21-33184650 Fax: 86-21-53854506www.timesmicrowave.com

AADDVVAANNCCIINNGGTTEECCHHNNOOLLOOGGYY

wwiitthh NNEEWW PPRROODDUUCCTTSS ffrroomm TTIIMMEESS





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.timesmicrowave.com&id=12233&adid=P58A1






A 3,000-square-foot data center

expansion for San Francisco colocation and managed service provider ColoServe (www.coloserve.com),complete with a Cat-egory 6 cabling in-frastructure, is helping its business customers keep up with current andfuture growth. ColoServe is a division of ServePath (www.servepath.com), which provides dedicated server hosting solu-tions to customers worldwide.

Sharing infrastructure with Verizon’s sole San Francisco phone switchingfacility, including dual generatorscapable of producing 4 megawatts of power and sufficient on-site dieselfuel to run off the electrical grid for more than two weeks, the data center features ColoServe’s Screaming-Fast Network, which gives customers instant access to more than 45 major Internet networks in a single connection.

“We continually improve our facilities to keep up with the latest technology and ensure space is available when custom-ers need it,” explains John Keagy, presi-

dent of ColoServe.To boost bandwidth for its customers,

ColoServe/ServePath chose Berk-Tek (www.berktek.com) LANmark-1000 Category 6 six-pack bun-dled cables and Ortronics/Legrand (www.ortronics.com) patch panels, which were installed by Serve-Path data center techni-cians, under the guidance of the parent company’s engineering team. The Huntsman Architectural Group (www.huntsmanag.com) was also a keydesigner in the data cen-ter upgrade.

Th e expanded data cen-ter was previously a network operations center (NOC), so installation challenges

included keeping the NOC opera-tional while moving it. Since a raised fl oor was already in place, there was little diffi culty in removing any oldercabling. Most of the constructioninvolved removal of walls and carpet, installing power and cooling systems, and relocating employees and allothers associated with the NOC.

In addition to its existing on-site NOC staff , the ColoServe data center expan-sion now includes system administrators and phone support in two ColoServe/

ServePath buildings, at 345 and 360 Spear Street. The company recentlyhired and trained addi-tional data center and system deployment tech-nicians, doubling its 24/7 on-site staffi ng and cus-tomer support.

“We now have anadditional 40 cabinets available for existing co-location customers who want to expand, or for new customers who are

looking for premium data center space in San Francisco,” says Keagy.

San Francisco colocation facility expands data center with Category 6 solutions

APC launches 3-in-1 data center design tools

Integrating data center design, opera-tions, and management in one soft ware

platform, APC’s (www.apc.com) Capac-ity Manager and Change Manager tools are targeting data center managers look-ing to effi ciently align the redundancyand equipment availability needs of physical infrastructure.

Capacity Manager knits the capabili-ties of the infrastructure with changing

data center requirements, tracking in real time the optimal installation location for new or existing equipment based on elec-trical load and thermal profi le. Change Manager is designed for rapid andaccurate physical infrastructure changes

—including installing, moving, anddecommissioning IT equipment—with-out unexpected issues arising.

“Using Capacity Manager and Change

Manager, facility and IT professionals now can manage frequent physical equip-ment changes in the data center, as well as determine the eff ect planned chang-es and growth will have using ‘what if ’-type scenarios,” explains John DiPippo, senior vice president of management sys-tems and soft ware.

Working in tandem with the com-pany’s InfraStruXure and InRow

A network operations center is built in the center of ColoServe/ServePath’s data cen-ter fl oor in downtown San Francisco, and is staffed around the clock by systems administrators and network engineers. Twenty-one screens monitor everything from network traffi c and performance to power, temperature, and security systems.

The ColoServe/ServePath data center operates several thousand dedicated servers for business customers in more than 100 countries.

➤

Compiled by Steve Smith





____________

___

_____________

__________

___

_____________

_________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.coloserve.com&id=12233&adid=P59E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.apc.com&id=12233&adid=P59E6

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.huntsmanag.com&id=12233&adid=P59E5

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ortronics.com&id=12233&adid=P59E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.berktek.com&id=12233&adid=P59E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.servepath.com&id=12233&adid=P59E2






APCcontinued from page 59cooling solutions, Capacity Manager analyzes measured average and peak power consumption to recommend an optimum location. “Features such as the

graphical power gauge and capacity plan enable informed decision-making toreduce unplanned downtime often caused by overloading the physicalinfrastructure,” says DiPippo.

Combining a physical asset manage-ment tool to track the location of equip-ment with a work-order process tool designed to ensure timely deployment of new equipment changes, Change Manager “enables us to streamline our process for changes in our data centers, and to accurately track status for tasks, such as adding new equipment, movingexisting equipment, and decommission-ing retired equipment,” says customer Norm Fjeldheim, senior vice president

and chief information offi cer for wireless solu-tions developer QUAL-COMM Inc. (www.qualcomm.com).

APC also recent-ly unveiled its web-based InfraStruXure Reference Design Gallery, intended to quickly guide users toward a pre-en-gineered design that is closest to their specifi c objectives.

A downloadable executive summaryincludes a system overview, speci-fi cations, visuals, system schemat-ics, and a detailed quote report with

estimated resale pricing. Th e tool also provides answers to commonly asked design questions.

Serving as a starting point for data cen-ter design, the Reference Design is in-

APC’s Capacity Manager knits the capabili-ties of a customer’s data center infrastructure with changing requirements, identifying the optimal installation location for new or exist-ing equipment based on electrical load and thermal profi le.

As a starting point for data center layout, APC’s web-based Reference Design can help provide a total pre-engineered solution based on a customer’s specifi c requirements.

Ring around the campus

More than $217,000 worth of fiber-optic

cable donated by OFS (www.ofsoptics.com) will help the Uni-versity of West Georgia complete a fi ber-optic ring around the cam-pus, a project considered vital for continued network reliability.

OFS’ Optical Cable and Con-nectivity Products division islocated in Carrollton, GA, home of the university.“UWG has projected that its

need for network capacity will grow exponentially in the coming years,” says Vedat Gunay, infor-mation technology services as-sociate director at the University of West Georgia. “The new cable from OFS will enable the connec-tion of new building projects, such as the health and wellness building, and an expansion of the north campus, providing high-speed data networking for voice, data and video.”

Jacques Fiorella, division general manager, says OFS’ donation “will enable the University of West Georgia to educate their students using one the state’s mostadvanced metropolitan fi ber-optic networks.”

tended to minimize plan revisions. “Th is design tool not only can save an incredi-ble amount of time in the overall design process of a data center, but also greatly simplifi es and clarifi es the criteria and known business needs of our custom-ers to help make key decisions related to data center planning,” says Neil Ras-mussen, APC senior vice president and chief technology offi cer.

Each design consists of standardInfraStruXure technology, including UPS, racks, cooling, management soft -ware, and service components.

Representatives of University of West Georgia (UWG) and OFS’ Optical Cable and Connectivity Products division celebrate the company’s donation of fi ber-optic cable that will help provide advanced networking to the college’s Carrollton, GA campus. Left to right: Vedat Gu-nay, UWG associate director of ITS; Dr. Thomas Hynes Jr., UWG acting president; Jacques Fiorella, OFS Cable and Connectivity general manager; Michael Wheeler and James Cato, OFS shipping associates; Doug Bookout, OFS inside sales manager. (Photo courtesy of OFS)

“Change Manager en-

ables us to streamline

our process for changes

in our data centers, and

to track status for tasks.”





__________

____

___

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.qualcomm.com&id=12233&adid=P60E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ofsoptics.com&id=12233&adid=P60E2





Allied Tube & Conduit • AFC Cabling Systems® • Power-Strut® Metal & Fiberglass Framing • Cope® Cable Tray

The Kwik-LatchTM design is integral to Cope’s Cat-TrayTM cable tray products.

Kwik-LatchTM allows the sturdy steel cable tray sections to quickly snap together for the easiest installation in the industry! This integral latch system makes even the most complex fi eld installations a snap – change directions or navigate around obstacles with ease!

Cat-TrayTM makes your cable tray installations fl exible, quick, and easy!

Cat-TrayTM – The Trusted Name in Wire Basket Tray SystemsAsk your local sales rep for the Cat-TrayTM catalog today!

Or, get it online at: http://www.alliedeg.com/cope

© 2007 T.J. Cope, Tyco International. Cat-Tray, Kwik-Latch, Cope, Allied Tube & Conduit, AFC Cable Systems, Power-Strut, and Tyco are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tyco and/or its affi liates in the United States and in other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective owners.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=http://www.alliedeg.com/cope&id=12233&adid=P61A1





Visit us at BICSI Booth# 607Available through your favorite distributor!

The smallest form factor patch cables on the market

CLEARLINKS™ Cables

www.cptechusa.com

Accelerate to the speed of light! CP Technologies CLEARLINKS™ Fiber Optics


CORNING, NY—Corning (www.corning.com) has developed an optical fi ber-based technology for FTTx networks designed to allow the cabled fi ber to be bent around tight corners with virtually no signal loss. The company’s nanoStructures technology will enable installers to more economically provide high-speed Internet, voice and HDTV services to virtually all types of commercial and residential buildings. Current optical fi ber installations lose signal strength and effectiveness when bent around corners and routed through a building, making it diffi cult and expensive to run fi ber to the customer’s home. “We have developed an optical fi ber cable that is as rugged as copper but with all of the bandwidth benefi ts of fi ber,” says Peter Volanakis, Corning’s president and chief operating offi cer. “By making fundamental changes in the way light travels in the fi ber, we were able to create new optical fi ber that is over100 times more bendable than standard fi bers.”

TORONTO, ON—Nortel (www.nortel.com) has unveiled a vision for the “Unwired Enterprise,” designed to enable businesses to create all-wireless offi ce environments free of cabling. The Unwired Enterprise is also intended to include seamless universal mobility in and out of the offi ce, enabled by wireless broadband capable of supporting all communications needs, including

voice, video, unifi ed communications, and other real-time applications. As part of its vision, Nortel is increasing its research and development for a complete next-generation enterprise wireless and mobility solutions, which will include: wireless LAN and Mesh products supporting access at speeds three to six times faster than today’s typical rates, switches and routers with embedded wireless functionality to improve performance of real-time applications, and unifi ed network management designed to provide end-to-end support across an enterprise data network from a single management platform.

COLUMBIA, MD—SPL Integrated Solutions (www.splis.com), a designer and installer of high-bandwidth video systems, has created a Network Services Division to provide network design and consulting services, targeting Fortune 1000 corporations, higher education institutions, and the Federal government.

“With the formation of the Network Services Division, we can now provide IP networking analysis and assessment before the deployment of the AV systems to ensure that performance, security, and quality-of-service remain high,” says SPL president and CEO Chad Gillenwater. The new division will be headed by Mike Morgan, RCDD.

Short runs…





_________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.corning.com&id=12233&adid=P62E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cptechusa.com&id=12233&adid=P62A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.nortel.com&id=12233&adid=P62E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.splis.com&id=12233&adid=P62E2





©Server Technology, Inc. Sentry is a trademark of Server Technology, Inc.

Solutions for the Data Center Equipment CabinetModular 3-Phase Power:High Density Power DistributionWhen and Where You Need It!

> High Power Distribution: 208V 3-Phase 30A/60A or 415V 3-Phase 32A

> kW Rating (per in-feed): Provides 10.8, 21.6, or 23 kW of power

> Flexible Mounting: Zero-U mounting within the side of the cabinet

> Local Current LED’s: Verification of input current and for load balancing

> Environmental Monitoring: External temperature and humidity probes

> Linking: Links two units under one IP

> Remote Monitoring and Security:Web interface, SSL, SSH, Telnet, SNMP, SNTP, Syslog, LDAP and LDAPS, TACACS+, and RS-232 access

1040 Sandhill DriveReno, NV 89521 – USA

[email protected]

tf +1.800.835.1515tel +1.775.284.2000fax +1.775.284.2065

Server Technology, Inc.

Modular Design takes 3-Phase Input and DistributesSingle Phase Power throughout the Equipment Cabinet


RICHARDSON, TX—Released in October 2006 and available only in the European, Middle East and African markets, CommScope’s (www.commscope.com) GigaSPEED X10D FTP solution is now being offered to customers worldwide. The foiled twisted-pair cable is designed to support and exceed IEEE 802.3an and 10GBase-T standards. “Since there is a certain portion of the market that prefers an FTP solution, we intend to address that demand,” explains Mark Peterson, senior vice president of global marketing/enterprise. CommScope says its FTP solution has been specifi cally engineered with enhanced cable and connector performance designed to support emerging 10-Gbit/sec Ethernet requirements. Featuring a four-pair construction and aluminum foil tape, the cable is equipped with a patented pair isolator and an optimized twist-and-strand scheme designed to provide an extra margin of performance for high-bandwidth applications.

ARLINGTON, VA—The TIA (www.tiaonline.org) TR-42.3 subcommittee on commercial building telecommunications pathways and spaces is developing a revision to J-STD-607-A:Commercial Building Grounding (Earthing) and Bonding Requirements for Telecommunications. The revision could add requirements that are not included in the existing standard

and would refl ect technological chances since the standard was published. Areas under consideration include: application information, antenna grounding, data center grounding, industrial grounding, verifi cation and testing, impact of multiple power service entrances, tall buildings, campus grounding, grounding for access and service providers, supplemental grounding (including rods, grids, and coupled conductors), bonding conductor sizing, and optical grounding topologies. If interested in contributing to the proposed project development, contact Steve Huffaker: [email protected]

BRICK, NJ—North American Video (www.navcctv.com) will provide a networked video surveillance system that includes 140 Infi nova PTZ dome cameras as part of a contract for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of Los Angeles. Also included in the contract are mounting accessories and coaxial cable converters. The surveillance system is designed to improve law enforcement’s ability to monitor and react to suspicious activities. With a 1,433-square-mile operating area, and 2,000 buses on the street any given business day in addition to 73.1 miles of urban rail service, the Los Angeles MTA is the third largest public transportation system in the United States.

Short runs…





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.commscope.com&id=12233&adid=P64E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.servertechblog.com&id=12233&adid=P64A2

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.servertech.com&id=12233&adid=P64A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.tiaonline.org&id=12233&adid=P64E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.navcctv.com&id=12233&adid=P64E2





Poli-MOD™

Pigtail Splicing Redefined

www.AFLtele.com© 2007 AFL Telecommunications LLC.

Visit AFL Telecommunications at theBICSI Fall ConferenceBooth #210

24 Fiber Poli-MOD with optionalUniversal Mounting Bracket

Poli-MODs in LanSystem™4RU Patch Panel

Increase rack density with AFL Telecommunications’ Poli-MOD

With the capability to convert a standard 4RU high patch panel into a patch and splice configuration supporting up to 288 fibers– yielding 2,592 terminated fibers in a standard 7 foot rack – Poli-MOD redefines fiber density, splice organization and flexibility.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.AFLtele.com&id=12233&adid=P65A1






Cable assembly in NECA spotlight

From show-stopper to featured prod-uct, Quik-Pull custom cable assem-

blies, developed by Cliff ord of Vermont (www.cliff ordvt.com), will be among the headliners in the new product room at this year’s NECA Show, Oct. 4-6, in San Francisco. A year ago, Quik-Pull was one of only 25 exhibitors to be honored with a NECA Show Stopper Award.

With the Quik-Pull design, rather than pulling single wires from multi-ple runs, one assembly is pulled at once. Spiral assemblies are designed for sim-plifi ed, smooth pulling through conduit, while straight assemblies consist of indi-vidual conductors that can be broken out at intermediate points along the run.

All assemblies are pre-labeled and color-coded per custom-er specifi cation, with any wiring and cable combination available. Tray-rated jackets, in sunlight-resistant PE or water-, gas- and oil-resistant PVC, are avail-able in numerous col-ors and can be printed with any alphanumericinformation.

Custom armoring is available ineither interlocked galvanized steel or aluminum. Core material can range

from .32 to 2.5 inches, with the length of run limited only by the capacity of a 66-inch fl ange diameter reel.

Acquisition, upgrades move ConEst rapidly forward

Less than a year ago, bidding and proj-ect-management soft ware producer

ConEst (www.conest.com) announced it was acquiring the RapidBOM telecom-munications design and estimating sys-tem from Catalyst Data Inc. Since that announcement, ConEst has worked with the system’s producer, Mainstay Soft ware Corporation, to fully ingratiate Rapid-BOM into the ConEst portfolio.

The two organizations also have worked together on a soon-to-be-released next version of RapidBOM—a package that promises to take ease-of-use to a new level.

For years, RapidBOM has been avail-able as a communications-network es-timating system that automatically creates a bill of materials (BOM) that includes material and labor costs. Th e package’s claim to fame has been a reg-ularly updated catalog that contains more than 130,000 products from more than 100 communications-productmanufacturers. “Th e catalog includes cut sheets and specifi cations,” explains Mainstay’s president, Dan Walkovitz.

“Th e system compares created designs

to TIA/EIA [Telecommunications In-dustry Association/Electronic IndustriesAlliance] and BICSI standards,” he says, adding that thanks to that feature,designers are “less inclined to over-look elements and, therefore, underbid a project. It provides peace of mind to allow contractors to bid tightly with-out fear of having to add to a projectin-progress.”

Another of RapidBOM’s features is a kitting function, which lets users select product types, then choose certain crite-ria from a dropdown menu. Th e package searches the catalog for options, and puts those options together into a kit.

Th e soft ware system lets designers specify products and labor, and therebygenerate cost estimations on several levels, including full project, crosscon-nects, work areas, and outside plant. As the designer builds the communications infrastructure segment by segment, the system creates a hierarchical diagram of the project as a whole.

Within each individual segment, us-ers can import any kits they havepreviously built. ConEst and Mainstay

estimate the package provides a 65 to 75% reduction in design and estimation time compared to manual methods.

Th e biggest news from the combined providers of RapidBOM will be the new-est version of the system, which is im-minent. Among the most signifi cant enhancements in the new model is theinterface between RapidBOM and Net-Pricer. Using the soon-to-be-released ver-sion of the soft ware package, users will be able to export pricing to NetPricer and have real-time quotes come back to them in 30 to 40 seconds.

Among other new features will be a level of customization that will let users identify tasks and organize projects in their own manner. From a pricing-esti-mation standpoint, the new package will have several upgrades. Users will be able to assign factors of diffi culty for certain products in certain applications, giv-ing them the ability to more accuratelydetermine a labor rate for a given product depending on the environment in which it is being installed.

Also, the new release will provide cate-gories of labor, each with its own hourly





_____________

___________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cliffordvt.com&id=12233&adid=P66E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.conest.com&id=12233&adid=P66E2





MicroScanner2. Envision cable verification raised to a higher power.

©2007 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved. 02114

Introducing MicroScanner2 – a revolutionary way to verify voice/data/video cabling and services. It streamlines verification testing by displaying key

results – wiremap, pair lengths, cable ID and dis-

tance to fault – all on one bright oversized screen.

Plus, its built-in RJ11, RJ45, and coax ports test

virtually any low-voltage cable with no need for

adapters. With all this plus 10/100/1000 Ethernet,

POTS, and PoE service detection, it’s clear this is

one high-powered tester that’s going to streamline

your voice/data/video testing in a blink of an eye.

N E T W O R K S U P E R V I S I O N

M i c r o S c a n n e r 2

C a b l e V e r i f i e r

Take a virtual demo today. Visit

www.flukenetworks.com/SeeMicroScanner2and find out how you can win one for yourself.

rate. Th is feature will be particularly use-ful to contractors who carry out projects in diff erent cities, or who work on Gener-al Services Administration contracts.

As for functionality, the new release will provide multiple bid recaps, and it will have a single point of launch for all reports.

When ConEst acquired RapidBOM last fall, the design-and-estimating pack-age joined the fi rm’s stable of off erings that includes the widely recognized andwidely adopted IntelliBid, a soft ware package that is primarily geared toward electrical projects but also incorporates communications.

“RapidBOM complements IntelliBid, especially in the design aspect,” says Walkovitz. IntelliBid is available in sev-eral varieties, including “Lite,” “Pro,” and

“Plus,” as well as IntelliBid Design Build.“IntelliBid has and still does address

voice, data, and low-voltage projects,”explains George Hague, president of ConEst. “RapidBOM has brought new feature sets into ConEst, and we are tar-geting contractors that do both electrical and communications work.”

As the promise of converging build-ing systems gets closer and closer to fru-ition, the coordination of many products, systems, and tasks becomes increasing-ly signifi cant. With a history of serv-ing electrical estimators and the recentenhancement of its off erings to commu-nications estimators, ConEst is position-ing itself as a provider of functionality, convenience, and effi ciency for theseconverged systems.

As such, the company is evolving its product lines. Hague notes, “We haveadopted reports for our contractors to work according to the MasterFormat.”

Th e MasterFormat is a construction

document published by the Construc-tion Specifi cations Institute (CSI). With its most recent edition, CSI signifi cantly overhauled the document. Of particular signifi cance to professionals in the elec-trical and communications fi elds, several disciplines/systems that formerly resided in the electrical division of the MasterFor-mat now have their own division numbers attached to them—including many diff er-ent communications systems.

Many construction professionals fi nd a great deal of irony in the MasterFormat overhaul, considering the trend toward convergence of many of those systems in newly constructed buildings today.

Regardless, the MasterFormat is what it is, as the saying goes. And ConEst con-tinues to work to provide simple and effi -cient means of planning and organizing the construction of these intersecting systems.—Patrick McLaughlin





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.flukenetworks.com/SeeMicroScanner2&id=12233&adid=P67A1






continued from page 9transmitted data packets—otherwise known as latency.

Data centers demand low-latency physical (PHY) perfor-mance. One industry expert estimated that a one-millisecond advantage in trading applications can be worth $100 million a year to a major brokerage fi rm. 10-Gig optical PHY has 1,000 times better latency performance than 10-Gig copper.10-Gig optical has typical PHY latency in the nanosecond range, whereas 10-Gig copper has PHY latency measurable in microseconds. DSP algorithms cannot be used to mitigate alien crosstalk or other external sources of electromagnetic interference due to their random statistical nature. Th e UTP cable relies entirely on the (larger) cable design and physical confi guration of the cable in pathways and spaces to address the external alien crosstalk noise ingress.

Pathway and space useThe larger diameter of Category 6A cable can alsosignifi cantly compromise effi cient use of pathways and spaces, such as wire baskets, trays, conduits, and racks. Two Category 6A UTP cables consume the same area equivalent of a single 216-fi ber ribbon cable. Th e high fi ber density, combined with the small diameter of optical cable, maximizes the raised-fl oor pathway and space effi ciencies for routing and cooling, andoff ers superior pathway use when routed in aerial cable trays.

Because of the larger diameter and abundance of coppercable, a greater amount of jacketing and insulatingmaterials can cause additional fuel load in the path-ways and increase the volume of hazardous waste goinginto landfills from construction debris. Coppercables’ congestion in pathways also increases the potential for damage to electronics through over-heating by restricting the much-needed air-fl ow to regulate temperature. In addition, air-cooling/damming effects can inter-fere with ventilation systems’ ability toremove dust and dirty.

A typical plenum Category 6Acable weighs 46 pounds per 1,000 feet. Th e accumulated weight of Category 6A cabling alone to serve a108-circuit, 200-foot length10-Gbit/sec installation will be ap-proximately 1,000 pounds—com-pared with 40 pounds for the same length of a 216-fi ber optical cable.Th e 5x greater weight of Category 6Acables will require addition-al hardware costs to support the load, and may contribute tocable strain-relief issues in hard-

ware, as well as compression issues in trays and conduits.Concerning stress, Category 6A installers must ensure they

do not exceed the 25-pound tensile rating and avoid untwist-ing of wires, while a single-fi ber 2.0-mm jumper boasts a50-pound tensile rating and a multi-fi ber cable can have atensile strength of 600 pounds.

In addition, care must be taken not to violate the coppercable’s 4x outside-diameter bend radius. Violating the bendradius distorts the cable’s physical geometric properties, which degrades transmission performance. Optical cables have an equivalent or better bend performance because of their small diameter, which easily facilitates installation without compro-mising transmission performance.

Installation and fi eld testingA labor premium over traditional 1000Base-T systems isanticipated for the installation and testing of 10GBase-T sys-tems. 10-Gig copper can be much more complex to fi eld-test than previous-generation copper systems, and requiressophisticated test equipment. Testing is performed on each cable across the 1- to 500-MHz frequency spectrum to determine con-formance for insertion loss, return loss, pair-to-pair near-end crosstalk (NEXT), power-sum NEXT, pair-to-pair equal-level far-end crosstalk (ELFEXT), power-sum ELFEXT, propagation delay, length, delay skew, and wire map. Complex and oft en time-consuming alien crosstalk measurements must also be made.

Some Category 6A UTP cable manufacturers, and others,are suggesting random alien crosstalk fi eld testing to demonstrate total cable conformance. Considering the

fi nancial impact of data center downtime, contractors, net-work designers, and end users are not expected to accept random testing. Industry experts have stated as much as

3.75 hours are required to perform 100% total test-ing on a bundle of 24 copper cables. Conversely,

10-Gbit/sec field testing for opticalcables simply requires the standard end-to-end link-loss measurement.

It’s expected that 10-Gbit/seccopper port density will be four to eight ports per card due to power requirements of

10 to 15 watts per port, as well as be-ing limited by heat dissipation and

crosstalk issues. In high-density applica-tions, this power usage is signifi cant, not

only in consumption, but alsoin the generation of heat, which

requires cooling to protect transmission equipment fromrising temperatures.

The American Society

The 216-fi ber ribbon cable (top) can accommodate 108 duplex connections, while the bundle of Category 6A cables can accom-modate 48 such connections. ➤










Built with your systemin mind.

www.cablofil.com800-658-4641

8319 State Route 4Mascoutah, IL 62258 USA

UFS from Cablofil is a wire mesh tray system for underfloor cable management that’s adaptable to any installation. It’s self-supporting so it won’t void the warrantyof your floor and 2’ tray sections can be installed through asingle floor opening. Multiple height supports are availablein kits, making UFS easy to order and install. And UFS integrates with our 10’ tray — an industry first.

UNDER FLOOR CABLE MANAGEMENT MADE EASY.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cablofil.com&id=12233&adid=P69A1





Line card density comparisona) b)

Six copper line cards = 48 ports One fiber line card = 48 ports


of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE; www.ashrae.org) guidelines state that for every kilowatt of power, an equal thermal unit of cooling is required. More power consumption requires greater cooling and humiditycontrol, which increases operational costs of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and backup power supplies.

Industry experts have stated that every one-cent increase in energy cost per kilowatt-hour can amount to $3 million per year in energy and cooling costs in a large data center. Also,

➤

The amount of space in which 48 copper ports (left) can be housed and that in which 48 fi ber ports (right) can be housed is one reason to choose optical connectivity in the data center.

for every dollar spent on pow-ering servers and equipment in a data center, fi rms shouldexpect to spend another dol-lar to as much as $2 to $3 to cool the hardware. MajorTier 1 switch manufacturers are

not expected to off er 10GBase-T commercial products untilmid-2008, as silicon-chip manufacturers continue to address issues with power consumption.

Considering the fi ber advantagesAccordingly, 10-Gbit/sec optical components provide clearadvantages over copper twisted pair:• 10-Gbit X2 transceivers support up to 16 ports per line card.

Maximum power dissipation is 4 watts per port;• 10-Gbit XFP optical transceivers support up to 24 to 36

ports per line card. Maximum power dissipation is 2.5 wattsper port;

• Emerging 10-Gbit SFP+ optical transceivers will support up to 48 ports per line card. Maximum power dissipation will be 1 watt per port. Th e SFP+ transceiver will off er signifi cantly lower cost compared to the X2 and XFP transceivers;

• A 10-Gbit copper system will require more switches and line cards to match the bandwidth capability of 10-Gbit optical. 10GBase-SR server adapter cards typically use less than

9 watts of power to transmit up to 300 meters, while recentlyannounced 10GBase-T cards use 25 watts to reach up to30 meters. Th e optical adapter is easily powered from theserver PCI-Express slot without an external power feed.

Ethernet adapters were announced in late January to support 10GBase-T. Th ey consume just less than 25 wattsto support a maximum transmission distance of 30 meters. Greater service distances would require anadditional electrical feed to power the copper adapter card,since the PCI-Express slot can only provide up to 25 watts. As with the 10-Gbit copper switches, the 10-Gbit copper serveradapter card’s high power-consumption and cooling needsresult in higher operational costs. To date, copper server and card adapter server manufacturers have demonstrated minimal interoperability with 10GBase-T switch vendors. Switch-vendor support is at least a year away due to power challenges.

In addition to the characteristics already detailed, optical systems can claim fi ve attributes—extended distance





___________

_____________________________________



http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.microplastics.com&id=12233&adid=P70A1





Signal Reference GridsHigh Frequency Grounding of Data Centers

Related Components:• Ground Pedestal Clamps• Grounding Busbars• Exothermic Connections• Mechanical Connectors

Design Services Available

Specialists in Data Center Grounding

Phone: 800.842.7437Web-site: www.harger.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Listed





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.harger.com&id=12233&adid=P71A1






capability, power and cooling needs, port density, pathway and space use, and a migration path to higher speeds—that put it at anadvantage over twisted-pair copper alternatives.

Extended distance capability. Laser-optimized 50-μm multimode OM3 fi ber provides 10-Gbit serial transmis-sion to a maximum distance of 300 to 550 meters. Fiber canoff er network designers more fl exibility in their planning, and the advantage of being able to use new and reconfi gurable architectures in the data center. OM3 50-μm fi ber supports

data rates beyond 10-Gbit and is to be included in the IEEE100-Gbit/sec Project Authorization Request (PAR) to operate at a minimum 100-meter distance. In the best-case scenario, Category 6A, Category 6F/UTP, and Category 7 copper are limited to 100 meters and are restricted to four connections in the 10GBase-T channel.

Power and cooling. 10-Gig optical switch elec-tronics and server adapter cards require less powerto operate compared to 10-Gig copper. 10-Gbit SFP+ opti-

cal transceivers will consume a maxi-mum of 1.0 watt per port, compared to 10 to 15 watts per port for a 10GBase-T copperswitch. 10GBase-SR server adapter cardstypically use less than 9 watts to trans-mit up to 300 meters, while recentlyannounced 10GBase-T cards use 25 watts to transmit up to 30 meters. Signifi cant silicon-chip development will likely berequired to reduce the power consumptionof 10-Gbit copper interfaces. Althoughindustry expectation is that silicon-chip power consumption may be reduced, the high insertion loss of copper cables at theextended frequency range needed to sup-port 10-Gbit Ethernet and electronic DSP noise-reduction circuitry means thatenergy consumption will inevitably be higher than that of low-loss fi ber inter-connects. Th e silicon-chip size-reduction work is not expected to be completed in the near future as major performance issues,such as electrostatic discharge (whichimpacts reliability), must be resolved. Th e power consumption of10-Gbit copper electronics and adapter cards will drive the need for excessive cooling, mean-ing greater energy use and running costs for data centers and possibly largeruninterruptible power supplies. Industryexperts have stated that 10GBase-T overCategory 6 or 7 twisted-pair cables canextend up to 100 meters, but powerrequirements hinder its cost-eff ectiveness.

Port density. Fiber provides a higher10-Gbit port density per electronic line card and patch panel when compared to copper. Many manufacturers’ 10-Gbit UTP copper patch-panel densities are reduced by up to 50% to mitigate crosstalk impairments by increased spacing between connector ports. Fiber can accommodate higher port ➤





_____________

_______


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.bytebrothers.com&id=12233&adid=P72A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.bytebrothers.com&id=12233&adid=P72A2





Our name goes on the boxes we pack, not on the products inside.









800/233-4717 • www.aifittings.comArlingtonPatented.

2.5"TL25

5"TL50

©20

03, R

ev 2

007

Arli

ngto

n In

dust

ries,

Inc.

Also available:Screw-on LVS1 & LVS2 for steel

LVN2

NAIL DOWNLOW VOLTAGE BRACKET

Patented

LVN1 w/ nailsLow VoltageMountingBracket

800/233-4717 • www.aifittings.comArlington

THE SAVINGS

• Lower cost than extension rings

• Non-conductive

• Eliminatespushback

Faster to install than mud rings!

Just nail or screw thesebrackets to a wood orsteel stud – and you’reready to install lowvoltage Class 2 wiring!


densities, up to 1,728 fi bers, in a 4U housing.Pathway and space congestion. High fi ber density, com-

bined with the smaller diameter of optical cable, maximizes the raised-fl oor pathway and space use for routing and cooling. Optical cables also off er superior pathway usage when routed in aerial cable trays. Th e larger Category 6A outer diameter impacts conduit size and fi ll rate, as well as cable manage-ment due to the increased bend radius. Common commercialcable-pulling lubricants have been shown to aff ect copper-cable attenuation at the high operating frequencies of 10-GbitEthernet. Bundled copper cable also inhibits removal of aban-doned cable and presents serious alien crosstalk issues in raised-fl oor and aerial pathways.

Migration to higher speeds. Laser-optimized 50-μm multimode OM3 fi ber provides a migration path for support-ing higher data rates such as 16-Gbit and 32-Gbit Fibre Chan-nel, and 100-Gbit Ethernet. Copper twisted-pair cable cannot support these speeds at market-required distances. Industry experts have stated that instead of a wholesale transition to 10-Gbit Ethernet over copper, the networking industry may well segue into optical fi ber, as the next speed is 100-Gbit Ethernet and copper will not work over required distances at that data rate.

Planning aheadShould you ever require cabling infrastructure to sup-port 10-Gbit speeds in the future, now is the time to consider optical connectivity in the data center. Opti-cal cable with laser-optimized 50-μm OM3 fiber pro-vides bandwidth capabilities that support legacy and future-data-rate applications without the costs and downtime of retiring a copper cable plant and recabling. Optical-fi ber connectivity can provide optimized transmission performance,extended distance capability, best use of pathways andspaces, ease of installation and testing, reduction in powerconsumption, cooling and electronic costs, and the highest10-Gbit electronic and patch-panel densities.

Twisted-pair copper cabling has been struggling to keep up with bandwidth demands virtually since it entered the data center market. Th ere have been six generations of copper cable in the past 20 years, each one designed toaddress the next wave of bandwidth demand and each onebecoming more complex to design around and install.

A single generation of multimode optical fi ber, however, has outlived, and continues to surpass, the bandwidthcapability of every copper designs. And fi ber has gotteneasier and cheaper to use and to install.





Listed forAir Handling

Spaces

TL50for a 5" diameterbundle

2"TL20

©20

01-2

006

Arli

ngto

n In

dust

ries,

Inc.

Flexible and non-metallic,The LOOP holds a 2" to 5" diameter bundle of CAT5 or fiber optic cable without sagging,bending or damaging the cable!

The 2.5" TL25 holdsthe same amount of cable as a J-hook at1/2 the COST!

LOOP™THELOW-COST HANGERfor COMMUNICATIONS CABLE

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.aifittings.com&id=12233&adid=P74A1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.aifittings.com&id=12233&adid=P74A2





That’s what you get with copper cable made with AirES® technology

– from ADC’s TrueNet® structured cabling systems. Air channels are

integrated into the insulation to lower the dielectric constant and im-

prove electrical performance while reducing cable size. In fact, ADC’s

NEW Plenum CopperTen® cable is .275”, a 22% reduction in

cross-sectional area compared to typical Augmented Category 6

cables. What does this mean for you?

Improved data center coolingsmaller cable enhances airflow and improves reliability and uptime

Reduced installation costssmaller, lighter cable means pulling more cable at the same time

Decreased capital expensessmaller cable improves fill rates in cable trays, conduit and raceways

For cooler data centers and maximum system uptime, insist upon cable made with ADC AirES technology. For more information on all ADC’s TrueNet structured cabling systems contact us today. Ask for your com-plimentary interactive Cable Selection Guide.

1-800-366-3891 or +1-952-938-8080www.adc.com/truenetVisit us at 2007 BICSI Fall Conference –Booth #212

Angled Copper Patch Panels Fiber Patch Panels CopperTen® Cable Angled MPO Cassettes FiberGuide® Raceway

CoolTechnologyWhen it comes to cable, smaller is best.

©2007 ADC Telecommunications, Inc. All rights reserved.

22% Smaller





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.adc.com/truenet&id=12233&adid=P75A1





Innovations begin with great ideas and end with great achievements, like thebuilding of the Arch in St. Louis. Mohawk’s commitment to copper and fiberconstructions for all environments makes them the leader in cable evolution.

Whether it’s cable for runs through indoor plenum or harsh outdoor spaces,each Mohawk cable is engineered with unique jacketing properties to withstandthe true tests of time. They’re engineered with the best available materials, likeArmorLite™ for reduced installation costs with added protection and VersaLite™

Indoor/Outdoor Plenum with its dry waterblocking technology.

For more information visit www.mohawk-cable.com orcall 800-422-9961.

MOHAWKCabling Excellence for Open Architecture

VISIT OUR BOOTH #603 AT BISCI, LAS VEGAS





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.mohawk-cable.com&id=12233&adid=P76A1





New Products Compiled by Steve Smith


USB signal extenderTh e patent-pending USB SuperBoosterwall plate allows a USB signal to run over Category 5, 5e, and 6 patch cords, enabling a USB device to function with a host computer up to 150 feet (compared

to typical wall plates at 15 feet). Super-Booster is designed for peripheral access in remote locations, and for secure place-ment of critical equipment. Th e plug-and-play device consists of a transmitter unit with USB Type B female input andRJ-45 female output connectors, and a receiver unit with RF-45 female input and USB Type A female output connec-tors. Choose pre-terminated networkcables or pull un-terminated cable and use the tool-less IDC RJ-45 connectors that are included with the device. Noexternal power is required.

CABLES TO GO

www.cablestogo.com

Sliding splice shelfDesigned to accommodate up to 96 LC,48 ST, or 48 SC adapters, the RFE-SLF-EMT/2U frame-mounted, slide-out ter-mination shelf can also be used as a splice unit to store 96 single fusion splices,

72 mechanical splices, or 36 mass fusionsplices. Th e shelf comes with slots for eight ganged adapters and three blank panels (also available with adaptersinstalled). Th e unit is 3.5 inches high,17.2 inches wide, and 8 inches deep.

COMMSCOPE/UNIPRISE

www.uniprisesolutions.com

Data center UPSTh e Powerware 9395 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is designed for datacenters, manufacturing operations, med-ical facilities, and other large system

applications. Th is three-phase, double-conversion, online UPS integrates the capabilities of a redundant multi-mod-ule UPS system into a pre-wired solution. Designed to operate at 95% effi ciency,Powerware 9395 off ers a small footprint and low weight for UPSs in its class.Cabling can enter from either the top or bottom of the cabinet, and the sys-tem can integrate with the company’sPower Xpert Architecture web-basedsolution for measuring, monitoring, con-necting, and managing power systems.

EATON CORP.

www.eaton.com

Cabling solutions, testersTh e Copper & Fiber Cabling Solutions catalog features items most commonly used in premises networks. Th e resourcerefl ects the company’s expanded line of copper products and its end-to-endcabling solutions. In addition, a new fam-

ily of fiber- optic test equipment in-cludes oversize buttons, large dis-play screens, and protective rub-ber boots. Th e line

includes OTDRs, optical loss test sets,visual fault locators, and talk sets.

FIBER INSTRUMENT SALES

www.fi berinstrumentsales.com

Structured wiring testerNETcat Pro NC-500 structured wiring troubleshooter is a digital tool designed for fast and accurate check of cables, wir-ing, and network service. Th is one-button, touch-screen tool tests wiring continu-ity and proper pair allocation, measurescable length, anddetermines what type of network service is available. NETcat generates four distinct tones for tracing low-loss cables, such as Cat-egory 5 and 6, can detect shorts as well as reversed, crossed and split pairs, and identify active network devices on 10/100Base-T networks.

GREENLEE

www.greenlee.com

Three-phase PDUsHP 8.6 and 11 kVA three-phase modu-lar power distribution units (PDU) are designed for dense data center environ-ments requiring rack-mount power dis-tribution. Each unit uses a standard input





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.uniprisesolutions.com&id=12233&adid=P77E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.greenlee.com&id=12233&adid=P77E5

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.eaton.com&id=12233&adid=P77E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cablestogo.com&id=12233&adid=P77E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.fiberinstrumentsales.com&id=12233&adid=P77E2





BUSINESS. TECHNOLOGY.ONE WEEK. ONE PLACE.

©2007 CMP Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. A United Business Media company.

• APPLICATION DELIVERY

• BRANCH OFFICE

• COLLABORATION

• ENTERPRISE 2.0

• FIXED MOBILE CONVERGENCE

• GREEN IT

• NETWORKING & SERVICES

• OPTIMIZATION

• SECURITY

• SOA

• STORAGE

• UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS

• VIRTUALIZATION

• VOIP

• WIRELESS & MOBILITYRegister Today and Save up to $500

DON’T MISS THE LEADING BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY EVENTThis Fall Interop will bring IT and business leaders together in New York to see the latest technologies in action. Whether you need to evaluate a product, solve a challenge or just stay ahead of the curve, Interop will help you move your business forward.

Register Today.Register with priority code MLSUNN05 to save up to $500 off any conference pass at www.interop.com.

New Products

plug and has six IEC C19 outlets. Th ese modular PDUs consist of two building blocks: the control unit and up to six op-tional extension bars. You can mount the control unit in a 1U/0U space, and mount the extension bars directly to the frame of the rack. Th e extension bars have seven outlets each, bringing the possible total number of outlets to 42 for each PDU.

HEWLETT PACKARD

www.hp.com/go/infrastructure

Industrial wireless meshOneWireless, an industrial wireless mesh network solution, promotes plant safety and effi ciency with a scalable infrastruc-ture that supports wireless-enabled de-vices in strategic locations throughout a facility. Scalable to 30,000 devices, One-Wireless also works with wired transmit-

ters, mobile worker devices, and standard Wi-Fi and Ethernet clients. Its open, stan-dards-based infrastructure can simul-taneously support multiple industrial protocols and applications.

HONEYWELL

www.honeywell.com

Rack panels, snagless cableBlack universal sub panels (USP) are con-structed of .06-inch steel and feature both popular and hard-to-fi nd connectors, providing fl exibility for mixing inter-

faces needed to sup-port data center and other rack-mount communications ap-plications. Available connectors include fiber-optic, RJ-45/RJ-11/RJ-12, coaxial,D-sub, video, USB, and Firewire couplers.

In addition, MTP-style fi ber-optic patch panels are 1U high and feature 16 MTP couplers, and are especially suited for data

centers or anywhere IT professionals need to manage MTP ribbon fi bers. In addition to the patch panels, the company also of-fers MTP panel-mount couplers and MTP connector and coupler dust covers.

Also, shark-fi n style snagless patch





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.hp.com/go/infrastructure&id=12233&adid=P78E1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.interop.com&id=12233&adid=P78A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.honeywell.com&id=12233&adid=P78E2






New Products

cord boots are designed for high-den-sity patch panels. Boots are made of a fl exible material designed for sim-plifi ed latch depression, and are built for quick patch cable connection since the boot is the same width as the plug. Fully compliant with Category 5e per-formance specifi cations, the shark-fi n cables come in nine standard colors, and lengths from 3 to 100 feet (custom lengths available).

L-COM CONNECTIVITY PRODUCTS

www.l-com.com

Structured cabling solutionsTh e 2007 Commercial Structured Cabling Solutions catalog features the compa-

ny’s latest prod-ucts, including fiber-optic plug-and-play MPO cassettes, 10-Gbitfi ber-optic jump-ers, Category 6 shielded modu-lar connectors,HDMI Decorex inserts, and 4-pair punchdown tools. Th e catalog also fea-tures expanded product informationand user guides.

ICC

www.icc.com

LC, SC fi ber connectorFastCam fi ber-optic connectors nowinclude LC and laser-optimized SC ver-sions. Th ese pre-polished devices are de-signed to provide simplifi ed, precision mechanical termination of singlemode and multimode fi ber, without the need

for special tools, epoxy, or hand-pol-ishing. Meeting TIA/EIA performance and intermateability standards, the con-nectors are available in ST, SC and LC

styles for termination on 250- or 900-μmcables in 50/125 and 62.5/125-μm and50/125-μm laser optimized multimode and singlemode types.

LEVITON VOICE & DATA

www.levitonvoicedata.com

Raised fl oor clamp, catalogDesigned for grid-based underfl oor mesh common bonding networks (MCBNs),

continued on page 84





___________________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.icc.com&id=12233&adid=P79E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.l-com.com&id=12233&adid=P79E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.levitonvoicedata.com&id=12233&adid=P79E2

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.necaconvention.org&id=12233&adid=P79A1





Product Focus: enclosures


Customizable audio/video enclosuresThe Presentation Rack (pictured) is designed for audio/videoapplications in classrooms, conference rooms, and board rooms. This compact customizable enclosure features front- and rear-door access, vertical lacing bars for effi cient cable

management, 24.75-inch rail-to-rail depth of shelf space for rack components, perforated front/rear panels, Plexiglas front door, a lami-nated solid graphite top featuring a 22.5-inch writing surface with cable port, numbered rack rails, and multi-ple cable access holes. Power, light-ing, and cooling accessories can be installed to customer specifi cation.

In addition, the company’s modu-lar E-Rack lets users confi gure their system. It features removable, quick-release side panels and cable chase

panels for simplifi ed cable management. The straight cable runs in the E-Rack’s open frame design can eliminate kinks, bends, and protrusions. Multiple lacing points located every six inches help to support heavy bundles. Customizable options in-clude heavy-duty shelving, fi ller panels, and temperature control.APWMAYVILLE/STANTRONwww.stantronracks.com

AFL Telecommunications’ newly designed fi ber distribution hub (FDH) features a dual-door access—one door opens from the front, the other from the side—allowing for full access from the front to all key fi ber terminations, routing, and components.“With traditional cabinet de-

signs, technicians must reach inside the cabinet to work, but [our] new design enables them to work from the front of the cabinet—a convex design versus the more traditional concave design,” explains Tony Nieves, OSP product manager.

As a full modular platform, optical splitter modules can be added at a later date, as can distribution fi elds as they are needed. In addition, the door seal design provides addedprotection in harsh environments. This FDH is available in288- and 432-fi ber count models, both confi gurable in either pole or pad mounting.AFL TELECOMMUNICATIONSwww.afl tele.com

Front-access fi ber distribution hub Thermal-ready network solutionEngineered to combat thermal challenges associated with net-work switches with side-to-side airfl ow, the N-Series TeraFrame network cabinet features proprietaryPassive Cooling Solutions to manage high-density switches while maximizing data center energy effi ciency.

Network switches with side-to-side airfl ow located in a hot aisle/cold aisle layout run the risk of re-consuming hot exhaust air, which can result in equip-ment failures. When equipped with the company’s Network Switch Exhaust Duct, the N-Series TeraFrame removes hot air by isolating and re-directing it out the back of the enclosure andinto the hot aisle, essentially converting side-to-side airfl ow into a front-to-rear airfl ow patterns. One Network Switch Exhaust Duct can support exhaust from up to three net-work switches.

The enclosure is designed to accept cables through open-ings located on the top and bottom, while T-shaped cable guides and cable management spools align with each rack-mount unit (RMU), precisely dividing and organizing cables as they enter and exit the rack-mount space. The N-SeriesTeraFrame can manage 48 Category 6A cables per RMU. Standoff Brackets support offset doors and side panels, cre-ating added space between the cabinet frame, side panels, and doors. Removable doors and panels provide full access to equipment and cabling.CHATSWORTH PRODUCTSwww.chatsworth.com

High-density fi ber enclosureThis rack-mount fi ber enclosure has been developed specifi callyto support Cisco’s MDS 9513 matrix switch used in large data center and storage area network installations. Fiber Connect, a Leviton company, has designed a proprietary blade confi gura-tion that allows for a like-for-like connection into the switch. The high-density enclosure will sup-port up to 288 fi ber channels in 8U of rack space, and can be supplied in direct connect or MTP confi gurations.FIBER CONNECT/LEVITONwww.leviton.com





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.afltele.com&id=12233&adid=P80E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.leviton.com&id=12233&adid=P80E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.stantronracks.com&id=12233&adid=P80E3






Sponsored by:

SEPTEMBER 27

FREE REGISTRATION

www.cablinginstall.com/webcast

SIGN UP NOW!

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

Grounding, Bonding, and Communications Systems

In the electrical as well as the communications arenas, the

requirement to properly bond/ground systems traditionally

creates signifi cant confusion. In the communications industry

in particular, the recent rise in popularity of shielded cabling

systems has brought this troublesome issue to the forefront.

This web seminar, produced by Cabling Installation & Maintenance, looks at the differences between electrical and

communications grounding/bonding, and addresses some

perpetuating myths about the perils of bonding/grounding

shielded systems.

Presentation 1: Overview of building grounding

Presentation 2: The ANSI/TIA/EIA-607 standard and cabling

Presentation 3: Myths and realities of bonding/grounding

shielded systems

Moderated By: Patrick McLaughlin, Chief Editor

Date: September 27, 2007

Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT

WEBCAST

SEPTEMBER 27

FREE REGISTRATION

www.cablinginstall.com/webcast

SIGN UP NOW!





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.cablinginstall.com/webcast&id=12233&adid=P81A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.BigStockPhoto.com&id=12233&adid=P81A2







The redesigned ES series server cabinet features increased rear vertical capacity and bottom cable access. Optional fea-tures include: a top cable trough that allows top cable access to the left and right of the cabinet; horizontal cable manage-ment parts that permit front-to-rear cable management for 30-inch wide enclosures; a vertical lacing bar kit designed to allow pass-through for top-to-bottom cabling; and a horizon-tal lacing bar for front-to-back cable management via cable ties or cinch straps.

To meet data center heat issues, the ES series fea-tures new contour mesh doors designed for effi cient airfl ow

throughout the cabinet, while fans can be mounted to the door to elim-inate hot spots and aid in horizontalventilation. For power, up to four PDUs can be mounted vertically,and top cable access allows forpower cabling from both sides while rear troughs support up to two PDUs.GREAT LAKES CASE & CABINETwww.werackyourworld.com

Data center server enclosures

A variety of weatherproof protectionFour weatherproof enclosures are designed for every-thing from remote WLAN equipment to indoor/out-door installations. The NB141207 is a NEMA 4X/IP65-rated 14 x 12 x 7-inch housing constructed from UV-stabilized molded fi berglass reinforced polyester, and features a raised lid with a stain-less steel continuous hinge and quick-release latch-es. This enclosure is especially suited for custom applications requiring special modifi cations.

The NB141207-1HF is a 14 x 12 x 7-inch enclosure for extreme temperature environments, and features an aluminum mounting

plate with four 110-volt AC outlets, and a thermo-stat controlled heater and fooling fan. The 200-watt heating system turns on when the internal temper-ature drops to 40° F and turns off at 60° F.

For Power over Ethernet installations, the NB141207-400 features a PoE interface to split the data and power carried by a Cat-

egory 5 cable to the internal equipment.The interface includes lightning protection

and support for normal and reverse polarity PoE equipment.HYPERLINK TECHNOLOGIES/L-COMwww.hyperlinktech.com

Adaptive enclosures for IT environmentsThe 3G series of adaptive enclosures for data centers fea-ture a beveled front door with 77% open venting patterns

for optimal heat dissipation, a deeper verti-cal cable trough built for high-density cable requirements and simplifi ed access, and vertical power panels for tool-less mount-ing of power strips.

The frame’s certifi ed static load rating is 3,200 pounds, with a dynamic load rating of 2,100 pounds. Other features include: ample egress in the top panel and along top sides of the frame for enclosed cable runs, and square-hole universal mounting channels with rack-unit numbering for sim-

plifi ed location identifi cation.Available sizes include 42U, 44U, and 47U panel heights,

24- and 29-inch frame widths, and 39-, 42- and 45-inch frame depths. Custom solutions are available uponrequest.IMS ENGINEERED PRODUCTSwww.imsep.com

Seismic-resistant cabinet

The Seismic Shelter cabinet is designedto protect vital equipment duringextreme seismic activity, having beenextensively tested and certifi ed toexceed Network Equipment Building Sys-tems (NEBS), Bellcore, and the Uniform Building Code (UBC) Seismic Zone 4.

The enclosure’s fully welded tubular steel construction is built to support static loads up to 3,500 pounds. Itincludes two sets of 19-inch EIA 10/32 tapped or M6 cage-nut mounting rails with Grade 8 hardware. Mounting rails are fully adjustable, and multiple sets can be used for a variety of equipment depths.

Seismic Shelter is available in multiple sizes and can be cus-tomized for specifi c applications.DAMAC PRODUCTSwww.damac.com





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.werackyourworld.com&id=12233&adid=P82E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.imsep.com&id=12233&adid=P82E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.damac.com&id=12233&adid=P82E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.hyperlinktech.com&id=12233&adid=P82E2







Wall-, rack-mount solutions

Pacifi c Interconnections’ wall-mount enclosure fea-tures double-door access, keyway entry, and splic-ing and termination in one box for up to 48 ports.

A 19-inch rack-mount high-density enclosure for up to 96 fi ber ports also combines splicing and termination

in one unit, and features a removable 180° hinged swing-down front door with latch locks. Also included is a 90° hinged swing-out patch panel and splice tray drawer. A variety of front panels are de-signed for numerous connector types.

PACIFIC INTERCONNECTIONS, LLCwww.pacifi cinterco.com

Simplifi ed server rackingWMRK series configured server enclosures feature simplifi ed cable, thermal and power management when mounting servers or other data-specifi c compo-nents. Perforated front and split rear doors with a Dec-ora temperature monitor-ing module are designed to

facilitate passive thermal management, while cable management is aided by elec-trical knockouts on rear plates, removable split bottom rear panel, integral gland grom-meted cable pass-thrus, and a 42-space vertical lacing strip. A 20-amp, 20-outlet power strip or 20-amp, 10-outlet strip are designed to ensure adequate power outlets are available throughout the enclosure.MIDDLE ATLANTIC PRODUCTSwww.middleatlantic.com

Enclosure with shock-pallet shippingThe 25U and 42U SmartRack Pre-mium enclosures now feature

“shock-pallet” packaging, shipped on a special pallet that features additional reinforcement and shock-absorbing material. Each shock - pa l le t accepts up to 1,050 pounds of additional equipment and provides a pro-tective cush-ion designed to safeguard the enclosure and its compo-nents duringre-shipping.“Users have

the flexibility to fully confi gure rack enclosures in a centralized loca-tion and safely re-ship them toremote sites,” explains Craig Watkins, SmartRack productmanager.

Each enclosure and heavy-duty shock pallet also includes a set of heavy-duty ramps for roll-ing the enclosure on and off the pallet during confi guration.TRIPP LITEwww.tripplite.com

Heat, cable management meet aesthetics

48-user wall-mount cabinetThe wall-mount Mighty Mo Telecom Enclosure supports up to 48 users and provides capacity for active and passive equipment. Features include a brush cable exit that prevents dirt and debris from entering the enclosure, swing-out access for convenient re-termination and patching, cable management, and compliance with UL 1863 and EIA-310 standards.

Backbone cabling can pass through the telecommunications room directly to the Tele-com Enclosure, signifi cantly reducing the size and number of telecommunications rooms

needed for each fl oor. Extending the backbone closer to the workstationenables higher per-formance to sup-port the increase in bandwidth-intensive applications. The enclosure is also available with an optional cooling fan and air fi lter to protect active equipment.ORTRONICS/LEGRANDwww.ortronics.com

Aesthetically designed Cablemax enclosures are built to help solve problems associated withincreased heat generation andcable management. Featuresinclude use of 63 of 80% mesh openings in front and rear doors as well as a removable top panel; abundant cable pass-thru holes in the frame for cross-cabling between cabinets; split doors

that can save aisle space; and a split rail system with a variety of depths.

Cablemax enclosures are avail-able in 73.5- and 77-inch pan-el heights, and 36- and 42-inch depths.

PREMIER METAL PRODUCTSwww.premiermetal.com





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.pacificinterco.com&id=12233&adid=P83E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.premiermetal.com&id=12233&adid=P83E5

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.tripplite.com&id=12233&adid=P83E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ortronics.com&id=12233&adid=P83E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.middleatlantic.com&id=12233&adid=P83E2







26-inch wide cabling enclosure

New Products

The Barracuda 26-inch cabling enclosure is designed to handle networking switches and other equipment requiring large cable bun-dles. It comes in 19- or 23-inch EIA confi gu-rations, or a combination of both within the same enclosure.

The tool-less modular cable management quarter-turn ring system accommodatescopper and fi ber cabling. It can be usedwith vertical and horizontal bars or oth-er mounting angles compatible with re-movable rings. According to the company, this feature provides for nearly unlimited

options when addressing cabling distribution throughout the enclosure.

The Barracuda is equipped with half-height, split mounting an-gles, which accommodates varying depth equipment within the same rack. It will also gang up to 22-, 24-, or additional 26-inch wide Barracuda enclosures to maximize the space-to-equipment ratio, allowing for incorporation of a wide range of electronic equipment based on existing as well as future requirements.

Additional features address anchoring, grounding, isola-tion, power, overhead ladder interface, and structural bases.Systems arrive confi gured and ready for installation.ELECTRORACK ENCLOSURE PRODUCTSwww.electrorack.com

continued from page 79

the quad-bolt StructuredGround access fl oor grounding clamp ensures direct con-tact between the perpendicular MCBN conductors, minimizing overall resis-tance and creating a strong bond that pro-tects network equipment. Th e captive U-bolt mounts to round and square ped-estals with a single-hinged bolt to speed installation.

Also, the Pan-Net Network Solutions catalog features end-to-end connectivitysolutions, from the work area tothe telecommunica-tions room and datacenter. Roadmapsillustrate typicalapplications to help

you select the appropriate product for your installation. Also included are up-dates on emerging technologies, copper and fi ber cabling selection guides, and partner programs. In addition to the print version, this catalog is also avail-able on CD and by visiting the companywebsite.

PANDUIT

www.panduit.com

Aerial drop closureThe Coyote aerial drop closure isdesigned to provide a protective environ-

ment for splicing fi ber-optic drop cable in FTTx aerial applications, and its pro-prietary splicing platform allows for low-count fi ber splicing without the need of a splice tray. Made of a thermoplastic resin, the drop closure kit includes everything needed to splice up to 12 fi bers “out of the box.” No special tools are required.

A grommet-sealing system simplifi es the installation process and provides addedprotection from the elements. In a standard confi guration, the aerial clo-sure will accept two standard splicing platforms for a total capacity of up to24 fi bers.

PREFORMED LINE PRODUCTS

www.preformed.com

Small-scale polishing toolFeaturing a built-in DC motor (optional12-volt battery) to power the turntable, the FP180m fi ber connector polisher is designed for small-scale production and laboratory appli-cations, as well as for terminat-ing fi bers in the fi eld. Th e tool polishes up to three connectors or ferrules simultaneous-ly, features quick release for convenient removal of the polish fi xture, and provides adjustable force that ensures a consistent surface fi nish for a wide variety of connector types.Other features include a quick-change mechanism designed for fast removal





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.electrorack.com&id=12233&adid=P84E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.panduit.com&id=12233&adid=P84E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.preformed.com&id=12233&adid=P84E2





Learn about the testing challenges for 10Gig Ethernet over copper cabling and see how new installation and testing guidelines help combat Alien Crosstalk.

Download our white paper today at

www.flukenetworks.com/10Gig

White Paper

Fluke Networks

www.flukenetworks.com

3

Without sophisticated digital signal processing techniques in the electronics, reliable transmission is no longer possible around that

frequency and for higher frequencies. This phenomenon sets a limit in bandwidth for twisted-pair cabling.

Near-End Crosstalk or NEXT measures the crosstalk signal that appears at the same end of the cabling link from which the test or disturb-

ing signal is launched. Figure 1 illustrates Near-End Crosstalk in a two wire-pair system. If transmission simultaneously takes place over

multiple wire-pairs as is the case in 1000BASE-T and 10GBASE-T, Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT) must be considered and tested as well (see

Figure 2).

The crosstalk depicted in figures 1 and 2 takes place between wire-pairs in one cable (wire-pairs wrapped in the same sheath). Alien

Crosstalk is the exact same phenomenon, but the crosstalk coupling now occurs between wire-pairs in different, adjacent cabling links.

Alien Crosstalk is a challenge for unshielded twisted-pair cabling (UTP) as it is the most significant disturbance or noise source for the

10GbE application when using UTP cabling. Figure 3 shows the Alien Crosstalk in a wire pair induced by wire pairs in adjacent cables.

Alien Crosstalk will be measured as Alien NEXT between wire pairs, as well as Alien FEXT. Since the combined impact of many wire-pairs in

the bundle upon the wire-pair under test (usually referred to as the victim wire-pair) must be assessed, Power Sum Alien NEXT (PSANEXT)

and Power Sum Alien FEXT (PSAFEXT) should be computed and evaluated for wire-pairs in a cabling bundle.

Figure 1 – Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) measures

2 that

returns to the receiver side and competes with “Signal B to A” arriving at the same receiver over pair 2.

Figure 2 – Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT) measures the crosstalk induced in wire-pair 4 that travels the length of the cable in the

direction of the transmitted signal and competes with the clarity of “Signal 4” arriving at Receiver 4.

White Paper

Table of contents

Testing Challenges for 10 Gb/s Ethernet

over Twisted-Pair Cabling

New installation and testing guidelines help combat Alien Crosstalk (AXTalk)

The standards for 10 Gigabit/sec Ethernet over twist-

ed-pair copper cabling (10GBASE T) are still in the

development stage. Many issues and requirements

have been defined in recent months; we expect the

standards on 10 Gb/s Ethernet will be finalized and

published in mid-2006. This paper provides an over-

view of the requirements for the twisted-pair cabling

and methods to measure and certify the performance

of the installed cabling system.

Introduction to 10GBASE-T field

testing and certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Understanding Alien Crosstalk and

how it impacts 10 Gb/s performance . . . . 2

Testing Alien Crosstalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Alien Crosstalk test strategy . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Applicable cable types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

©2006. Fluke Corporation.N E T W O R K S U P E R V I S I O N

10Gig Testing White Paper


New Productsof the polishing fi xture, and a universal fi xture that fi ts all connectors with thesame ferrule diameter.

PRINCETEL INC.

www.princetel.com

Small business WLANTh e ZoneFlex multimedia WLAN sys-tem targets small/medium businesses and hot zone operators, leveraging three

proprietary technologies to enable plug-and-play WLAN, eliminating Ethernet cabling to access points, and providing simplifi ed user administration (includ-ing up-to-date encryption keys and wire-less settings). Th e system is designed to off er robust security, whole-site wireless coverage, and predictable performance for data and voice traffi c.

RUCKUS WIRELESS

www.ruckuswireless.com

Cable ties, holdersThe WIT-50RLA series of self-mount cable ties snap into a pre-drilled hole. Bundling can be

done before or aft er mounting. Th earrowhead mount rotates in the hole to self-align the bundle. Available in four lengths, the tiesoff er 50-lb. tensile strength andare RoHS-compliant.

Built for quick installation in a panel and then snapped in place, the FTH-30 series cable tie hold-er has the same mounting head as a cable tie, and holds a bundle

with pre-assembled cable tie, or can be used as a standard tie holder using ties that are not pre-assembled. When the tail end of the cable tie is inserted, theFTH-30 locks it into place.

Th e FCCB series arrowhead-mountcable clamp features tension wings that provide extra pressure to the board toensure a snug fit while managing a

variety of thicknesses for fl at, ribbon,or round cables.

RICHCO

www.richco-inc.com

Three-phase ‘smart’ PDUThe Sentry Modular Cabinet Pow-er Distribution Unit (CDU) family isdesigned to take a three-phase in-feed and distribute single phase power viabasic CDUs that can be placed anywhere in the cabinet. Th ese ‘smart’ devicesoff er a secure network interface to view current, power, temperature, and humid-ity levels via a web browser, as well asreceive SNMP-based alarms and e-mail alerts when thresholds are exceeded. Each CDU has an associated LED meter for load balancing. Th e master unit contains the LED meters, a temperature/

humidity probe input, serial and IP con-nection, and link port to connect an expansion CDU . A single power in-feed of three-phase 208-volt 30/60-amp or400-volt 32-amp can provide from 10.8to 22.2 kW of power to the cabinet.

SERVER TECHNOLOGY INC.

www.servertech.com

bulletin boards





_________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.princetel.com&id=12233&adid=P85E1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.flukenetworks.com/10Gig&id=12233&adid=P85A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.servertech.com&id=12233&adid=P85E4

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.richco-inc.com&id=12233&adid=P85E3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ruckuswireless.com&id=12233&adid=P85E2

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.livew-c.com&id=12233&adid=P85A2





E-DAT IndustryRJ45 field plug

BTR NETCOM, Inc.

www.btr-netcom.com • [email protected]

www.textender.com800-432-2638

Extend T1/E1 over:

Data Comm for Business, Inc.

WireUp to Several Miles

of 2-pair Wire

FiberMiles of Fiber

EthernetIP/Ethernet


hot

prod

ucts





_________________

____________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.textender.com&id=12233&adid=P86A1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.btr-netcom.com&id=12233&adid=P86A2

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.thelightconnection.com&id=12233&adid=P86A3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.vyparproducts.com&id=12233&adid=P86A4





46 Nooks Hill Road, Cromwell, CT 06416 USA

Now you have a cost effectivenew compression tool for usewith a wide variety ofconnectors including most 59, 6, 7 and 11 “F”connectors and many RCAand IEC connectors.Compact and sturdy, theCT2 has spring-loadedhandles with a pushbutton lock and isdesigned for easy usein tight spaces. Nospecial adjustments,no adapters… justreliable performanceday after day. For more info visit www.ripley-tools.comor call 860-635-2200 today.

OOberon Model 1050-00 shown with Z-Dualband Antennas

Ceiling tile enclosure accommodates 1 access point from most manufacturers and up to 6 external antennas—802.11n Ready

UL Listed: File # E249360

OSHPD Approved: OPA1638

Designed to NEC 300-22/23 for plenum installation

Size: 24” x 24”, AP Enclosure is 12 ½” x 12½” x 3¼”

Weight: 13lbs (not including access point and antenna)

WWireless Mounting Solutions

Visit www.oberonwireless.comCall 1-877-867-2312 for details.


hot

prod

ucts





_____________

_________

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.oberonwireless.com&id=12233&adid=P87A1


http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.ripley-tools.com&id=12233&adid=P87A3

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.diamondground.com&id=12233&adid=P87A2

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.riptie.com&id=12233&adid=P87A4





The index of Advertiser’s is published as a service. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions.

Chief Editor / Patrick McLaughlin(603) 891-9222 • [email protected]

Executive Editor / Steve Smith(603) 891-9139 • [email protected]

Senior Editor / Matt Vincent(603) 891-9262 • [email protected]

Circulation Manager / Michelle Blake(603) 891-9360 • [email protected]

Art Director / Kelli Mylchreest

Lead Illustrator / Dan Rodd

Senior Vice President/Group Publishing DirectorMark Finkelstein(603) 891-9133 • [email protected]

Associate Publisher/National Sales ManagerEd Murphy(603) 891-9260 • [email protected]

CABLING INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE EXECUTIVE AND EDITORIAL OFFICES

PennWell ATD98 Spit Brook RoadNashua, NH 03062-5737Tel: (603) 891-0123, fax: (603) 891-9245Internet: www.cable-install.com

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES:For subscriptions or to change your format to print or digital, please go to: www.cim-subscribe.com. Subscriptions outside the USA are available in digital format only.

CORPORATE OFFICERS

Chairman / Frank T. Lauinger

President and Chief Executive Offi cer / Robert F. Biolchini

Chief Financial Offi cer / Mark C. Wilmoth

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY DIVISION

Senior Executive AssistantCarol WoodwardTel: (603) 891-9112, fax: (603) 891-9287 [email protected]

VP Audience Development / Gloria S. Adams

ATD PUBLISHING SERVICES DEPARTMENTS

Art Director / Meg Fuschetti

Production Director / Mari Rodriguez(603) 891-9193 • [email protected]

Marketing Communication Manager / Kristen Jones(603) 891-9425 • [email protected]

Ad Traffi c Manager / Jackie Linker(918) 832-9314 • [email protected]

PRINTED IN THE USA GST NO. 126813153

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40052420

Senior Vice President/Group Publishing DirectorMark FinkelsteinTel: (603) 891-9133; fax: (603) [email protected]

Associate Publisher/National Sales ManagerEd MurphyPennWell Corp./ATD98 Spit Brook RoadNashua, NH 03062-5737 Tel: (603) 891-9260; fax: (603) [email protected]

Digital Media Account ManagerMaureen ChristensonTel: (603) [email protected]

Reprint SalesDiane TroyerTel: (603) 891-9385; fax: (603) 891-9245 [email protected]

List Rental / Bob Dromgoole(603) 891-9128 • [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL SALES Australia/New Zealand / Glenn ClarkeFax: +61 3 9 568 [email protected]

France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Andora, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Western Switzerland / Luis MatutanoTel: +33 1 39 66 16 87; fax: +33 1 39 23 84 [email protected]

Austria, Eastern Europe,Germany, Northern Switzerland / Holger GerischTel: +49 8801-302430; fax: +49 8801 [email protected]

India / Rajan SharmaTel: +91 11 686 1113; fax: +91 11 686 [email protected]

Israel / Dan AronovicTel: +972 9 899 [email protected]

Italy / Vittorio Rossi PrudenteTel: +39 0 49 87 87 584; fax: +39 0 49 66 04 [email protected]

Russia / Anton AntoniukTel: +7 095 234 5678; fax: +7 095 234 [email protected]

U.K. & Scandinavia / Amanda LoftusTel: +44 0 1793 862111; fax: +44 0 1793 [email protected]

Asia Sales Manager / Adonis MakTel: +852 2 838 6298; fax: +852 2 838 [email protected]

Japan / Manami KonishiTel: +81 3 5771 8886; fax: +81 3 5771 [email protected]

Korea / Paek KwonTel: +82 2 420 1293 or 1213; fax: +82 2 420 [email protected]

Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, ThailandGrace LeungTel: +65 6 836 2272; fax: +65 6 735 [email protected]

Taiwan / Anita ChenTel: +886 2 8751 5162; fax: +886 2 8751 [email protected]

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

88 ■ September 2007 ■ Cabling Installation & Maintenance ww.cable-install.com

COMPANY PAGE PHONE WEB ADC 31, 75 www.adc.com/truenetAFL Telecommunications LLC 65 800-235-3423 www.afl tele.comAgilent Technologies 1 800-829-4444 www.agilent.com/fi nd/wirescopeAllied Electrical Group 61 www.alliedeg.com/copeAmetek 44 215-257-6531 www.ametekusg.comArlington Industries Inc. 74 800-233-4717 www.aifi ttings.comBel Stewart Connector 25 717-235-7512 www.belfuse.com/stewartconnectorBelden/CDT C3 800-BELDEN-1 www.belden.comBerk-Tek 40 800-BERK-TEK www.berktek.comBTR, a division of Ria Connect 86 www.btr.netcom.comByte Brothers 72 800-999-2983 www.bytebrothers.comCables To Go 52 800-361-0471 www.quiktron.comCablofi l Inc. 69 800-658-4641 www.cablofi l.comChatsworth Products 35 800-834-4969 www.chatsworth.comCMP Technology 78 www.interop.comCommscope 17 www.commscope.comCooper B Line 46 800-851-7415 www.cooperbline.comCorning Cable Systems C2 800-743-2671 www.corning.com/cablesystemsCP Technologies 62 www.cptechusa.comDaimler Chrysler Vans 26-27 877-2THELINK www.dodge.com/businesslinkDatacom For Business 86 800-432-2638 www.textender.comDiamond Ground Products 87 805-493-3837 www.diamondground.comDymo Corporation 8 www.rhinolabeling.comEngineered Products Company 38 866-631-4238 www.pducables.comExacq Technologies 57 317-845-5710 www.exacq.comEXFO 45 800 663-3936 www.EXFO.com/OTDRFiber Instrument Sales 16 315-736-2206 www.fi berinstrumentsales.comFluke Inc. 6-7 www.fl ukenetworks.com/seehowFluke Inc. 67 www.fl ukenetworks.com/ SeeMicroScanner2Fluke Inc. 85 www.fl ukenetworks.com/10GigGeneral Cable Company 49 800-424-5666 www.generalcable.comGraybar Electric Company Inc. 5, 73 800-GRAYBAR www.graybar.comGreenlee Textron 15 800-435-0786 www.greenlee.comHarger Lighting & Grounding 71 800-842-7437 www.harger.comHellerman Tyton 36 800-822-4352 www.hellerman.tyton.com/cm1Hyperline Systems Canada 23 866-63-hyper www.hyperlinesystems.comLight Connection 86 315-736-7384 www.lightconnection.comLive Wire & Cable 85 888-897-6008 www.live w-c.comLS Cable America, Inc. 63 201-266-2530 Megger 56 800-723-2861 www.megger.com/sctMicro Care Corp. 32 860-827-0626 www.MicroCare.comMicro Plastics 70 870-453-2261 www.microplastics.comMocap, Inc. 86 800-817-8968 www.vyparproducts.comMohawk 13, 76 800-422-9961 www.mohawk-cable.comNECA 79 301-215-4506 www.necaconvention.orgOberon Inc. 87 814-867-2312 www.oberonwireless.comOFS Optics (Optical Fiber Division) 33 www.ofsoptics.com/fi berOptical Cable Corp. 2 800-622-7711 www.accu-tech.comOrtronics Inc. 43 800-934-5432 www.ortronics.comPaladin Tools 51 800-272-8665 www.paladin-tools.comPanduit Corp. C4 800-777-3300 www.panduit.comPulizzi Engineering Inc. 50 977-pulizzi www.pulizzi.comRip-Tie 87 800-774-7843 www.riptie.comRipley Tools 87 860-635-2200 www.ripley-tools.comScan Source Security Distribution 54 800.964.8994 www.scansourcesecurity.comServer Technology 64 800-835-1515 www.servertech.comSiemon Company 53 www.siemon.com/daveSnake Tray 39 800-308-6788 www.snaketray.comSumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp 10 877-356-FLEX www.futurefl ex.comTest-Um/JDSU 21 805 383-1500 www.test-um.com/ivt600Times Microwave Systems 58 203-949-8400 www.timesmicrowave.comTransition Networks, Inc 28 800-526-9267 www.transition.comTri Net Technologies 34 909-594-8666 www.trinetusa.comTyco Electronics Corp 18 800-553-0938 www.ampnetconnect.comWestern Telematic, Inc 24 800-854-7226 www.wti.com










Don’t fall for conventional,cell-based wireless LANsystems with performance-related problems – spec the Belden Wireless Solution.

©2007, Belden Inc.

Eliminate Dropswith Interference-free WLANs from Belden®

Only the Belden Wireless LAN offersInterference-free performance, with no co-channel interference, no roaming latencyproblems and no contention between user types, devices and traffic. It’s alsodesigned to be a plug-and-play system: right out of the box it’s easy to plan, configure and manage… without the need for expensive RF site surveys!

What else makes this a best-in-class system?It’s a complete Layer-2 edge solution – sothere’s no intrusion on the core network – plusit consists of a smart Switch and XtraThinTM

radio Access Points, so no RF cell planning isneeded to juggle AP performance. To gaincapacity – and a guaranteed, predictabledata rate – any number of radio APs may beutilized. You’ll also gain by using all threechannels on the system’s four “ChannelBlankets” and by being able to re-use thechannel frequencies (Spectrum ReUse).

And that’s only the beginning. View our webcast or download our podcast on “Top 8 Wireless LAN Problems and How to Solve Them” at:

www.belden.com/Wireless.cfm

Be sure to look to the leader in signal

transmission for the best WLAN solutions.

Call Belden at 1.800.BELDEN.1

Or, visit us online at

www.belden.com





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.belden.com/Wireless.cfm&id=12233&adid=PCOVER 3A1

http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.belden.com&id=12233&adid=PCOVER 3A2





The PANVIEW ™ System continuously scans connections, providing100% accurate physical layer information to Network Administrators,and immediately notifies Network Managers of any changes in thepatch field.

However, monitoring, managing, and reporting of real-time informationfrom satellite locations can be difficult.

PANDUIT overcomes these challenges with the new PANVIEW ™ LocalScanner, a 1 RU device that provides a complete and up-to-datepicture of network connectivity, regardless of site location.

Optimized as a cost effective solution for satellite locations, thePANVIEW ™ Local Scanner minimizes the hardware footprint, supports upto 144 ports, and contains built-in control buttons for simplified on-sitepatch cord tracing.

Visit us at www.panduit.com/pv22Contact Customer Service by email: [email protected]

or by phone: 800-777-3300 and reference ad # pv22

PANDUIT is a Global LeaderProviding Innovative End-To-EndNetwork Connectivity Solutionsthat Enable the Deployment of Technology.

■ Network Management and PoE Systems

■ Copper Cabling Systems■ Fiber Cabling Systems■ Outlets■ Raceway Systems■ Zone Cabling Systems■ Fiber Routing Systems■ Racks and Cable Management■ Network Grounding Systems■ Network Identification Systems■ Network Cable Ties and

Accessories

The PANVIEW ™ System from PANDUIT helpsbusinesses minimize network downtime bymonitoring physical layer connections withinthe patch field in real time.

PANDUIT is a Solutions Enabler Partner for IP Communications within the Cisco Technology Developer Program.





http://www.qmags.com/clickthrough.asp?url=www.panduit.com/pv22&id=12233&adid=PCOVER 4A1





cim 20070901 sep_2007

Business

c previous page ainstallation

page solutions

c previous pageainstallation

port countsee page

fiber testing

maintenance contents

optical cable corporation

ber systems