INFOGRAPHIC: Advantages of Structured Cabling versus Top of Rack (TOR)

By David Wall,

Infographic TOR versus Structured Cabling

Data Center and IT professionals: This infographic from Siemon examines the impact of top of rack (ToR) and structured cabling configurations on total management; scalability and upgrades; interoperability; equipment, maintenance and cabling costs; port utilization; power consumption and cooling requirements.  Structured cabling offers clear advantages.

The infographic is based on an actual 39 cabinet data center and the findings of a recent white paper by the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) (“Navigating the Pros and Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center” – download PDF).

Infographic TOR versus Structured Cabling

Data Center Planning Resources:

  • Read white paper “Navigating the Pros and Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center” (download PDF) by the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA)
  • Learn about Siemon Data Centers Solutions.  Siemon has focused its cabling expertise into a global data center service team, capable of guiding you through the process of selecting, designing and deploying the business-critical cabling infrastructure upon which your entire data center will rely.

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75°C Rated Shielded Category 6A and 7A Solid Cables from Siemon

By David Wall,

cat 6a cable
We are pleased to announce that all Siemon solid shielded category 6A and 7A cables sold worldwide are qualified for mechanical reliability in high temperature environments up to 75° C.

This higher temperature rating is especially critical for support of the IEEE 802.3 PoE Plus (Type 2) application that exhibit a temperature rise within bundled cable configurations. For cabling infrastructure expected to support power delivery to data terminal equipment, the practice recommended by industry standards is to not install 60° C rated cables in environments above 50° C.  Siemon shielded category 6A and 7A cables may be installed in environments up to the maximum 60° C specified by TIA and ISO/IEC standards and will not experience mechanical degradation caused by heat build-up inside the cable bundle due to PoE remote power delivery.

For more information on making PoE Plus-ready cabling choices to support reduced current-induced temperature rise and minimize the risk of degraded physical and electrical performance due to elevated temperature, see the white paper “IEEE 802.3at PoE Plus Operating Efficiency: How to Keep a Hot Application Running Cool.”

Furthermore, TIA and ISO/IEC cabling standards require overall channel length to be reduced from 100 meters (i.e. “length de-rating”) to offset additional insertion loss resulting from installation in environments having an ambient temperature greater than 20°C.  Siemon’s shielded category 6A cables require less than half the length de-rating of category 6A UTP cables and Siemon’s fully-shielded category 7A cables do not require any length de-rating to support 10GBASE-T and lower speed applications in environments up to 60° C.

The associated part numbers are listed below by region. Any cables manufactured after June 15th will now include the marking ‘75C’ on the jacket legend:

GLOBAL Part NumbersDescription
9A6(X)4-A5, -5CR, -1KRINTERNATIONAL, 6A F/UTP, SHIELDED LSOH, CM, CMR
9N6(X)4-A5-R(X)NINTERNATIONAL, 6A F/FTP, SHIELDED LSOH
9T7L4-E10, -5CR, -1KRINTERNATIONAL, 7A S/FTP, SHIELDED LSOH, 1000 MHz
9T7L4-E12, -5CR, -1KRINTERNATIONAL, 7A S/FTP, SHIELDED LSOH, 1200 MHz
US Part NumbersDescription
9A6(X)4-A5-(XX)-R1(X)6A F/UTP, SHIELDED CMP, CMR
9T7(X)4-E10-(XX)-R17A S/FTP, SHIELDED CMP, CMR

Learn more about on Siemon shielded cable in the Siemon e-catalog.

 

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Inside Cabling Sharing – A Unique, Innovative Category 7A Application

By David Wall,

Category 7A Cable Sharing article and case study

BICSI NEWS MAGAZINE May/June 2013

The latest edition of BISCI Magazine features a cover story article titled “Cabling Sharing – A Unique, Innovative Category 7A Application” by Bob Carlson, VP of Marketing at Siemon.

Download a PDF of the Cable Sharing article.

The article is about applying standards-based Category 7 and Category 7A in the real world and, as Bob explains, “the benefit of interference-free cable sharing—the practice of running more than one application over different pairs of a twisted-pair copper channel as a means to reduce cost, simplify cable management and converge applications onto a single media type.”

In the article, Bob gives a City of Rock Hill, South Carolina, project as an example of a Category 7A cable sharing application.  The project involved Rock Hill Utilities Department installing 480 category 7A outlets in the administration building, 203 in the shop and 42 in the warehouse.

Category 7A Cable

Category 7A Cable Sharing at the City of Rock Hill

Bob received this feedback from Justin Hobbs, who lead the project, and we are sharing it here with Justin’s permission:

Good Morning Robert!   My name is Justin Hobbs and I have had the pleasure of reading your column in the new edition of Bicsi News Magazine.  As I read the pages, wonderful memories were brought back of the installation mentioned in the article.  I was the PM/Lead Tech for the Cat 7a job for the City of Rock Hill.  I remember seeing the Tera line years ago at a Graybar Shrimparoo and thought “Wow!  Multiple devices on the same cable?  I’ll probably never see this in my lifetime.”  Nothing could have been further from the truth.  I remember when the project was put in my hands, the excitement, the anticipation, and the solid opinion it created between myself and the Siemon Company.  I met with Mrs. Roof and her associates for an initial demonstration and training session by Ron Symolon [Siemon], an old friend who did some training for another project while I was at my former employer.  I was amazed at how this system was designed and was equally confused as to why North America hadn’t adopted such a novel solution sooner.  During the installation process, I was equally privileged to work with Lyle Menard [Siemon] who guided me in the installation of the cabinetry associated with the system.  Needless to say, without further gilding the lily, this project remains as one of the crown jewels in my installation experience.

Justin W. Hobbs
IT Communications
Structured Cabling
CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Administration – Technical Support

 

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“The Advantages of Using Siemon Shielded Cabling to Power Remote Network Devices” On-Demand Webinar Now Available

By David Wall,

With more than 100 million PoE-enabled ports purchased annually, a new 4-pair IEEE 802.3 PoE application on the horizon, and advanced standards-based technology ready to deliver up to 100 watts of power—enough to power a television—delivering dc power over twisted-pair cabling has revolutionized the look and feel of the IT world.
Based on an upcoming Siemon white paper, this educational webinar, “The Advantages of Using Siemon Shielded Cabling to Power Remote Network Devices”, looks at the effects of the rising number and variety of devices supported by PoE and the need for proper selection of network cabling to eliminate the risk of damaging connectors and generating heat within cable bundles that can contribute to failures and downtime.

Watch the on-demand recording of the recent webinar now.

 

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Navigating the Pros & Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center

By David Wall,

A whitepaper from the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association’s (CCCA) data center committee is a guide for data center professionals and IT managers. The whitepaper examines the many factors to consider when evaluating top of rack (ToR) and structured cabling configurations, including the impact of those configurations on total management; scalability and upgrades; interoperability; equipment, maintenance and cabling costs; port utilization; power consumption and cooling requirements.

The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association’s (CCCA) newly formed data center committee has developed a whitepaper that is a guide for data center professionals and IT managers.

The whitepaper, Navigating the Pros & Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center, examines the many factors to consider when evaluating top of rack (ToR) and structured cabling configurations. Topics include the impact of those configurations on total management; scalability and upgrades; interoperability; equipment, maintenance and cabling costs; port utilization; power consumption and cooling requirements.

This whitepaper is the first of many planned contributions from the data center committee. “The pace at which data center hardware and space configuration changes is daunting. CCCA recognized both a need and an opportunity to help guide data center cabling decisions by providing the latest studies, options and expert views from the industry’s leading cable and connectivity manufacturers,” states Executive Director Frank Peri. “As with our other working groups, the goal of the CCCA data center committee is to add our voice to the development of industry codes, standards and other important resources.”

The Data Center committee plans an active and ongoing global communications program using a variety of venues. “The global data center environment is dynamic and challenging for those designing the cabling network,” adds Bob Carlson of the Siemon Company and Chair of the new committee. “Cabling systems design and topology choices have a significant impact on server and port utilization, operating efficiencies and even energy consumption. The new committee strives to provide information and insights that are relevant globally to assist design professionals and end users to make well-informed cabling decisions.”

CCCA is comprised of leading manufacturers, distributors and material suppliers who are committed to serve as a major resource for well-researched, fact-based information on the technologies and issues vital to the structured cabling industry. For information updates on data center and other timely industry topics, visit the association’s website at http://www.cccassoc.org, sign up for the quarterly newsletter, check the Communications Cable & Connectivity LinkedIn group, and CCCA’s YouTube page.

 

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