Cabling Planner Issue 017

MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS

A special supplement with

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2015

ISSUE 017

WIREd VS. WIREless

What does the future hold?

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CABLINGPLANNER MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS

2015

ISSUE 017

GROUP Chairman and founder Dominic De Sousa GROUP CEO Nadeem Hood

Publishing Director Rajashree Rammohan raj.ram@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5685 Editorial Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5678 Editor Annie Bricker annie.bricker@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 1643 Deputy Editor James Dartnell james.dartnell@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5684

CONTENTS

4 FEATURE Wired vs. wireless

Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5683 ADVERTISING Commercial Director Chris Stevenson chris.stevenson@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5674 Sales Manager Merle Carrasco merle.carrasco@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5676 Circulation Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5682 Production and Design Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5673 Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5680 Neha Kalvani neha.kalvani@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 3751644 DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developer Jefferson de Joya

8 Feature: The key to effective results management

11 interview:

Photographer Charls Thomas webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100

Published by

Right connections Registered at IMPZ PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 Printed by Al Ghurair Printing & Publishing Regional partner of

14

16

Opinion: Power play

Opinion: The domino effect

Š Copyright 2015 CPI All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

cover FEATURE Wireless

Wired vs. wireless Will Will the the move move towards towards all-wireless all-wireless enterprise enterprise networks networks ring ring the the death death knell knell for structured cabling systems? for structured cabling systems?

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A

ccording to the data available from the cabling industry association BICSI, copper cabling used in desktop connections has been on the decline since 2006, and the average bandwidth per wireless user in a typical office environment has surpassed 250 Mbps.

Although wireless connections are not completely without wires, a wireless solution uses far less cabling than a standard desktop copper based infrastructure.

Some of the newer mobile devices becoming more prevalent in workplaces can only access a corporate network wirelessly.

Increasingly, employees have two or more Wi-Fi enabled clients, and their usage patterns are different from traditional laptop users. With the influx of mobile and wireless devices, IT groups are rethinking the wired age of the network, especially when they face upgrades to access layer Ethernet switches.

With new wireless standards such as 802.11 ac providing performance capabilities on a part with structured cabling systems, will wireless make cabled networks obsolete in the near future?

“While it sounds logical to say that first wave IEEE 802.11ac 80 MHz devices provide performance on par with structured cabling systems because they can theoretically deliver a maximum throughput of 1.3 Gb/s, there are two main reasons why this statement is inaccurate. First, since wireless is a shared network, the maximum available bandwidth is actually split between multiple users.

Keeping in mind that an 802.11ac access point (AP) can serve 30 to 60 clients, it’s easy to see substantial opportunity for network slow time due to lack of bandwidth, depending on user needs, at any given time.

This is in significant contrast to a 1000BASE-T network, where each user has the full 1 Gb/s bandwidth available at all times,” says Valerie

Maguire, Director of Standards and Technology, Siemon.

Dave Hughes, Technical Director, Commscope, says wireless is a complementary connectivity service to the wired networks, and one that enables employees to work anywhere while being connected the entire time. “The wired network will continue to provide high-speed bandwidth to the desk, and to other fixed locations. In fact, we are seeing an increase in wired applications, such as IP security, HD audio/video, LED lightning, BMS systems and of course, Wi-Fi access points.”

Alfred Tharwat, Head of Training and Data Centre Consultancy, R&M Middle East, echoes a similar opinion about the coexistence of the two solutions complementing each other. He says wireless networks will be the only solution in public spaces and the preferred solution in enterprises and large offices where users move or often have to change their workplaces. However, there still remains a need for cabled networks where security and transmission speed are issues.

“Let’s not also forget that today’s enterprises have extensively invested in cabling infrastructure some of which are legacy and some of which have been more recently deployed.

The typical lifecycle of the cabling infrastructure is 20 to 25 years, so these are long-term investments that are capable of meeting enterprise requirements for many years to come.

It would be very difficult for any CIO to justify a rip-and-replace approach to his CFO,” he adds.

Another reason why wireless is unlikely to be replaced is that total bandwidth is specified differently for wired versus wireless systems.

For example, since 1000BASE-T transmits in full-duplex (transmitting and receiving over the same cable pairs at the same time), it is capable of operating at a maximum rate of 1 Gbps in the upstream direction and 1 Gbps in the downstream direction.

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cover FEATURE Wireless

This is different from wireless networks, which transmit in halfduplex and whose stated bandwidth is an indication of throughput in both directions combined.

Paul Kish, Director of Systems and Standards, Belden, offers another reason why wireless won’t replace wired anytime soon, “802.11ac supports the 5GHz frequency. The good news is that there’s far more room in that frequency spread than there is in the over-used 2.4GHz . The bad news is that a 5GHz signal has less range," he says. "For the Wi-Fi access point in your office today, the signal is omnidirectional-it forms a communications sphere around the device. With 802.11ac the signal is broadcast directly from the access point (AP) to a specific device and back again. If you’re in an environment with few 802.11ac devices, you’ll have excellent range.

But, if you’re with hundreds of 802.11ac devices you’ll need to be much closer to an AP to get a signal.”

The research firm Gartner has recently predicted that by 2018, 40 percent of enterprises will specify Wi-Fi as the default connection for non-mobile devices, such as desktops, desk phones, projectors and conference room.

“Ethernet cabling has been the mainstay of the business workplace connectivity since the beginning of the networking. However, as

“Because structured cabling systems will always be able to provide higher, dedicated available bandwidth and reliability compared to wireless, they are ideal for the core network,” Valerie Maguire, Director of Standards & Technology, Siemon

smartphones, laptops, tablets and other consumer devices have multiplied, the consumer space has largely converted to a wireless-first world,” explains Ken Dulaney, VP and distinguished analyst, Gartner.

However, will this make enterprises shift to a wireless-by-default and a wired-by-exception model, and choose wireless as the primary connection to the enterprise infrastructure, especially in new network deployments?

“New network deployments will probably go wireless as BYOD gains acceptance in the workplace.

However, backbone and horizontal cabling must be wired. Again, there is no network that is only wireless and robust wireless networks are always supported by a wired backbone,” says Asef Baddar, Senior Manager, Technical Sales and Services, Leviton.

“The wired network will continue to provide high-speed bandwidth to the desk, and to other fixed locations. In fact, we are seeing an increase in wired applications, such as IP security, HD audio/video, LED lightning, BMS systems and of course, Wi-Fi access points.”

Dave Hughes, Technical Director, Commscope

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Tharwat says this varies from project to project depending on the requirements such as mobility, performance, cost and security. “If we look at the situation today, we can see that while wireless is definitely progressing fast in the home user domain, enterprises still prefer to have their core networks built on structured cabling components, and typically, wireless access is restricted to a small segment of users,” he explains.

Hughes from Commvault is confident that we will continue to see structured cabling being deployed to desktops as well as in the ceiling for wireless access points. "Wired connectivity provides the throughput and bandwidth needed to meet users’ requirements," he says. "With the development of four pair PoE standards within IEEE, we expect to see even more devices connected via copper cabling. The value associated with being able to connect, power and manage devices over a single twister pair copper cable is tremendous."

While the jury is still out on whether the network edge will go all-wireless or not industry experts believe the network core will always remain cabled. “Because structured cabling systems will always be able to provide higher, dedicated available bandwidth and reliability compared to wireless, they are ideal for the core network,” says Maguire.

Hughes shares a similar opinion, “As with the horizontal network, we believe the core or backbone

network will certainly continue to use structured cabling. In fact, with multiple 2.5GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T and even 10GBASE-T applications running on each floor, the aggregate bandwidth will likely exceed 10G, which means the backbone must support higher speeds. We have already developed planning guidelines for our customers that will be migrating from 10G in the backbone to 40G or even 100G speeds.”

As Wave 2 of 802.11ac Wi-Fi rolls out, traffic rates through access points will surpass multiple gigabits per second, requiring both the access point and the Ethernet switch ports to scale beyond 1000 Base-T (1G).

However, with literally millions of feet of installed Category 5e/Category 6 cabling, enterprise operators are looking to fill the gap between 1G and 10G over this legacy unshielded twisted-pair copper cabling.

The Wave 2 addendum to the original 802.11ac wireless specification will usher in multi-user MIMO antenna technology and other advancements to help increase theoretically maximum wireless speeds to 6.93Gbps.

This has created opportunity for faster Ethernet speeds and a fast upgrade cycle to 2.5G and 5G, versus the 10x speed upgrade path typical of Ethernet. While new installs will be wisely using Cat 6A cable to enable 10G, most of the legacy installed base will stay with 1Gbps or adopt 2.5G/5Gbps when they need an uplink rate of greater than 1Gbps.

While multiple industry proposals exist to enable 2.5G/5Gbps over existing Cat5/Cat6 cables, the industry needs to get behind a single standard to avoid confusion and non-interoperability among different solutions. This could potentially adversely affect the potential success of this emerging market. The good news is that the IEEE 802.3 standards body is focused on bringing multi-rate Gigabit Ethernet BASE-T to enterprise access points via a 2.5G and 5G proposal.

The emphasis is on achieving this near term and over current Cat 5e (2.5G over 100m) and Cat 6 (5G over 100m) installed cable. Given the limited bandwidth, the obvious route to achieving this is using higher modulation schemes.

The addition of 2.5G and 5G Ethernet link protocol speeds in the wiring closet will enable the cost-effective scaling of network bandwidth to enterprise access points and provide IT professionals with more data-rate options.

Most of the vendors recommend

channels to each access point will support link aggregation of not only today’s 1.3 Gb/s 802.11ac implementations, but also future 2.6 Gb/s and higher data rate implementations. “Due to its superior heat dissipation, shielded cabling is specifically recommended if the access points are receiving 30 watt Type 2 PoE remote power from the switch. In addition, a zone cabling deployment configuration is recommended. This type of design places floor or ceiling enclosures containing consolidation points with spare port capacity in a grid pattern throughout the building space,

“New network deployments will probably go wireless as BYOD gains acceptance in the workplace. However, backbone and horizontal cabling must be wired. Again, there is no network that is only wireless and robust wireless networks are always supported by a wired backbone,” Asef Baddar, Sr Manager, Technical Sales and Services, Leviton

Cat6A or above for wiring up access points for Gigabit wireless networks.

“Category 6A is recommended in the TIA TSB-162-A standard, Telecommunications Cabling Guidelines for Wireless Access Points.

Category 6A provides the bandwidth necessary to support 1000BASE-T as well as 2.5G, 5G and 10GBASE-T. Although Category 8 cabling is being developed to support higher speeds, such as 40GBASE-T, it will be limited to 30 meters. While this is fine for many data centre architectures, such as Top of Rack, Middle of Row or End of Row, it is not ideal for typical building applications that could run to 100 meters,” says Hughes.

Maguire from Siemon says deploying a minimum of two Category 6A shielded

which allows for rapid reconfiguration of wireless coverage areas and provides redundant and future-proof access point connections.”

Even though the enterprise adoption of high-bandwidth wireless technologies continue, the movement towards the all-wireless enterprise still have to overcome hurdles before it become becomes the de factor standards for edge-of-the network connectivity.

Network upgrades offer companies a chance to re-assess their wired investments, along with their application requirements. At the very least, some may be able to reduce the wired edge, and it costs. But, at the moment, the 'all-wireless' enterprise remains mainly a talking point for WLAN marketeers.

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F E AT U R E Fluke Networks

The key to effective results management Datacom installers certify cabling systems for many reasons – to support manufacturer warranty requirements, meet customer qualifications,or just to ensure quality workmanship. Managing the results generated by the testers is a critical and time consuming part of the certification process, writes Werner Heeren, Regional Sales Director of Fluke Networks.

I

n a recent Fluke Networks survey of 880 installers worldwide, the respondents reported installing an average of 1,026 links in just the prior month. The job of consolidating all those tests into a single report can be time consuming and is a source of considerable cost. In another survey, 77 percent of installers reported having to deal with results management issues in the prior month. Let’s look at these issues.

Results management issues Customers report a number of problems in results management that take up time. The following three are the most common: • Cable identifiers in the reports don’t match the specifications and need to be manually edited • Multiple test types (copper, fibre tier one, tier two, different standards) need to be combined into a single report • Reports have to be reworked because they are incomplete Contractors report spending 7.9 hours per month, nearly a full day, on these issues. This is in addition to the time required to get the results (typically stored in 8 CABLING PLANNER

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the tester) from the job site back to the office where the results management takes place. This also takes a tester out of circulation which may impact other jobs.

The more testers you have, the more complex it gets For a contractor using a single tester on a single job, these problems are significant. But very few contractors have the luxury of dedicating a single tester to a single job at a time. To maximise efficiency, most contractors own or rent multiple testers and use them on multiple concurrent jobs.

Properly keeping track of results under these conditions becomes even more difficult, leading to a whole new set of issues including: • Test results are stored in multiple testers which have to be hunted down and the results consolidated • Tests from another job get into the report by mistake and have to be removed • You’re generating a report and you discover not all the links were tested, and a crew has to return to the site to finish the job installers report spending, on average, another 7.3 hours per month on these issues, for a total of nearly two days a month. And the more testers owned by a firm, the larger the scope of the reported problem.

A related issue cited by customers is the lack of visibility in keeping track of job status under these circumstances.

Worst-case scenario Other, less common, problems can be far worse. With tens of thousands of testers on the market, our tech support team sees a lot of problems that an individual customer might not consider. For example, we regularly receive calls asking how to recover inadvertently erased or corrupted memory cards which store the results.

Unfortunately, in most cases, the only answer is to perform all the tests over again. Testers or memory cards with

results stored on them can also be lost or stolen, and may also require retesting. Thankfully, these are not common problems, because a single lost tester or erased data card can mean losing a full day’s or even a week’s worth of multiple techs’ time – dozens of hours lost and long delays in the project.

Cloud services offer a solution With the advent of high speed mobile networks and low cost data storage, a new approach to managing and storing data – the cloud – has become commonplace. By getting results out of the tester and up to the cloud, the chances of losing data are minimised.

Testers don’t need to be recalled from the field. Results can be automatically consolidated into the correct job.

LinkWare Live adds a cloud capability to the industry’s leading reporting solution and testers. Versiv testers can be connected to the internet through a wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection.

In instances where no Ethernet or Wi-Fi network connection is available, the Versiv unit can connect wirelessly to a smart phone configured as a personal hotspot to send results to the LinkWare Live service.

Once connected to the network, results can be uploaded with just a few keystrokes. Tests in Versiv are tied to projects, so, once they get to the cloud service, it adds them to the appropriate project automatically.

Since the process is so quick, it can be done many times a day, so that the impact of a card failure or stolen tester is minimised.

When the time comes to generate the report, the contractor simply downloads the results from LinkWare Live into the PC running LinkWare.

From there, the status of the project can be checked, and missing or improper results immediately identified. A full report can be generated with a few keystrokes.

Since LinkWare Live understands the projects set up within the Versiv tester, it can keep track of the status

Werner Heeren, Regional Sales Director of Fluke Networks

of projects. And since it’s cloud-based, this information can be accessed from anywhere through a tablet or a smartphone as well as from a PC. This gives the project manager or consultant a real-time view into the status of the project and the ability to drill down into individual test results to ensure they are done properly.

Conclusion Managing results through a cloudbased service offers significant advantages: • Increased productivity by no longer needing to recall testers from the field just to download test results • Reduced time by automatically consolidating all results into the correct job • Less rework by reducing the likelihood of losing test results when testers or memory cards are lost, stolen or erased • Instant access to results for faster troubleshooting • Real-time visibility into project status from any location using a cloud-based service is a sensible approach that can prevent problems and save time. You save your work on your PC every few minutes, so why would you save your cable test results only once a day?

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F eatu r e Wi-fi planning

3D Wi-Fi Planning with Ekahau Site Survey & Planner

A

s enterprise Wi-Fi is becoming more and more business critical, setting up a wireless network based on coverage requirements only is not sufficient anymore. Users expect high-performance Wi-Fi, and with the increasing amount of wireless clients and the BYOD trend, ensuring high capacity and high performance Wi-Fi can be challenging.

Ekahau is a pioneer in Wi-Fi design tools, having made the first ever enterprise-grade site survey tool for Wi-Fi planning, verification and troubleshooting.

Ekahau Site Survey and Planner (ESS) is an easy-to-use Wi-Fi tool for laptops including planning, surveying, capacity analysis, advanced reporting, GPS surveys, and troubleshooting.

ESS enables users to see ideal AP placement with a single click as well as create wireless network plans based on, not just coverage, but

500,000 is the number of Ekahau users

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capacity requirements by taking into consideration the number and type of clients as well as application usage.

Ekahau Site Survey and Planner has the industry’s fastest and most accurate 3D prediction engine that visualises signal leakage through walls and floors, allows editing wall materials and height of walls for more accurate prediction. ESS allows defining high open spaces or 'holes' in the floor, enabling accurate planning for atriums, malls and the like. ESS also takes into consideration directional antennas and allows users to edit the antenna tilt angle to see the difference in signal radiation.

Ekahau’s unique Hybrid Site Survey technology allows performing active and passive network testing simultaneously in just one quick walkthrough around the facility.

Ekahau Mobile Survey is an

Android application that allows Wi-Fi professionals to pull out the phone from their pockets and start troubleshooting in a matter of seconds. Ekahau Mobile Survey includes site survey features, coverage mapping, on-the-spot analysis, and client-side monitoring.

Ekahau has been in the business longer than most of their competitors.

They opened their doors in 2000 and now the company boasts over 15,000 happy customers and 500,000 users. Ekahau’s Wi-Fi Design products are used by Cisco, HP, Aruba, Meru, Aerohive, and anyone in the industry who is dedicated to Wi-Fi technology as well as thousands of systems integrators, and IT administrators.

Learn more about Ekahau Wi-Fi Design Tools at: www.ekahau.com/wifidesign

I nte r v iew Nexans cabling solutions

Right connections Tarek Helmy, Regional Director Gulf and Middle East, South & East Africa of Nexans Cabling Solutions, sheds light on some of the latest trends in the cabling market, and what users should look out for to future proof their physical netwoks.

C

an you discuss the latest trends in high bandwidth copper and fibre cabling?

The trends are different in enterprise LAN and data centres. In the former, the biggest trends are the increasing wireless access to the network and IP convergence. With the new wireless standard 802.11ac, speed of uplinks of wireless access points is increasing too. With the new standards coming up, you need more wireless access points, which in turn, require more cabling. IP convergence implies that many devices such as IP cameras, access control systems, and AV whiteboards are getting connected to the network. All these devices, be it access points or other IP devices, can be powered through Power over Ethernet (PoE) using the same communications cables. New PoE standards are coming such as PoE+ and PoE++, which can transmit power up to 100W. In the data centre space, there is an increase in bandwidth needs with the emergence of new Ethernet standards such as 25G, 40G and 100G. For mid and large data centres, we recommend a mixture of copper and fibre. Very large and mega data centres will be cabled mainly with fibre. Usually in data centres, there is limited space for passive cabling, where easy accessibility to ports remains very important. There is also a need for ability to migrate to higher speeds or adding ports in this limited data centre space without disrupting operations.

Network cabling, be it in LAN or data centre, has to support technology trends such as cloud and virtualisaiton. What kind of cabling would you recommend to users?

Tarek Helmy, Regional Director – Gulf and Middle East, South & East Africa, Nexans Cabling Solutions

For enterprise LAN, wireless access points using 802.11ac standards are bringing bandwidth needs to the next level and uplinks will require 2.5G to 10 Gbps, which means users would need Cat6A cabling. For data centres, we recommend Cat6A for speeds up to 10G, and Cat7A for 25G, and Cat8 for 40G and above. On the fibre side, it is better to use OM3 or OM4 multi-mode fibre to links up to 100G.

Can you tell us about the benefits of using higher performance cabling such as Cat7A in data centres?

Higher copper grade cabling, such as Cat7A and Cat8 enable users to connect servers at a relative lower cost compared to an all fibre variant.

LANmark GG45 has proven to be Nexans’ cornerstone to enable Cat7A and Cat8 cabling supporting speeds

up to 40Gbps, since the beginning of the development of these Ethernet standards. This means we have been in a position to support customers that require such high bandwidth from the very beginning.

What are the verticals you are focusing on in the region to drive growth?

Nexans is active in the far majority of verticals, to support customers that require IT infrastructures to be agile, well-planned ahead for accurate and efficient deployment and proactively designed for future changes. With LANmark structured cabling systems, LANactive Fibre to the Office solutions and LANsense automated infrastructure management systems we can support customers in their digital transformation of businesses and enable efficient data access and exchange.

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A d v e r t o r ial fluke networks

Standardcompliant certification

O

ne of industry’s long-time concerns with manually inspecting fibre end-faces has been that determining cleanliness, which has largely been a subjective and inconsistent process.

What one person deems as clean can vary greatly from another person’s point of view. Additional variables such as skill level, years of experience, eyesight, ambient lighting and the fibre inspection tool being used can also lead to inconsistencies in determining fibre end-face cleanliness.

With more fibre networks being installed and maintained by a greater number of individuals, there is also a greater chance of inexperience regarding what constitutes end-face cleanliness.

Fibre optic connector end-face contamination is a leading cause of

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fibre failures. Dirt and contaminant cause insertion loss and back-reflection that inhibits optical transmission and causes havoc with transceivers. Fibre loss and OTDR testing can expose this problem, but in many cases, dirty connections make fibre testing time consuming and inaccurate.

Since dirt can be an issue before, during, or after fibre optic certification testing, and migrate from one fibre optic connector end-face to another upon mating, both sides of any connection must always be cleaned and inspected. Further, mating contaminated fibre optic connectors can cause permanent damage as microscopic debris is crushed between end-faces in physical contact. Even factory terminated patch cords or pigtails must be inspected as protective caps do not keep fibre

optic connector end-faces clean.

Avoiding this common cause of failure, starts with inspecting the fibre optic connector end-face and eliminating any contamination before insertion into a bulkhead or piece of equipment.

The FI-7000 FiberInspector Pro is a fibre optic inspection scope that allows you to inspect and certify fibre optic connector end-faces in 2 seconds so you can get the job done the first time. This fibre optic inspection scope provides automated PASS/FAIL certification take the guess work out of fibre inspection so anyone can be a fibre expert.

In an effort to establish consistency in fibre inspection and achieve more repeatable results for performance across multiple end-faces, the IEC developed 61300-3-35 Basic Test and Measurement Procedures Standard for

Fibre Optic Interconnecting Devices and Passive Components. This standard contains specific cleanliness grading criteria to assess pass or fail certification for inspection of a fibre end-face, removing the human subjectivity factor.

The certification criteria in IEC 613003-35 varies based on connector type and fibre size, as well as types of defect.

Defects include pits, chips, scratches, cracks, particles and embedded and loose debris, and the IEC standard categorises them into two groups scratches and defects. Scratches are identified as permanent liner surface features while defects include all detectable non-linear features that can typically be cleaned. Certification to determine pass or fail is based on the number of scratches and defects found in each measurement region of the fibre end-face, including the core, cladding, adhesive layer and contact zones, as well as the quantity and size of the scratches and defects.

For example, multimode fibre with polished connectors can have no scratches greater than 3 μm in width or defects greater than 5 μm in width.

Within the cladding zone, there can be no scratches or defects greater than 5 μm in width, 5 defects ranging between 2 and 5 μm in width and no limit on the number of defects less than 2 μm in width. The number and size of scratches and defects allowed in each zone varies based on the connector type and diameter.

While the IEC 61300-3-35 standard can be used as a guideline for manually grading cleanliness, a manual procedure would require technicians to determine the size and location of the scratches and defects, which can still introduce human error and inconsistency.

Thankfully automated certification solutions like Fluke Networks’ FI-7000 FibreInspector Pro use algorithmic processes to automatically and quickly inspect, grade and certify fibre end-faces based on the criteria of the IEC standard.

These types of devices eliminate human subjectivity and result in faster, more accurate and repeatable results to help ensure optimum fibre network performance.

Related products CertiFiber Pro The CertiFiber Pro improves the efficiency of fiber certification with a 3 second, dual wavelength, dual fiber, test time. The Taptive user interface simplifies set-up, eliminates errors and speeds troubleshooting. A set reference wizard ensures correct reference setting and eliminates negative loss errors. Built on the future-ready Versiv platform, CertiFiber Pro provides merged Tier 1 (Basic) / Tier 2 (Extended) testing and reporting when paired with OptiFiber DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer The DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer improves the efficiency of copper certification with unmatched speed for testing Cat 6A and Class FA while meeting darft IEC Level V – the most stringent accuracy requirement. The ProjX Management System helps ensure jobs are done correctly the first time and helps tracks progress from set-up to systems acceptance. Versiv platform supports modules for fiber testing (Both OLTS and OTDR) and Wi-Fi Analysis and Ethernet troubleshooting. The platform is easily upgradeable to support future standards. Troubleshoot faults faster with the Taptive user interface which graphically displays the source of failures including crosstalk, return loss and shield faults. Analyse test results and create professional test reports using LinkWare Management Software.

OptiFibr Pro OTDR OptiFiber Pro is the industry’s first OTDR built from the ground up to meet the challenges of enterprise fiber infrastructures. This troubleshooting and certification tool combines uncomplicated power, unparalleled efficiency and the exact functions needed for troubleshooting campus, data centre and storage fiber networks.

In keeping with industry best standards for fibre cleaning, Fluke Networks’ Fibre Optical Cleaning Kits contain everything you need to eliminate the #1 cause of fibre failures contamination.

With support for all connector types, the kits include Fluke Networks’ Fibre Optic Solvent Pen with specially formulated fibre cleaning solution, convenient cleaning cube/card and easy-to-use IBC Cleaners that use a simple insertion and push motion to remove contaminant from endfaces on cord plugs and within adapters or patch panels.

IBC Cleaners come in three different sizes for cleaning 1,5mm, 2,5mm and MPO style connectors.

All cleaning materials are lint-free and enable an optimal wet and dry cleaning process, while the rugged carrying case makes it easy to store and transport all the tools you need for precision end-face fibre optic cable cleaning.

For more information on the FI-7000 FibreInspector Pro and other products from Fluke Networks, please visit http:// www.flukenetworks.com/datacomcabling/Versiv/FI-7000 2015 CABLING PLANNER 13

o p ini o n R&M

Power play Alfred Tharwat Head of Training & Data Center consultancy, R&M Middle East, Turkey & Africa, discusses how to address the challenges of cable heating with Power over Ethernet.

P

ower over Ethernet (PoE) has established itself on the market over the past 15 years.

The idea is captivating. If there is already a data cable leading to a device, it can also be used to transmit power. Now that remote power supply according to IEEE 802.3bt is set to place new demands on installation processes, cabling planners and installers should prepare themselves for the introduction of 4-pair Power over Ethernet (4PPoE).

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4PPoE, new generation of power supply via local data networks, should enable a supply of up to 100 watts, which is four to five times greater than the current rate. 4PPoE allows more powerful terminal equipment to be supplied with energy via network cables and eliminates the need for parallel power cabling. PoE (IEEE 802.3af-2003) and PoE+ (IEEE 802.3at2009), which supply data terminal equipment with around 13 or 25 watts, already have excellent track

records. But with 4PPoE (IEEE 802.3bt) power supply for applications where PoE+ is not sufficient also becomes possible. These include: • Docking stations for laptops, Network Attached Storage (NAS), and smaller switches, e.g. for video conferences, require between 30 and 100 watts.

• Thin clients for remote desktop environments, e.g., terminals in libraries or in storage, require between 50 and 100 watts.

• Small drives, drive controls, sensors, and IP cameras often require more than 30 watts.

However, the twisted-pair copper cables heat up during the supply process, leading to an increase in attenuation. This must be taken into account from the very beginning of a cabling project, which in turn poses new challenges when installing data networks. What must planners and installers take note of today to ensure that their customers can fully enjoy the opportunities presented by Power over Ethernet tomorrow?

Power over Ethernet background For Power over Ethernet (PoE), IEEE 802.3bt represents another step forward: Terminal equipment will be supplied with at least 55 watts, and potentially up to 100 watts, rather than 13 or 22 watts. In future, PoE will need to use all four twisted pairs in the network cabling for this transfer of energy, which is the reason for the name 4-pair Power over Ethernet (4PPoE). The structured cabling systems are therefore not only used to transport data at an Ethernet speed of 10 Gigabits, but numerous powerful IP terminal devices, such as cameras, monitors, wireless access points, and point-of-sale terminals, can also be supplied with energy via the local data network. The trend for an increased use of Power over Ethernet would also support the Internet of Things. Many small sensors and control systems could be run from remote locations in buildings without additional power cabling.

Heat impact of PoE A consequence of using 4PPoE is that every twisted pair in the network cabling has a current of between 650 and 1100 mA, depending on its power. This is a significant increase in load compared to pure data transfer.

Due to physical losses, the cables and cable bundles heat up as a result of the energy transfer.

A long-term temperature increase of 10ºC can halve the expected service life of the cable, due to the increased aging of the material. This temperature increase must also be

limited for fire and occupational safety reasons. Higher temperatures increase the copper resistance and the attenuation of the signal transmission, which reduces the potential length of a link. The cable temperature increases resulting from the energy transfer can increase the attenuation of a cable to such an extent that data transmission becomes impossible.

Tips for product selection and installation It is important to factor in temperature increases when planning a cabling project. At R&M, we highly advise that thick cable bundles and heat build-up in cable channels should be avoided. It is recommended that larger conductor cross sections and/or shielded cables be used for longer cabling links, as they do not suffer such significant temperature increases. Alternatively, the distances (link lengths) can be reduced.

We also advise the use of modules and plugs with insulation displacement technology; this technology creates stable connections between the cables and connecting contacts that are similar to soldering joints. The widely distributed piercing technology penetrates only the insulation of the copper cables and creates a loose contact, which with live connections may in the worst case cause a fire.

The connector/cable contacts are of increased significance for 4PPoE as the greater the contact resistance, the higher the losses and the hotter the contacts. An insulation displacement contact (IDC) is far superior to an insulation piercing connector (IPC) in terms of contact reliability, with IDC technology offering higher longterm stability. IDCs use insulation displacement technology to create a connection similar to a solder joint, while IPCs merely pierce the insulation and create a loose contact.

Also, it should be noted that over time, the stability of an IPC contact will diminish.

Another problem may arise when using Power over Ethernet if contacts are damaged by small arcs when disconnecting while live. When the contact breaks, a spark is created that at high transmission powers

Alfred Tharwat Head of Training & Data Center consultancy, R&M Middle East, Turkey & Africa

can destroy part of the contact. If this happens in the contact area of the connection, the transmission properties may be permanently impaired. This can be avoided through the use of plug connectors and connection modules that are designed to ensure a sufficient distance between the breaking point and the nominal contact area.

To summarise, in the case of remote power supply over the data lines, the attenuation is directly influenced by the heating of the cable. Following a few rules makes it possible to minimise this impact: • Avoid thick cable bundles.

Multiple, smaller bundles are better than fewer, larger ones.

• Arrange the cables in stacks with as few layers as possible.

• Avoid heat accumulation in the conduits. Leave space for air convection or forced ventilation.

• Cables with a larger conductor cross-section make longer cabling links possible. For example, if Cat6 cables (AWG23) are used instead of Cat5e for class D (1000Base-T), the full cabling length can almost always be used. The same applies to using Cat7A cables (AWG22) instead of Cat6A for class EA (10GBase-T).

• Avoid cable temperatures over 60 ºC, even if the loss budget permits them.

• Choose connectivity, like patch cords with IDC connections whose service life corresponds to the expected overall service life of the installation even for power transfer.

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o p ini o n excel

The domino effect What do recent changes in cabling standards mean for the industry?

2

015 heralds a volatile period of time regarding the development of cabling standards. Right now we are seeing the domino effect of changes in one standard or regulation affecting multiple other related standards.

ISO/IEC are completely overhauling 11801 for the release of Edition 3.0; the decision has been made to 16 CABLING PLANNER

2015

adopt a similar structure as EN 50173 breaking it down into six parts in exactly the same way, this will mean far closer harmonisation in the future.

This alone could almost happen in isolation but it all depends on when the work is completed, will it happen before some of the following is introduced, if it is then it will require an immediate amendment to include the updated information.

One of the key changes we will see within Cenelec standards are amendments to the EN50174 series due to recent changes to the UK wiring regulations bringing in vital safety changes. These relate to containment and pathway systems in evacuation routes. These changes cannot be ignored as they are supported by the Electrical Safety Act and therefore means it is legally

enforceable in the UK, but other countries will certainly follow. This key change will include both how cables are supported along with the flammability rating of the cables themselves, which in turn will also have a bearing on the forthcoming legislation from the EU. Whilst it has been around for over 15 years, the inclusion of communications cables within the EU Construction Products Regulations from late 2015 will have a very major impact for companies supplying products within the member states as they will not only have to have them tested to the relevant flammability standards and CE marked, they will have to maintain a ‘Technical Library’ of all the test data. The major change we will see is the introduction of the EuroClass system of fire performance designations (and their impact on all

installation standards) it will no doubt add a potent mix of re-specification and confusion. The introduction of these will cover both copper and fibre communication systems and have classes from A to F with A being the most fire retardant and F being deemed flammable.

This will not only cause a need to have cables tested to the relevant EuroClass standards, it will also mean the majority of existing specification documents used in tendering for voice and data installations will also need to be completely re-written.

The next key change comes about by the approval and forthcoming publication of CLC/TR 50174-99-1.

This relates to the implementation of remote powering and mitigation of the heating side effects caused by remote powering. It will, in due course have a further impact on EN50174-2 and that of some national standards such as BS6701 and the IET code of conduct for LV and ELV systems, as these are amended to include references to the content.

A lot of the activity regarding remote powering is being driven by the announcement from the IEEE that they are targeting even higher levels of PoE (Power over Ethernet) in the near future with up to 49 watts powered, which will be in part achieved by using all four pairs rather than two. They expect to have this agreed and ratified before the end of 2016.

The use of the term ‘remote powering’ is the most accurate rather than thinking everything is PoE, as there are systems that deliver DC power over structured cabling that have no data transmission capability, as is the case with some LED lighting systems. There is even LV DC powering systems that use proprietary cables hence the publication of the aforementioned IET Code of Conduct.

Also related to remote powering, there is another standard that will be amended which is IEC60512-99-1.

This is the testing methodology for mating and un- mating under electrical load; basically when unplugging a patch lead from a device that is being powered by PoE it sets off a small electrical arc which in turn over a period of time damages the gold plating on the contacts. The existing test is based on the use of PoE+ 802.3at levels of power, the revision will be based on the proposed higher levels of power outlined earlier in this paper.

2015 will see the publication of the final elements of the EN50600 series relating to design and implementation of data centres.

Once done we will then see the start of the process for developing both associated standards on how we measure the performance of the DC but also start the inevitable amendment process.

Whilst it may look straightforward there are a number of ramifications that will come out of this and a set of related standards. Firstly the EU is asking the expert panel who have produced this work to now edit the EU Code of Conduct relating to data centres, at the same time there is a great deal of effort going into the ISO/ IEC 30134 series of standards which looks at the efficiency of the data centre. The term PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) is only one of a number of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

As it can be seen, there is a great deal of activity happening right now, and some of them very significant and far reaching, therefore it is important to keep abreast of these developments and work with a company that understands all the ramifications.

This Technical Note has been produced by Paul Cave, Technical Manager, on behalf of Excel.

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P r o d ucts round up

Opengear launches new Resilience Gateway models

Opengear has announced the release of two new additions to its Resilience Gateway product line designed to deliver network resilience and to ensure uptime at enterprise branch offices and remote sites.

The new models of the product line feature support for multi-carrier, dual SIMs that expand carrier diversity and increase network uptime. The Opengear Resilience Gateway provides 4 USB plus 4 or 8 serial and two 10/100/1000 Ethernet console port connections to be deployed alongside network, power, server, and other IT infrastructure at remote sites which, according to the company, can proactively monitor and detecting faults to ensure rapid recovery from any unplanned IT interruption.

The new Resilience Gateway models also include an out-of-band management via Opengear’s Smart OOB. The company underlines that this technology enables maintenance of secure access and control of all infrastructure at remote sites during network outages to minimise downtime, as well as smart, event-based autoremediation of common problems based on custom scripts.

The Resilience Gateway also has WAN connectivity through Failover to Cellular to high-speed 4G LTE networks, with failover and fallback. It has an embedded cellular module with multi-carrier capabilities as well as compatibility with global carriers.

It also features the Lighthouse CMS which allows easy management of dispersed enterprise locations.

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CommScope introduces PowerShift CommScope has recently introduced PowerShift, a new device for managing power to RRUs at macro and micro cell sites.

According to the company, PowerShift is an intelligent, plug-and-play direct current (DC) power supply solution for RRUs. The device can help operators re-utilise existing power cable infrastructure, eliminate the need for deploying higher gauge conductors when installing new cabling and increase the useable length for cables by over four times.

It can also extend RF battery uptime by up to 35 percent.

Furthermore, the company explains that PowerShift can automatically deliver efficient voltage to the RRU, utilising technology CommScope developed with the power supply experts at General Electric. The

solution requires no manual calibration when managing power supply. It is currently available for trial with general availability expected in the first quarter of 2016.

CommScope highlights other benefits for operators such as reduced capital expenditures through the use of smaller diameter power cables, especially the ones already deployed on-site in RRU upgrade scenarios; decreased operating expenditures due to lower overall power consumption, more efficient inventorying, standardised installation and lower shipping costs; decreased weight and wind load on towers with smaller diameter cables; and extended RF battery uptime of up to 35 percent more by taking full advantage of the existing battery back-up system.

Belden flaunts SPIDER III Standard Line Belden has announced that it is now offering the SPIDER III Standard Line, unmanaged entry-level industrial Ethernet rail switches for long distances.

The latest from the SPIDER line of switches utilises proven Hirschmann technology to offer a high quality, costeffective way to transfer large amounts of data. The switch has up to eight Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet ports, and two of the ports can be fibre optic.

According to Belden, the SPIDER III Standard Line of switches is futureproof because of its Gigabit speed. The company also highlights that these switches are also designed for use in harsh environments and have the necessary certifications, making them ideal for the manufacturing, machine building, solar power and traffic control industries.

Furthermore, Belden emphasises that

the SPIDER III Standard Line switches employ a plug-and-play principle that allows for easy installation without compromising quality or reliability. Users can connect multiple devices without the need for a complex configuration process. The switches also use less electricity, which makes them a costeffective way to transmit data.

“Industrial Ethernet is the technology of choice in both automation and infrastructure architectures, including those supporting emerging industry initiatives such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and IT/OT convergence,” said Sebastian Preiss, Product Manager, Hirschmann. “Due to the increasing amount of Ethernet-based field devices like sensors and actuators there is a need for Ethernet switches like SPIDER III Standard Line devices with a higher port count and data rates at the field level.”

Twisted Pair Certification Testing Methods PERMANENT LINK CERTIFICATION C1

A

CP

B

Begin measurement

CPC

TO

A

End measurement

When is Permanent Link Testing Appropriate?

≤ 90 m (295 ft)

The permanent link test is used to certify the permanent cabling infrastructure and is typically conducted during the installation phase of the network.

ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Clause 6.3 and ISO/IEC 11801 Edition 2.2 2011-06 Annex A.

PATCH CORD CERTIFICATION Assembled path cord

C

Begin measurement

M

Y

End measurement

CM

MY

CY

CMY

When is Patch Co Cord d Testing Appropriate?

K

Patch Cord testing is used to quickly verify whether a patch cord meets

0.5 m – 20 m (typical)

and to prevent performance degradation of installed links.

ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Clause C.5 and IEC 61935-2 Edition 3 Clause 5.

CHANNEL CERTIFICATION E

C2

CC

C1

CP

B

Begin measurement

CPC

TO E

Order your FREE Twisted Pair Testing Wall Poster NOW!

End measurement

When is Channel Testing Appropriate? ≤ 100 m (328 ft)

ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Clause 6.2 and ISO/IEC 11801 Edition 2.2 2011-06 Clause 6.4.

The channel test involves everything in the permanent link test, plus the patch cords in the work area, and those used for interconnection and/or cross connection.

Channel tests are commonly performed after initial installation when the patch cords are available.

LEGEND A = Permanent Link Adapter

CPC = Consolidation Point Cable

E = Equipment/User Cable

B = Horizontal Cabling

C1/C2 = Horizontal Cross Connect

TO = Telecommunications Outlet

CC = Cross Connect

CP = Consolidation Point

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© 2015 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved.5/2015 1989222D

Learn all about Permanent Link, Patch Cord & Channel Certification Order at: http://www.flukenetworks.com/poster_cable_testing_standards