Cabling for Healthcare is a Critical Concern

By bconroy,

Cabling for Healthcare

Whether you are designing an infrastructure for a single doctor’s office or a healthcare campus, the cabling and connectivity you select for the network becomes a critical factor for a healthy network. Today’s healthcare applications are running at higher bandwidths and higher speeds due to both the size of graphical files used for today’s advanced medical imaging and the need to have files transported to many locations at lightning speeds.  Luckily there are standards and guidelines in place to help.

Both TIA and BICSI have updated their healthcare standards to address the changing needs of this environment: ANSI/TIA-1179-A (2017), Healthcare Facility Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard and ANSI-BICSI -004-2018, Information Communication Technology Systems Design and Implementation Best Practices for Healthcare Institutions and Facilities.  The TIA standard provides a guidance on cabling, distances, pathways and spaces, whereas BICSI offers design guidelines on healthcare system topologies. 

TIA was updated to synchronize with TIA-568.1-D standards on evolving cable and connectivity solutions (such as recommending Category 6A for copper installations and OM3, OM4 or OM5 for fiber) and to include reference to ANSI/TIA 862-B for intelligence building systems and ANSI/TIA 5017 for security requirements (refer to our own Standards’ Informant for specifics on TIA changes). The newest BICSI-004-2018 standard augments system design guidelines to now include wireless (including radio and RFID), digital signage and network security, and it provides detailed layouts and options for spaces such as telecom rooms.

Cabling System Cures

The impact of multiple IP technologies, combined with various integrated cabling systems and stringent healthcare regulations, is enough to give ICT designers a headache.  However, here are some best cabling practices and Siemon products to keep in mind when deploying cabling systems in the healthcare environment.

  • Zone Enclosures – The revised TIA-1179-A standard now recognizes zone cabling topology. Zone cabling will limit the horizontal runs from the TR by placing an intermediary cross connection. Since it is difficult and costly to make moves, adds and changes in a healthcare facility due to codes and ICR (Infection Control Regulations), a zone enclosure will allow easy access when changing or adding a cabling run or a new device. This includes Siemon’s 24-Port MAX® Zone Enclosure or larger 96-Port Passive Zone Ceiling Enclosure, which both accept either copper or fiber modules.
  • Siemon’s Z-MAX® Category 6A F/UTP and TERA® 7A Shielded Copper Cabling Systems – Shielded cable provides better performance and headroom for high-bandwidth copper applications, better immunity to RFI or EMI and better dissipation of heat when running PoE through twisted pair. This is especially critical in a healthcare environment that may expose cabling to the detrimental effects of high magnetic fields from a variety of medical devices.
  • XGLO® and LightSystem® Fiber Systems and Assemblies: To support high-speed applications, and the need for more bandwidth and noise immunity, fiber is an ideal choice for backbone cabling, as well as FTTD where fiber may need to connect directly to a device.  Siemon offers many options including cable, field terminated connectors, and pre-terminated trunks and assemblies.
  • Ruggedized MAX® & Z-MAX® outlets and modular patch cords:  Many of areas of a healthcare facility—from the lab to the operating room—are considered harsh environments due to wash downs and chemicals. Industrial housings with chemical-resistant thermoplastic housing and an IP66/IP67-rated seal protect plug and outlet contacts from dust, moisture, vibration, and chemicals. Siemon also offers IP44-rated stainless steel faceplates with rear sealing gaskets to keep moisture and debris out.
  • Z-PLUG™ Field-Terminated Plug: Siemon’ s Z-PLUG supports MPTLs (Modified Plug Terminated Links) that enable custom-length direct connections to wireless access points, security cameras, LED lights, distributed antenna systems (DAS), building automation devices and any other IP-based and PoE-enabled devices. The fully-shielded Z-PLUG exceeds all Category 6A performance requirements and is compliant with UL 2043 for use in plenum air handling spaces, and it can be ordered with color-coded clips to differentiate applications.

  Category: Enterprise LANs
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Today’s LAN is Everywhere—Are Your Connections Protected?

By bconroy,

pharmaceutical lab

With the IoT and mobility, virtually everything we do now on a daily basis touches the network—and the proliferation of digital information, wireless handheld devices and Ethernet into every facet of our lives means that network connections are in more places than ever before. Some of those places could be subject to harsher environments than what exists in the commercial office space—think of outdoor eateries and cafeterias, resorts and stadiums, fitness centers, operating rooms and even marinas.

As our world becomes more digital and LAN connections for devices like Wi-Fi access points, card readers, cameras, point of sale machines and other devices pop up everywhere, it’s important to consider that many of these connections located outside of the commercial office space may be exposed to moisture, chemicals, vibration, impact and other elements. Outlets, plugs and patch cords used to make connections to devices in these locations are therefore at risk of being damaged—unless of course they are properly protected. But what does properly protected mean?

There’s a Standard for That

There are a wide range of industry standards that specify how well a component is protected from the elements—everything from vibration, impact and chemicals, to dust, moisture and electrostatic discharge. Some of these standards include ISO/IEC 24702, TIA-1005 and EN 50173-3 standards which all incorporate the MICE method of classification. MICE stands for Mechanical, Ingress, Climatic and Electromagnetic and includes three levels of environmental harshness—level 1 for everyday commercial office environments, level 2 for light industrial and level 3 for industrial.

Other standards to consider include the ingress protection (IP) rating developed by the European Committee for Electro Technical Standardization (CENELEC) and National Electric Manufacturer Association (NEMA) enclosure ratings for cabinets, surface mount boxes, floor and ceiling boxes, junction boxes and even network equipment housing. NEMA ratings for enclosures also have IP rating equivalents.

How Do I Choose?

If you’ve identified the potential for the surrounding elements to potentially impact your LAN connections, you should consider selecting ruggedized cables and connectivity that are designed for these harsher environments. In general, ruggedized cable and connectivity solutions for harsher environments should feature components and characteristics such as the following:

  • Chemical-resistant thermoplastic housing on connectivity—Plugs and outlets should use materials that provide the widest range of protection from most solvents and common industrial chemicals.
  • Dust caps for outlets—Ruggedized dust caps can protect unused outlets and seal outlets during wash downs.
  • IP67-rated copper and fiber connectivity—Ruggedized outlets and modular patch cords with an IP66/IP67-rated seal protect plugs and outlet contacts from dust and moisture.
  • Shielded twisted-pair cabling for copperShielded copper cabling such as F/UTP cables and S/FTP cables will provide much higher resistance to EMI/RFI.
  • More durable cable jacket materials—Jacket materials such as polyurethane and thermoplastic elastomers can provide better tensile strength and lower temperature flexibility and brittle points, as well as better tear, abrasion, chemical and moisture resistance.
  • IP44-rated faceplates—Stainless steel faceplates with rear sealing gaskets provide a protective seal from moisture and debris.
  • NEMA 4X enclosures—Enclosures and surface mount boxes with a NEMA rating will protect the termination points of ruggedized outlets.

Another consideration when selecting ruggedized cable and connectivity is a breadth of copper and fiber types in a variety of performance levels. Most manufacturers of industrial/ruggedized components provide Category 6 at best for copper, with many offering only Category 5e. Furthermore, few offer the latest fiber cable and connectivity in ruggedized versions. This could very well be due to the fact that many industrial systems don’t require the higher bandwidth associated with Category 6A and fiber.Ruggedized cabling

However, as the LAN extends into harsher environments, there is the need to maintain the same performance level as the rest of the LAN. Consider the latest high throughput 802.11ac Wi-Fi—users expect this level of wireless performance and 802.11ac Wi-Fi requires Category 6A at a minimum. So you’re better off selecting a vendor with ruggedized copper and fiber cable connectivity available in the same copper and fiber performance levels as the rest of the LAN.

Check out Siemon’s comprehensive line of Ruggedized Cables and Connectivity at www.siemon.com/ruggedized

  Category: Enterprise LANs
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What Can Intelligence in a PDU Do For You?

By bconroy,

PDU

Power distribution units (PDUs) are required in racks and cabinets that house active equipment. How else would you plug those devices in so they get power?

PDUs come in all types of sizes and flavors – from horizontal rack-mounted PDUs and vertical PDUs, to various types of outlets, input and outlet voltages, and amount of power delivered (i.e., capacity). Depending on your location, the voltages will vary—208V is used for North America only while 230V is used elsewhere. The type of input plugs and outlets will vary as well. And the amount of capacity you need will also dictate which PDU you choose. If your capacity is 5.7kW, you’d better choose a PDU capable of delivering it.

PDUs also come in single phase and either Delta or Wye three phase power. Without delving too much into the technical aspects, single phase power uses one voltage delivered over two hot wires and one neutral and is used primarily for homes. Three phase power consists of three AC voltages delivered over three hot wires—Delta having three hot and one ground and Wye having three hot, one neutral and one ground. Three phase Wye offers the benefit of providing both 208V and 120V and can be used to power both 3-phase and single-phase devices.

There is however another aspect to consider when selecting a PDU—intelligence. PDUs can be very basic with zero intelligence so really all they do is distribute power. Basic PDUs are reliable and lower cost, and sometimes they may be all you need. However, in today’s data centers where power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a critical metric to ensuring efficiency by measuring the ratio of energy used by the data center versus the actual energy delivered to the equipment, you might need a little bit more. Maybe you want to really get into monitoring power usage of individual pieces of equipment, or you need a way to restart or shut down equipment remotely. Or maybe you want to see power usage trends over time to help make informed decisions for improving PUE.

If any of this sounds like something you could use in your data center (or for that equipment you’ve got housed in someone else’s data center), you need an intelligent PDU. Let’s take a closer look at your options.

Metered PDUs – That Little Something More

If all you really want to know is how much power is being consumed by a single PDU, maybe you only need a little bit of intelligence. As a cost-effective option for getting more intelligence than your basic PDU, metered PDUs will show you real-time power data—typically via an LED display right on the PDU itself.

Monitored PDUs – When You Can’t Be There

One step up in intelligence from the metered PDU is the monitored PDU. It too will let you know real-time power usage, but it will also let you see this information remotely using an Ethernet port capable of delivering that data to wherever you are. That means you can also save this data to keep track of trends. Some monitored PDUs will also give you the capability of setting alarms so that you’re notified the minute your power usage hits a certain user-defined level. They may also include ports for connecting sensors that can collect other information from the cabinet, like temperature and humidity sensors for example.

Smart PDUs – When Individual Power Usage Matters

While monitored PDUs will give you power usage information remotely, the smart PDU takes that capability down to the individual outlet level. That way you’ll know exactly which piece of equipment is using the most power (or the least). And once you get to the outlet level, there are other benefits such as being able to configure outlets into groups (hmmm… let’s use these 12 outlets for primary email server power and these other 12 for something else).

Switched PDUs – When Remote Control Matters Most

While the ability to see power usage at the outlet level is great for seeing which piece of equipment is using the most power, sometimes power usage at the cabinet level is all you need. And maybe actually controlling the outlets so you can remotely restart or shut down a piece equipment is more important. If so, the switched PDU is for you.

Managed – When You Want It All

There are those of us that need (or simply want) it all—the ability to measure power usage for each outlet AND the ability to shut down individual pieces of equipment remotely, as well as all the other benefits that go along with an intelligent PDU. A fully managed PDU will offer this highest level of outlet-level control and monitoring.

The good news is that Siemon offers a full range of basic, metered and intelligent PDUs in their comprehensive PowerMax™ line so you can get the exact amount of intelligence you need! All PowerMax PDUs feature soldered connections for superior reliability and come with a 3-year warranty.

PowerMax intelligent PDUs—available in monitored, smart, switched and managed—offer an industry leading accuracy of +/-1%, an IP address sharing option, outlet grouping and group access control, and an intuitive user web interface for easy-to-read power usage information and for setting alarm thresholds and group settings.

Click HERE for more information on Siemon’s PowerMax PDUs.

 

 

 

  Category: Data Center
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Cost is More than a Price Tag

By bconroy,

pricetag When it comes to choosing optical fiber cabling for your data center, it’s important to understand the hidden costs of making the wrong choice. Just because optical fiber assemblies from certain sources cost less upfront, does not mean these solutions are the most cost effective choice in the long run.

Testing overwhelmingly shows that generic optical fiber assemblies from unknown sources frequently fail end face geometry, performance and mechanical reliability testing. One needs to therefore ask themselves if the upfront savings from buying substandard optical fiber assemblies are worth putting network performance at risk. Considering the extreme cost of downtime, it is ultimately more cost effective to choose optical fiber assemblies from reputable manufacturers that place a high emphasis on all facets of fiber optic assembly performance, including the use of rigorous process control over end face geometry, cleanliness and mechanical reliability to ensure superior optical performance.

Carefully weighing the options and considering your future growth and application assurance for the future should also not be overlooked. If what you spend your IT budget on today adds no value tomorrow, or ends up costing you more because you are not able to effectively support your future needs, was it really the most cost-effective choice? Data center managers would be wise to not only examine their source vendors, but also rely on the expertise of designers and consultants who have a pulse on the available optical fiber options, applications and future standards developments and can help you choose solutions today that will ultimately cost less tomorrow.

  Category: General
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Mexican Structured Cabling Standards

By bconroy,

mexico-map-clipart-1.jpg

The Mexican Subcommittee on Standards for Interconnection of Information Technologies is the organization responsible for developing telecommunications cabling Standards for Mexican IT infrastructure system users, designers, and specifiers. Recently, the Structured Cabling Working Group finalized Mexican Standard NMX-I-14763-2-NYCE for the planning and installation of generic cabling, which is harmonized with international Standard ISO/IEC 14763-2. So far, the working group has produced nine structured cabling-related Standards:

  • NMX-I-108-NYCE-2006: Telecomunicaciones – Cableado – Cableado estructurado – Puesta a tierra en sistemas de telecomunicaciones
  • NMX-I-132-NYCE-2006: Telecomunicaciones – Cableado – Cableado estructurado – Especificaciones de las pruebas de cableado balanceado – Parte 1: Cableado instalado
  • NMX-I-154-NYCE-2008: Telecomunicaciones – Cableado – Cableado estructurado – Cableado genérico residencial
  • NMX-I-248-NYCE-2008: Telecomunicaciones – Cableado – Cableado estructurado – Cableado de Telecomunicaciones para edificios comerciales – Especificaciones y métodos de prueba
  • NMX-I-279-NYCE-2009: Telecomunicaciones – Cableado – Cableado estructurado – Canalizaciones y espacios para cableado de telecomunicaciones en edificios comerciales
  • NMX-I-14763-1-NYCE-2010: Telecomunicaciones – Cableado – Cableado estructurado – Implementación y operación de cableado en edificios comerciales – Parte 1: Administración
  • NMX-I-24764-NYCE-2013: Tecnología de la información – Sistema de cableado genérico para centros de datos
  • NMX-J-C-I-489-ANCE-ONNCCE-NYCE-2014: Centros de datos de alto desempeño sustentable y energético – Requisitos y métodos de comprobación
  • NMX-I-14763-2-NYCE-2017: Tecnologías de la información-Implementación y operación de cableado estructurado – Parte 2: Planeación e instalación

The following two Standards, one for optical fiber cabling testing and one for telecommunication grounding networks, are currently under development by the Structured Cabling Working Group:

  • PROY-NMX-I-14763-3-NYCE, Tecnología de la información – Cableado estructurado genérico – Implementación y operación – Parte 3 – Pruebas del cableado de fibra óptica
  • PROY-NMX-I-30129-NYCE, Tecnología de la información – Redes de unión de telecomunicaciones para edificios y otras estructuras

  Category: Standards
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