Network Infrastructure Blog

The global data center market is poised for substantial growth, projected to surge by over 6% year-over-year throughout this decade. This robust expansion is fueled by key technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), internet streaming, and gaming, shaping the digital landscape in profound ways. Amidst this accelerating growth, data centers are evolving into sophisticated hubs, increasingly automated and equipped to handle diverse applications and a myriad of compute and storage devices, effectively managing the escalating workloads of the digital era.

In the dynamic realm of data centers, the importance of a well-designed structured cabling system cannot be overstated. Whether the device requires a copper or fiber connection, having a patch panel design makes it easier and more efficient for the myriad of changes and upgrades that can be expected in today’s fast-paced data center environments. The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) underscores this commitment through its TIA-942 standards, while the International Standards Organization (ISO) reinforces global compatibility with ISO/IEC 24764.

What is a structured cabling system? It’s a connectivity design that strategically places patch panels or enclosures throughout the data center space so connecting devices into the network can be accomplished with short patch cords or jumpers. The connectivity between the patch panels and enclosures is considered “structured” and remains in place for years while the end connections of patch cords and jumpers into the devices can be plugged into and out of the cabling system. For a visual representation, see Figure 1, showcasing a common fiber structured cabling channel supporting duplex LC fiber connections. It’s important to note that the optical transceivers that the compute and storage devices require dictate what type of fiber and connector is to be used. These compute and storage devices can often operate on different fiber types and connector types. The choice of fiber and connector type is best determined by the application in relation to the speed and distance of the connection. With proper planning, the structured cabling infrastructure can be specified to support multiple generations of data center applications eliminating the need to re-cable for each upgrade.

Figure 1

The opposite of a structured cabling system is point-to-point cabling. This connectivity method is less expensive, requires little planning and is easy to execute at the beginning. The downside to point-to-point cabling is when new devices need to be added, moved or removed from the network. Upgrades often require new cables and existing cables are often left in place creating unnecessary pathway congestion. When installing a new point-to-point cable, the technician often uses a cable that is longer than is needed to make sure there is sufficient length to connect the devices on each end. As time goes on these “extra length” cables become difficult to manage and they block air pathways in cabinets and racks that are used to cool the data center equipment. This in turn increases the amount of energy needed to cool the compute and storage devices. As illustrated in the photos below, the once neatly installed fiber cabling begins to resemble a tangled web, challenging to navigate and manage. The inefficiency of point-to-point cabling, once masked by its initial ease of execution, now takes center stage, emphasizing the importance of a well-thought-out structured cabling system.

Figure 2

A structured cabling system offers many advantages over point-to-point in the data center space. Below are seven main reasons:

1. Ease of Management: Structured cabling provides a systematic and organized approach to managing cables within the data center. It allows for easy identification, tracing, and management of cables, which simplifies maintenance and troubleshooting tasks. Cable trunks or bundles reduce pathway conveyance and conduit space allowing for more cabling growth.
2. Scalability: Structured cabling systems are designed to accommodate future growth and changes in technology. They can easily adapt to accommodate additional equipment, upgrades, and expansions within the data center environment without requiring significant reconfiguration or downtime. Structured cabling allows the use of multiple generations of compute and storage equipment to work together seamlessly even with different connector types.
3. Reliability and Performance: A well-designed structured cabling system minimizes signal interference, crosstalk, and other issues that can degrade network performance. This ensures reliable and consistent data transmission speeds throughout the data center, which is crucial for maintaining optimal operational efficiency. A structured cable system installed by a Siemon Certified Installer has a 25-year warranty.
4. Flexibility: Structured cabling systems offer flexibility in terms of supporting various types of network equipment and technologies. They can accommodate different networking standards, protocols, applications, and optical transceivers to allow data center operators to easily integrate new devices and technologies as needed. Any relocation of equipment simply requires changes to patch cords instead of having to re-install new cabling.
5. Reduced Downtime: By minimizing cable clutter, simplifying cable management, and providing consistent administration, structured cabling helps reduce the risk of accidental cable disconnections and other human errors that can lead to network downtime. This helps improve the overall reliability and availability of services within the data center.
6. Cost-Effectiveness: While the initial investment in structured cabling may be higher compared to traditional cabling methods, it offers long-term cost savings by reducing maintenance costs, minimizing downtime, and providing a scalable infrastructure that can adapt to changing business needs over time.
7. Standards Compliance: As mentioned earlier, TIA-942 and ISO/IEC 24764 industry Standards detail best practices to ensure compatibility with a wide range of networking equipment and technologies. This helps simplify interoperability and integration efforts within the data center environment.

As AI computing and storage devices are installed into the data center, more fiber cabling is needed to support the higher speeds required for the graphics processing units (GPU) to function properly. A basic AI compute architecture has 128 nodes or servers with 16 spine and 32 leaf switches. The number of compute fiber strands between these devices is 8192! This number of fibers does not include the Storage, In-Band and Out-of-Band management connectivity needed for the architecture. Having a structured cabling system to support connectivity between the network racks and the servers and switches helps manage all these cables. Figure 3 provides a glimpse into the anatomy of a common AI channel using multimode fiber with angled (APC) MTP connectors that hold 8 fibers each. The MTP-to-MTP trunks can scale up in fiber counts to best match the application.

Figure 3

Structured copper cabling systems are also used in the data center. Copper trunks speed up cabling deployments by eliminating the time needed for connector terminations. Figure 4 illustrates a typical structured copper trunk application. It becomes evident that the strategic implementation of these trunks can significantly contribute to the overall efficiency and reliability of a data center’s cabling system.

Figure 4

In summary, in the world of data centers, machine learning, and AI, it is not just about computing power and sophisticated algorithms; it’s also about the silent workhorses behind the scenes – the well-structured fiber or copper cabling systems that enable these technological marvels to function seamlessly. So, the next time you marvel at the capabilities of data centers and AI, take a moment to appreciate the intricate dance of connectivity making it all possible.

Want to learn about Siemon AI Solutions? Visit our Generative AI webpage at www.siemon.com/ai.

In the world of data centers (DC) and Intelligent Buildings (IB), copper and fiber cabling are widely recognized as the primary media types for network connectivity. The ability to seamlessly integrate these two types of cabling offers a multitude of installation options to address various cabling applications, network topologies, and equipment connectivity requirements. In this blog post, we will delve into the challenges faced by network engineers when dealing with the integration of copper and fiber media types and explore best practices to overcome the most common obstacles.

Traditionally, copper and fiber connectivity each had their own dedicated mounting styles onto racks or inside cabinets. Copper cables are typically housed in fixed open 1U or 2U patch panels with labeled front ports for easy identification. On the other hand, fiber connections are typically accommodated in larger 1U to 4U enclosures with sliding trays to access the fiber connections within. While these fiber enclosures offer excellent cable management, splicing capabilities, and security, they can often pose a challenge for installation and maintenance in space-sensitive environments.

What’s driving the need to mix connectivity?

While copper offers significant advantages in Intelligent Buildings and for short-distance connections in data centers, fiber cabling excels in long-distance connections and scenarios requiring enhanced security, its inherent difficulty to tap provides a higher level of data protection compared to copper, ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of critical information. Fiber is ideally suited for connections exceeding 100 meters, delivering higher bandwidth capacity and immunity to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) as well as reliable and high-performance connectivity over extended distances, making it an ideal choice for interconnecting telecommunication rooms and in and between data centers.

More recently, due to the ongoing increase in bandwidth requirements, fiber has become more common for short-distance applications as well, replacing copper uplinks. Today’s data centers are running more fiber links, replacing traditional copper switch-to-server connectivity to achieve speeds up to 100 Gb/s. This has driven users to a mixed infrastructure approach, where fiber is required for high speed and copper for lower speed.

These trends make the usage of a panel that allows users to combine their copper and fiber connectivity within a single patch panel the ideal choice, and when deployed in the right configurations, it helps them to enhance their space usage and design flexibility and scalability into their network infrastructure.

What do you need to factor into your approach when mixing copper and fiber?

To ensure efficient and reliable network infrastructures that meet the evolving demands of modern IT environments, it is essential to follow best practices when integrating copper and fiber cabling. Here are some recommendations to consider:

1. Utilize copper for distances less than 100 meters in IB applications and for short-distance connections, such as those between servers and switches in the data center space that are operating at 10Gb/s or lower speeds. Additionally, copper cabling is often more cost-effective than fiber, making it a practical solution for shorter runs. It is also ideal for distributing remote power such as Power over Ethernet (PoE) for IB applications. When higher speed is required, the few required fiber ports in IB environment can be mixed with a combo panel.
2. Leverage fiber for long-distance connections exceeding 100 meters. Fiber’s higher bandwidth capacity makes it ideally suited for connections between Telecommunication rooms, data centers, and the Internet. When dealing with extended distances, fiber provides reliable and high-performance connectivity.
3. Where higher speeds are required, the use of fiber, even for short distances, is recommended because of its application flexibility. The rise of 25/40/100 Gb/s uplink speeds is driving the increased adoption of fiber over copper. In this case, copper remains a requirement for the few Out-of-Band uplinks remaining, therefore mixing copper and fiber will save you critical rack space.

In conclusion, the seamless integration of copper and fiber cabling in data centers and Intelligent Buildings offers numerous advantages in terms of connectivity, flexibility, scalability and futureproofing. Siemon’s new LightVerse® Combo Patch Panels present an innovative solution that provides “the best of both worlds” combining the benefits of both media types while addressing the pain points experienced by network engineers worldwide. By following best practices and considering the specific requirements of each application, network experts can build efficient and reliable network infrastructures that will support their demands for many years to come.

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Author: Mike Brooman, CEO Vanti

Whilst the long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the smart building market is hard to predict, there’s no doubt that it increased the need to optimise spaces and focus more on building occupants versus the traditional smart building goals of sustainability and reducing energy consumption.

As lockdowns are lifted, organisations are looking to make the best use of their facilities and create safe environments for getting people back to the office. Whilst many technology companies have capitalised on the pandemic by introducing solutions for maintaining social distance, disinfecting spaces, and even detecting elevated body temperature, organisations need to be careful not to implement technology for technology’s sake and take a dragnet, temporary approach that ultimately does not get them to the end goal of creating outstanding people-centric work spaces that actually attract and retain talent.

Average is No Longer Good Enough

If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s that people can be highly productive working at home, especially when they have the right environment. In some ways, even an average home working environment offers several advantages over the average office-the ability to better focus on individual work, think creatively, hold confidential discussions, spread out papers or materials, take proper breaks, and maintain an overall better work-life balance. This has prompted many top CEOs to state that they plan to shed a significant amount of office space, up to 90% in some cases. That may however be a bit of knee-jerk reaction-I covered this on a recent Siemon TechTalk “How to Make a Smart Building Truly Intelligent”, it’s not the office that’s the problem; it’s the experience.

Although virtual meeting platforms have certainly maintained some level of collaboration, no one can deny that humans are social beings who can achieve more when we work together face-to-face. But if the average home offers a better work environment and improved productivity compared to an average office, what’s to entice people to come back to the office or new talent to come on board? To truly attract and retain talent, offices need to be better than average-they need to be outstanding and offer all the benefits of working at home while driving the social interaction, creative collaboration, and customer interface people crave and need be successful. The key question is, how do we get there?

A People-First Mentality

The intelligent building approach has rapidly shifted away from the early days of systems deployed as smart silos with the ability to control their own behavior and look at their own data. While the industry is now focusing more on integrated systems that can share and analyse data for greater insight, making next-generation smart buildings truly intelligent requires an approach that optimises the user experience and starts with the end in mind.

Adopting a people-first mentality for smart building projects requires designing around the occupants by identifying all the various personas in a building-staff, visitors, facility managers-and determining what matters to them, how they move through a building, and what their ultimate experience should be. When you consider recent reports that break down office-based business cost as 1% for energy, 9% for operations, and the remaining 90% related to people, it’s clear that building technology investment needs to be people-centred.

Instead of focusing on bells and whistles and getting lost in the promise of next-gen innovation, technology needs to be utilised to allow people to do their best work-and it needs to be convenient, intuitive, and consistent via a unified interface.

It Takes a Holistic, Collaborative Approach

Once the desired user experience has been determined, the process should then work back from there to identify the right technologies and implementation, answering such questions as:

• What type of data required?
• How should the system function and be controlled?
• Which systems should be integrated?
• Which systems can be integrated?

In a large multi-tenant building with dozens of various systems, some of which are landlord based (i.e., security, building automation, parking) and others that are tenant based (i.e., meeting room booking, lighting control, audiovisual), designing and implementing systems with the end in mind can be complex and challenging, especially considering many of the systems have been traditionally designed, implemented, and commissioned as silos.

To avoid these silos, it’s important to adopt a holistic approach where everyone has a seat at the design table and all stakeholders understand the technology implications to avoid anything getting lost in translation between the client, the design team, and those involved in the actual construction and implementation. It’s therefore critical that those looking to get started on a smart building project choose the right partners.

Whether you’re building new or retrofitting an existing building, listen to our Siemon TechTalk: “How to Make a Smart Building Truly Intelligent” to gain valuable insight on what makes an outstanding office, common pitfalls to avoid, implementation strategies, and how to get started.

A modern audiovisual (AV) system relies on power being distributed to multiple devices. Narender Vasandani, RCDD, technical manager India, Middle East & Africa at Siemon, explains why maximizing the potential of today’s AV technology relies upon the use of intelligent power distribution units (iPDUs).

Gone are the days when an AV system comprised nothing more than a microphone and a projector. As buildings have become more intelligent, AV systems that operate over a Ethernet based network infrastructure are now considered the norm. Wireless microphones, projectors that connect wirelessly to computers or smartphones, smartboards, digital signage, video walls and smart screens with touch based interaction are all part of the picture.

Power packed

As well as enabling building occupants to work smarter, organizations are also realizing that there are other benefits to having a cutting edge AV system. It can provide updated corporate information, negate the need to travel to meetings, highlight good health and safety practices, reinforce company messaging and be used to carry out training.

Given the integral role it plays in an intelligent building, AV system equipment must have a stable power supply. In the past a basic power strip was often used to split a power supply to multiple AV devices. However, these are not designed for continuous use under load and, as AV equipment has become more sophisticated, power distribution units (PDUs) that are specifically engineered and certified for use in high performance installations are vital.

Smart thinking

Although basic and metered PDUs offer significant advantages over a standard power strip by providing a robust yet economical means to distribute power to AV equipment, iPDUs go a whole lot further. Switched, monitored and managed iPDUs are ideal for reducing energy costs, managing and optimizing power capacity, and identifying potential operational problems.

The upsurge in demand for intelligent products within buildings means that the iPDU market is expected to be worth $5.58bn by 2025 – up from $1.25bn in 2017. Although the technology with these devices is impressive, the main reason why the sector is seeing such incredible growth is down to the wider advantages that iPDUs offer.

In addition to supplying a reliable source of power, iPDUs such as those in Siemon’s PowerMax range provide real time current, voltage, and power consumption information for valuable troubleshooting, control and monitoring of power usage & capacity as well as provide real-time monitoring of environmental conditions at the cabinet level via sensor ports using temperature, humidity and other sensors. Organizations can remotely monitor and control power, as well as capacity and environmental conditions, via an internet browser that displays data from all monitoring points via easy to understand charts, tables and graphs. These platforms can also be configured to send alerts via email or SMS when current or environmental sensor data, which could cause a power outage, falls outside of user defined limits.

Remote control

iPDUs save time, money and effort. For example, when a device becomes unresponsive, often the only viable solution is a manual hard reboot, where someone unplugs it and then plugs it back in. Not only is this disruptive, during the coronavirus pandemic this type of action has become logistically problematic.

Manual reboots also translate to longer periods of downtime, which impacts revenues, reputation and overall productivity. Therefore, the ability to perform a remote hard reboot through an iPDU offers an instant fix, providing a fast and effective way to get AV equipment back online. Recovering from a downtime incident involves more than just simply restarting equipment though – the process must be carried out in a way that doesn’t damage sensitive AV devices. iPDUs allow AV equipment to be powered-on sequentially to avoid an in-rush current event that can overload devices. Just as importantly, the ability to remotely lock-out individual outlets prevent unauthorized equipment from overloading iPDUs or circuits.

Efficiency drive

Organizations across the world are under increasing pressure to make their operations more energy efficient, and one of the less obvious benefits of iPDUs is their ability to help companies meet their sustainability based obligations. Failing to switch off high energy consuming AV equipment when not in use is expensive. Using iPDUs with remote monitoring means devices that have been left on are able to be switched off when people have vacated a building, while power sequencing can be initiated to turn off all devices at once.

Conversely, iPDUs can schedule power to switch on AV equipment so that it is active when people begin their working days. Furthermore, the ability to monitor the power usage of individual connected devices lowers operational expenditure by identifying when they are not being used and enabling appropriate action to be taken.

Due to a special outlet control feature, iPDUs such as switched or managed PDUs can restart or shut down individual pieces of equipment remotely, for example when equipment isn’t running critical services 24/7. Rather than having the equipment idle or on standby, a PDU with outlet level switching can switch off power to the device and restore power when it is needed. This can be an automatic process that is set by a predefined schedule.

Delivering the goods

To get the very best results from an Ethernet based AV system, it is advisable to specify components that are designed for performance and durability, and work with a manufacturer that has expertise in this area. Complementing its PowerMax range of iPDUs, the Siemon’s Z-MAX shielded Category 6A cabling and Z-PLUG field terminated solution are proven to meet the needs of HDBaseT AV applications – creating perfect sound and vision.

iPDU market is expected to be worth $5.58bn by 2025

Keystone copper connectivity is essentially based on a universal RJ-45 form factor that enables the connectivity to be interchangeable across brands-any keystone outlet will fit into any keystone opening. But there are some considerations.

Same Size Does Not Mean Same Performance

Keystone outlets feature a snap-in mounting with a rectangular face of 14.5 mm (0.57 in.) wide by 16 mm (0.63 in.) high. Since keystone connectivity is interchangeable, it is often chosen for versatility and the ability to work with a wide range of keystone work area products such as faceplates, boxes, and other mounting solutions. Keystone outlets can be especially beneficial if you are dealing with unique or customized mounting solutions from third-party vendors. Keystone connectivity can also facilitate upgrades and vendor replacements-existing keystone mounting solutions allow for easily replacing outlets with another vendor’s keystone outlets.

However, just because keystone outlets are the same size, that does not necessarily mean they are all equal. While their form factor may be identical, you still need to consider the performance. At a basic level, they need to be verified to meet industry standards like ANSI/TIA-568 and ISO/IEC 11801, which means they also need to be from a reputable manufacturer. Buying keystone connectors from low-cost, unknown suppliers increases the risk of ending up with non-standards compliance, inferior performance, or even counterfeit components.

There are additional performance considerations as well. For example, are the outlets UL 2043 compliant for use in air handling spaces? How easy and repeatable is the termination process? How well do they achieve outlet-to-outlet pair separation to suppress alien crosstalk when mounted side-by-side in 10 Gb/s applications? One key performance factor to consider is power over Ethernet (PoE) support and the ability to prevent plug and jack contact erosion at the final mated location that can occur due to arcing when the plug is unmated under PoE load conditions. Keystone outlets that include a straight jack contact shape can result in damaged plug contacts at the final mated position and ultimately an unreliable connection. In contrast, Siemon Z-MAX® and MAX® keystone outlets feature our PowerGUARD® technology with a patented curved jack contact shape that ensures any arcing damage to the plug and jack contacts remain away from the final mated position. Learn more about our PowerGUARD technology.

Additional Considerations

While the universal interchangeability of keystone connectivity has its benefits-as long as you’re selecting standards-based connectivity from a reputable manufacturer-they are considered a more commoditized option that might not give you all the features and benefits you can get with a manufacturer-specific modular connectivity solution.

Siemon Z-MAX and MAX hybrid outlets come with a door option that is great for keeping dust out of unused outlets. They can also be mounted flat or angled and include spaces for icons to easily distinguish between voice and data. Keystone outlets are not available with these added features.

Sometimes, these features can have an impact on installation. For example, when planning for work area mounting, it is important to ensure adequate clearance for depth requirements to maintain the cable bend radius. Since keystone outlets cannot be mounted in an angled orientation, they end up requiring more depth and a larger bend radius. For example, Siemon’s keystone Z-MAX outlets have a mounting depth of 30mm (1.2 in.) with a required bend radius of 4 times the cable diameter. However, an angle-mounted hybrid Z-MAX outlet has a mounting depth of just 23 mm (0.9 in.) and allows for a smaller bend radius of about 2 times the cable diameter.

We’ve Got You Covered!

Regardless of whether you prefer keystone or modular connectivity, Siemon has you covered. Our high-performance Z-MAX and MAX outlets available in category 5e UTP, category 6 UTP and category 6A UTP and shielded have the option of a keystone form factor. We offer high-quality keystone single-gang plastic and stainless-steel faceplates. They come in 1-, 2- and 4-port versions and keystone UTP patch panels in 24- and 48-port flat and angled versions. UL listed for use in air-handling spaces to support connections to ceiling-mounted devices such as Wi-Fi access points, surveillance cameras and LED lights, Siemon’s keystone surface mount boxes are available in 1-, 2-, 4- or 6-port versions.

You can find ordering information for our keystone connectivity by visiting Siemon’s eCatalog at ecatalog.siemon.com. Siemon’s new keystone faceplates, patch panels and surface mount boxes support Siemon keystone Z-MAX® and MAX® UTP outlets available in category 5e, category 6 and category 6A performance.