Data Cabling
In a connected world the importance of data centers is growing, so too does the need for high-quality networks in order for the demands of the digital economy to be met. The modern datacenters relies on quick and efficient exchanges of information, to and from customers and between the active IT components it houses.
The Importance of Standards
CNS follows the new CENELEC EN 50600 series standards which will impact on data center and buildings that house data centers.The series is separated into practices in terms of building construction, power distribution, environmental control, telecommunications cabling and security systems, as well as the management and operational systems that oversee all of these. It specifies a classification based around risks including availability, security and energy efficiency.
Four telecommunication cabling classes have been developed:
- With no resilience and high risk such as with direct point to point (‘unstructured’) cabling
- With no resilience but fixed cabling systems are deployed
- Concurrently maintainable based on multi-path cabling systems
- Concurrently maintainable based on diverse routed topologies. This is the lowest risk (but highest cost) proposition.
CNS Team follows Best Practice Program:
- Planning
In order to establish the network requirements of the data center in order that the deployment is Consistent with current needs. - Mapping
Ensuring that ‘on-the-ground’ decisions reflect the objectives established through planning, through mapping the requirement onto the actual data center using the most suitable network topology design - Procurement
Making the correct choice of equipment for the network in terms of density, speed, reliability, efficiency, service and support, return on investment etc.
- Installation
Since a number of the problems and inefficiencies associated with cabling in the data centers can be traced back to poor installation practices - Management
Since any data center system is only as good as its management and operation, particularly when it needs to bridge a period of significant technological change.
Structured or Not?
The broad advantages of structured cabling over point to point cabling (such as that used on top of rack configurations in a data center are seen as improved energy efficiency, increased switch port utilization, quicker system adaption, greater scalability, easier network expansion, less maintenance and administration, less expensive switches and overall lower cost of ownership.
Access to Equipment
The connection to the active IT equipment can be made via the top of the rack (ToR), or via the middle of the row (MoR) or via the end of the row (EoR) While there has been some move in recent years towards ToR based on greater convenience of access and improved space utilization, a number of recent studies indicate that energy consumption, flexibility and switch port utilization may be improved through EoR connection based on any Base-T morphology.
Scalability
which additional data can be carried across the network whether on a short-term load-peak basis or as part of a broader data center capacity expansion. As noted previously, networking equipment is so pervasive in data centers that such scalability needs to be easily enabled.
Designing
Designing according to physical constraints of the cabling– link transmission specification, physical flexibility and strength, minimization of interference in order to increase robustness and to prevent any major interruption to transmission.
The bandwidth and latency
The bandwidth and latency requirements of the equipment within the data center and the service levels expected of it. Thus, the numbers of servers that are virtualized will increase the complexity of traffic through the data center and in particular this will influence the network topology for switching and routing.
Copper, Fiber or Both?
The key cabling profiles of copper and fiber can be deployed to meet the different networking needs of the different spaces in a data center building. The first requirement is to understand the bandwidth requirements of each zone. This will depend upon the density of the servers and the networking equipment within the data center, and in other areas of the building.
5) Testing and handover?
Testing of each node through authentic Fluke equipment is a critical activity performed by CNS team on each copper and fiber node. After testing a detailed report is prepared and submitted to the facility people for final take over and sign off.