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David Ferdenzi Page 20 Article on Data Centre SpaceTRANSCRIPT
THE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE E-MAGAZINE WWW.INSIDENETWORKS.CO.UK
Inside Networks 12FEB
IN THIS ISSUE | LATEST NEWS | PROJECTS | MAILBOX | PRODUCTS
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CONTENTS
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ROB’S BLOG Inwiththenew
NEWS Allthat’shappeningintheworldof networkinfrastructures
MAILBOX ThepickoftherecentemailstoInside Networks
QUESTION TIME InsideNetworkshasassembledapanel
ofindustryexpertstoexaminetheimplicationsofdatacentredensityanddiscussifwearerunningoutofroom
COPPER CABLING STANDARDS
AlanFlatmanofLANTechnologiesprovidesanexpertoverviewofthedevelopmentsinglobalcoppercablingstandards
COPPER CABLING PaulCaveofMayflexinvestigates
someoftherealitiesofpoweroverEthernetandlooksathowtouseitwisely
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FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 3
IN FEBRUARY’S ISSUE...
CONTENTS
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Inside Networks
Inside Networks
Inside Networks
COPPER CABLING PRODUCTS AND SYSTEMS Copper cabling products and systems profiled
QUICK CLICKS Your one click guide to the latest industry podcasts, electronic literature, apps and webcasts
CHANNEL UPDATEMoves, adds and changes in the channel
OUTSOURCINGCloud computing has been grabbing the headlines for the past few years, but is it always the right solution for everything? Chris Merrett of Melbourne Server Hosting explains what all of the fuss is about
PROJECTSCase studies from around the globe
PRODUCTS AND SERVICESThe latest network infrastructure products, systems and services
FINAL WORDSimon Terry of Unite Technologies contemplates best practice for reducing and optimising data centre energy consumption
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With the new year break already a distant
memory, 2012 looks set to be a very busy year for the network infrastructure sector.
For the majority of end users making the right decisions regarding network and data centre configuration will be at the forefront of their agenda. Despite there being more technology available than ever before, choosing the solution that best suits the need has never been more difficult.
This is particularly apparent when it comes to procuring cloud based services. Now that the hype is starting to die down, it has become apparent that the cloud is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Chris Merrett of Melbourne Server Hosting provides a useful guide to the various types of cloud based services on offer and outlines some key questions to ask before taking the plunge. CLICK HERE to read his article.
Another issue that is the subject of considerable conjecture is the best way to configure and maximise the potential of data centre space. With the availability of higher density solutions, putting more in less space is an attractive option for those with limited
scope for expansion, or where data centre real estate is at a premium. However, with this comes greater heat output and the need to cool equipment – two issues which continue to dominate the sector. CLICK HERE to read this month’s IN Question Time where a
panel of experts examine the implications of higher density infrastructures.
Finally, one of the key benefits of copper cabling is the ability to utilise power over Ethernet (PoE). Since PoE was first standardised in 2003 it has seen considerable growth and has acted as one of the key enablers of VoIP. However, there is a significant amount of misunderstanding about how to use PoE. Help is at hand though as Paul Cave of Mayflex explains the dos and don’ts of this technology and you can CLICK HERE to read his thoughts.
As usual, if you’ve any comments or opinions you’d like to share with IN’s ever growing global readership, do get in touch.
Rob [email protected] HERE to connect on
A flying startROB’S BLOG
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Inside Networks
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NEWS
CommScope research highlights need for network reliability and IIMResearch conducted by CommScope has revealed what the enterprise IT industry is looking for from their networks in 2012. The findings were taken from a survey of 100 enterprise network managers and systems integrators in London.
Network reliability was high on everyone’s wish lists, with 18 per cent of survey respondents saying it was the most important objective in the short-term. Heading off issues around network visibility (identified by 37 per cent of enterprises), errors by technicians (21 per cent) and power failures (17 per cent) were seen as the most crucial reliability problems to deal with.
Despite the stormy economic outlook, the majority of businesses (55 per cent) expected investment in network infrastructure to grow by
10-25 per cent in 2012. Investment to enhance network visibility, eliminate blind spots and reduce human error is expected through the continued integration of intelligence into networks at the infrastructure level. Also, 38 per cent of enterprises are either currently using or installing intelligent infrastructure solutions and a further 23 per cent are ensuring they have a clear upgrade path.
‘Our research shows that network managers are focused on a strategy to achieve cost efficiencies by investing in solutions that are proven to optimise performance and increase reliability, as opposed to simply reducing expenditure or opting for lesser quality alternatives,’ said Koen ter Linde, vice president of enterprise sales for Europe, CommScope.
75 per cent of critical environments are at risk of contaminationUnchecked contamination continues to be a major issue in the data centre sector according to Mark Plant, CEO at 8 Solutions, with only around a quarter of data centre managers implementing a regular cleaning regime of their critical environments.
‘Despite increased power consumption, the risk of performance loss, the impact on cooling and airflow and the fact that OEM warranties
have the potential to be invalidated without regular cleaning, we estimate around 75 per cent of critical environments are at
serious risk of contamination,’ warned Plant.
He continued, ‘In comparison to the cost and inconvenience of installing replacement equipment and the potential impact downtime can have on the performance of a business, the costs of a preventative cleaning and decontamination regime is minimal.’
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 9
Mark Plant
NEWS
Siemon launches interactive data centre e-magazineUnderlining its commitment to high value information and applied data centre innovation, Siemon has launched the first edition of its new interactive data centre e-magazine.
Entitled Data Centre Solutions this resource-rich e-magazine provides in-depth coverage on an extensive range of topics, including copper and optical fibre cabling choices, energy and thermal efficiency, data centre density and cable management, physical layer bandwidth and performance, network security and sustainability best practices.
Bob Carlson, VP of global marketing at
IT still not aligned to business objectives say CIOsCompanies are still not fully aligning IT strategies with business objectives, despite recognising the critical role IT has to play, according to new research from BT Engage IT, the IT services division of BT Business.
35 per cent of CIOs questioned by independent research agency, Vanson Bourne, believed that their board thought that IT was critical to the success of their businesses, but only three per cent said that their IT is fully aligned to their organisation’s business objectives. Surprisingly, seven per cent reported that IT and business objectives are completely separate.
Financial services companies topped the list, with 52 per cent of CIOs believing their
IT strategies and business objectives are well or exactly aligned, with 32 per cent seeing alignment on new implementations and projects. This correlates with how the CIOs believed their board feel about IT, with 56 per cent claiming it is viewed as critical to the success of the business.
John Thornhill, CEO, BT Engage IT, said, ‘It’s a shock to find that companies’ IT strategies aren’t fully aligned to business objectives in the majority of cases. That’s something that needs to be remedied or else businesses won’t be able to take full advantage of the latest technologies and risk being left behind.’
PAGE 10 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
Siemon, said, ‘By combining timely information and educational resources in a variety of multimedia formats, including articles and links to white papers and videos, the e-magazine delivers valuable content that can help data centre professionals ensure the specific needs of theirs project
are met. The information contained in Siemon’s interactive e-magazine is based upon continual disciplined research, voice of customer and practical experience.’
Siemon’s Data Centre Solutions e-magazine can either be viewed by CLICKING HERE.
NEWS
TIA 2012: Inside the Network details announcedTIA 2012: Inside the Network, which will be held between 5th-7th June 2012 in Dallas, USA, is a unique industry event that puts the focus on the people, products and companies driving innovation and optimisation of the network.
For network operators and communications service providers, even the very business model of the carrier is undergoing a significant transformation.
Taly Walsh, vice President, networking and intelligence, commented, ‘Whether your interest is converged networks, cloud optimisation, M2M, mobile backhaul, multiscreen video, optical transport, security, connected homes or green
ICT, TIA 2012 offers opportunities for communications suppliers, integrators, network operators and service providers to gain an immersive experience into important changes driving our industry.’
Industry leaders Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Cisco, Ericsson, GENBAND, ILS Technology, Infinera, Juniper,
McAffee, Sumitomo, and Walker and Associates are all major sponsors of the event.
Registration opens in February 2012 – CLICK HERE to find out more, CLICK HERE for information on exhibiting or sponsoring and to view the promotional video CLICK HERE.
IT infrastructure from smallest to largest.
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NEWS
IT infrastructure from smallest to largest.
POWER DISTRIBUTIONENCLOSURES CLIMATE CONTROL IT INFRASTRUCTURE SOFTWARE & SERVICES
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it _426x111_gb_uk.indd 1 08.04.2011 13:15:03
NEWS IN BRIEFNG Bailey’s sales director, Gary Pickering, is set to walk barefoot across burning hot coals to raise money for Winston’s Wish, the charity for bereaved children. To find out more and to sponsor him CLICK HERE.
Acision has announced the launch of an international network of cloud based data centres, enabling it to offer on-demand messaging services from within the Acision Cloud Service Store ICM and Phoenix IT Services has integrated under one name – Phoenix.
MobileIron has announced MobileIron University, the industry’s first training and certification centre for mobile IT professionals. MobileIron University was created to give customers a self-guided environment to get the technical training and develop the practical business process skills to be the mobile IT leaders for their companies.
IBM has agreed to acquire Green Hat, a provider of software quality and testing services for the cloud.
At Cisco Live 2012, which takes place in London between 30th January and 3rd February, TE Connectivity (TE) will showcase its range of managed connectivity solutions featuring new infrastructure configuration management (ICM) software.
Node4 has achieved the Advanced Unified Computing Technology Specialisation from Cisco in the UK.
MAILBOXMAILBOX MAILBOX
Dear Rob
To say unified communications (UC) has come of age would be a bold statement to make. Although it can often be a case of how you define UC, I still believe we are some way off being able to say that.
As they say, ‘a march of a thousand miles starts with one small step’. To that end, the march has definitely started with the breakdown of boundaries between fixed, mobile and desktop communications, and the introduction of solutions such as VoIP that work across all those platforms, ultimately providing a single voice solution.
The reality, however, is that we are still lacking established mainstream UC services which, in my view, is partially due to the lack of common standards across different platforms and vendors. You still need the technical know-how to squeeze the value out of them and to get them configured to work for you. However, it’s not a completely gloomy outlook. The advent of 4G/LTE mobile networks along with a well crafted cross platform customer experience will be the next big step in making UC a mass market reality.
For businesses it is important to be clear about the value and benefits of UC. In most cases, people don’t necessarily realise that the solution they are looking for is UC. They are simply looking for a more efficient way to communicate with their employees,
customers and suppliers. Therefore, it’s important for communications providers to explain to their customers, exactly what UC is, where it is today and what it could mean for their business.
By reviewing email and any internal messaging or conferencing, it can lead to the introduction of more consolidated UC style solutions. The key is to initiate deployment gradually, allowing them to see the benefits themselves, rather than proposing a
complete transformation to UC.In my view it is the providers
which offer mobile, fixed, systems and cloud technology in their portfolios that will be leading the charge to providing more efficient communications. This, in turn, will lead to improved customer and supplier relationships, which will help
businesses to grow and outpace their competition in today’s challenging market.
Andrew Goldwater Daisy Group Editor’s comment Andrew makes a very important point, which can also be applied to most areas of the IT industry, and that is how to define certain terms. UC is a good example of a term that is open to interpretation – so when talking to a service provider about it, it is a very good idea to make sure that you are both referring to exactly the same thing.
Coming of age
PAGE 15 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
MAILBOXMAILBOXMAILBOX
Dear Rob
Telephone calls have been transformed by the widespread adoption of the IP protocol – the technology behind the Internet – but the reputation of voice over IP (VoIP) has been tarnished by so-called service providers that use the Internet to transmit phone calls.
VoIP services that are offered over the public Internet can be both unreliable and insecure, which is unacceptable for business use. However, organisations should not be put off adopting this technology but should ask the right questions of potential providers to make sure they understand what service they are buying and the service level guarantees that come with it.
Companies are right to be concerned about the potential security risks of Internet telephony but there’s an important distinction to be made. VoIP doesn’t mean voice over the Internet – it means voice over Internet protocol. It’s a technology that can be delivered insecurely over the Internet, or securely over a private cloud infrastructure. Businesses seeking VoIP services should avoid any provider who
uses the Internet as its primary platform. Voice is a business critical system
that not only embraces a full range of technologies but delivers a service that affects every employee in an organisation. Poorly installed and managed voice systems can cause outages. Worse, they can create security holes, which have a direct impact on availability, in turn, affecting employees – who have no tolerance for telephone downtime – and their productivity. It’s crucial that those looking to benefit from voice and VoIP services make sure they ask providers the right questions and ask for references.
Richard QuineInTechnology Editor’s comment In an unregulated industry, making sure that the person you employ to undertake this type of work is suitably qualified and experienced is a must. Ask for a credentials reference and make sure that you follow it up.
All the right noises
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 16
The cost and availability of real estate in major cities has been a key driver in the
move toward higher density data centres. From an economic point of view this
makes perfect sense – why not get as much out of the space you pay for as possible? However, there are two factors which affect the ability to do this and they are power and cooling. Higher density equals more heat in the same space, resulting in the need to implement more effective thermal management.
This has led to a situation where more elaborate and power hungry methods are being used, which in some cases take up as much space as the equipment they are there to cool down. Although free cooling and locating data centres in countries with colder climates and/or away from major towns and cities may be the answer, some end users are reluctant to do this and prefer to facilities that are in close proximity to corporate headquarters due to – often unfounded – concerns about latency over long distances.
In most of the world’s major cities, data centre space is at a premium and this has led to ever increasing demand for higher density solutions. Inside Networks has assembled a panel of industry experts to examine the implications of this situation and discuss if we are simply running out of room
Sizing it up
WHAT ARE THE MAIN ISSUES WHEN IT COMES TO MAXIMISING THE DENSITY WITHIN EXISTING COLOCATION DATA CENTRES AND ARE WE COMING TO A SITUATION WHERE SPACE IS SIMPLY RUNNING OUT? IF SO, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
QUESTION TIME
In the early days of the data centre industry space wasn’t an issue – in fact, there was more than enough to go around. That, however, is changing by the minute and as space availability diminishes, costs rise as a result of competition to secure what is considered to be the best real estate.
Although some of these issues are being tackled successfully, eventually there will come a time when space will simply run out – and then what? To find out, Inside Networks has assembled a group of experts to discuss how much of a problem there is with data centre space availability and outline what they think will happen in the future.
If you have a question that you would like a panel of experts to answer in Inside Networks, CLICK HERE and we’ll do our best to feature it.
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 19
One of the main issues in
maximising data density is getting the power to the IT equipment and taking the heat out of it – to do both is expensive and often inefficient. The answer comes down to figuring out a way to put in more power and take out more heat and work with the same or smaller power footprint. The latter is much cheaper to do as it reduces the power bill, opens up new capacity and defers any capital costs.
Servers are getting more powerful and faster – rather than more efficient – and this increases their power density and therefore generates a lot more heat from the same physical footprint. As a result, consumers are at the point where supporting equipment costs more, and more space is needed in the data centre to house this than the servers themselves. In short, putting in more powerful servers isn’t the answer – getting existing servers to do more work is the key.
In recent years people have virtualised and adopted blade technology without really thinking through the consequences. This has led to high-density racks being installed in legacy data centres in islands of space to ensure they don’t create hot spots.
General opinion in the UK market is there is a lot of data centre space available but in London, for example,
sites are often constrained either by space, power, energy and/or cost.
A challenge in this approach is that the IT department and management need to obtain the signature load of the existing/new data centre. The numbers offer a baseline footprint in terms of
cost, energy, carbon calculations as well as the proposal of the footprint requirements. The resulting decision is of vital importance to consumers, otherwise the only answer is to keep on expanding in space elsewhere.
REDPOINT COMMUNICATIONS DAVID FERDENZI – PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
QUESTION TIME
PAGE 20 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
‘Consumers are at the point where supporting equipment costs more, and more space is needed in the data centre to house this than the servers themselves. In short, putting in more powerful servers isn’t the answer – getting existing servers to do more work is the key.’
QUESTION TIME
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 21
The two fundamental
challenges faced by existing data centres, when maximising computing density, are ones that are shared by the rest of the world – that of power and cooling.
High-density hardware works harder than its standard peers, but as a result it generates far more heat. There are technology solutions that are able to draw that heat directly away from the servers without mixing with the cold air being delivered straight to them to keep them cool. Smart environmental solutions are
being developed that re-use heat taken away from the servers to heat buildings in the colder months. It’s possible that in the future we’ll see data centres located in the basements of office buildings, hospitals and even residential properties that use the heat from servers to warm the water and keep the buildings warm.
In countries with cooler, more temperate climates, we’re already starting to see data centres designed and built to use ambient
air for cooling servers – significantly reducing running costs and carbon footprints.
Even with these environmental solutions we’re still left with the increasing demand for power to run these high-density data centres. As the number of processors increases the power required to run them also does up. As
yet, the industry has been unable to develop a solution to this.
As Moore’s Law continues to govern the growth of processor power it’s unlikely that we will run out of space at least in
the short-term. In the longer-term we will reach total saturation where everything that can be miniaturised or consolidated will be. What is happening now is research and development into new ways of handling
data. We’re already seeing alternatives to silicon for chips and it’s likely that the focus will turn to how we power these alternatives.
In the past data centres were built for a purpose and to a specification laid down by the IT department. As a result of more flexible computing – such as virtualisation and the cloud – we’ll see data centres that are designed on a modular basis – data centres that are as flexible as the needs they have to meet.
REDSTONE STEVE BERTRAM – EUROPEAN DATA CENTRE MANAGER
‘We’re already seeing alternatives to silicon for chips and it’s likely that the focus will turn to how we power these alternatives.’
floor air conditioning systems struggle as the rack density rises above 6kW and will need to be bolstered by hot or cold aisle containment, high performance floor grills and even floor grills with local fans. If this does not suffice the next step is in-row cooling using chilled water or DX, which can support much higher loads but adds
substantially to the budget.A more subtle problem is that of
hotspots caused by the odd 12kW rack in a hall full of 3kW or 4kW racks. Solving this problem not only requires good room layout – correctly positioning the racks within the data hall – but also demands good feedback from room temperature sensors which should be capable of being
moved adjacent to the relevant racks.
The final problem is thermal runaway. CRACS are, typically, not backed up by UPS as it is assumed that the thermal inertia of the data hall will prevent temperatures rising significantly in the time it takes for generators to come online. This may not be true for 12kW racks, which will head rapidly towards melt down.
NEXT GENERATION DATA NICK RAZEY - CEO
QUESTION TIME
PAGE 22 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
An ‘old’ data centre has M&E
infrastructure sufficient to support a maximum of 2kW per rack. Upgrading this infrastructure is very difficult, particularly with a live environment, so 2kW per rack is likely to remain the limit.
As such, implementing more dense solutions will not improve data centre utilisation, it will simply move the same IT load into a smaller footprint. As a result the industry is increasingly moving towards procuring data centres in kW of IT load rather than ft². Therefore, perhaps the question should be, what happens when the power runs out?
However, assuming the M&E infrastructure is sufficient, there are three issues to consider. The first is cooling the higher-density environment. Most raised
‘ Implementing more dense solutions will not improve data centre utilisation, it will simply move the same IT load into a smaller footprint. As a result the industry is increasingly moving towards procuring data centres in kW of IT load rather than ft2.’
QUESTION TIME
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 23
With space at
a premium it makes feasible sense to transplant data centres to areas other than capital cities in order that we can more effectively enlarge capacity.
With low latency networks and good connectivity now accessible regionally this is an advised move to make when it comes to creating greater capacity. You don’t need to compromise on resiliency either because the best networks have a good level of resiliency built in.
In terms of server density, with the arrival of blade chassis, you can have a greater server density in a smaller space, which is developing further as we speak. Things can
indeed become smaller and you can introduce additional hardware into a tight space, but the main issue when it comes to maximising density in data centres is cooling. By putting more in the same space there’s a chance of developing hot spots and you risk putting a greater amount of pressure on the cooling infrastructure in the data centre as well.
In addition to this, server farms face a power challenge. From our experience, the general rule is that people will run out of power before they run out of space. There is technology available to help maximise the density in terms of server infrastructure. Although they are more power efficient, the blade chassis uses more power than if that space was filled with individual servers. So if you have a rack full of full blade chassis, rather than individual servers, you’ve suddenly gone from using for example, 4kW of power to using 8kW of power.
The main thing we look at in managing this situation is PUE and the target is to get a PUE of close to 1. We are always monitoring that but the things that contribute to that aren’t just the servers that the customers have, it’s the cooling infrastructure, it’s the power back up infrastructure and the perspective levels of efficiency.
NODE4 PAUL BRYCE – BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
‘ With low latency networks and good connectivity now accessible regionally, this is a advised move to make when it comes to creating greater capacity.’
Developments in twisted pair cabling have lost pace since the introduction
of Category 6A and Category 7A. Does this suggest that optical fibre will soon take over or will copper continue to be the dominant medium in structured cabling systems? The following assessment of copper cabling standards and future applications may provide the answer to this intriguing question.
DEFINING MOMENTRecent enhancements to copper cabling systems have been defined by ISO/IEC, CENELEC and TIA. Class EA and Class FA channels were introduced to ISO/IEC 11801 in 2008. The definition of links plus Category 6A and Category 7A components followed in 2010. It was decided to process these as separate amendments in order to expedite the channel specifications for compliance testing and applications developers. Agreement of Category 6A, Category 7A and link specifications was the result of two years of complex modelling, with a mention in dispatches for our erstwhile friend, Stuart Reeves, who led this challenging task.
In terms of internal crosstalk and insertion loss, Class EA and Class FA offer little benefit over Class E and Class F
Twistand shout
Alan Flatman of LAN Technologies provides an expert overview of the developments in global copper cabling standards
respectively. This is in sharp contrast to existing cabling Classes which provide significant incremental gains, as illustrated in Figure 1. If you conclude from this that twisted pair cabling has reached a limit in this regard, at least for practical constructions, you would be right. The key advantages provided by Class EA
COPPER CABLING STANDARDS
PAGE 24 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
Figure 1
and shout
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 25
and Class FA cabling are electromagnetic performance and alien crosstalk isolation, which are absolutely key in supporting new applications such as 10GBASE-T.
Class EA and Class FA are specified to approximately double the frequency used to define the previous Classes and, while the attenuation-to-crosstalk ratio is mostly negative in the extended region, internal crosstalk cancellation techniques may be used to offset this. It should be
noted that information capacity of a cabling system is determined by the area bound by insertion loss and noise, a relationship that illustrates the untapped potential of the highest cabling Class currently defined as Class FA .
PERFORMANCECoupling attenuation is now used to define the electromagnetic performance of screened cabling, and unbalance attenuation is used to characterise unscreened systems. Coupling attenuation is the conversion from
differential signal within a pair to common mode noise radiated from the cable. This parameter is used for the following exclusion clause relating to alien crosstalk compliance: • If coupling attenuation is 10dB better than specified, then Class EA alien crosstalk is considered to be ‘met by design’.
• If coupling attenuation is 25dB better than specified, then Class FA alien crosstalk is considered to be ‘met by design’.
Being met by design means that alien crosstalk does not need to be measured, which is a significant saving in time and complexity. Screened cabling systems may be designed to exceed the above thresholds by a comfortable margin.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCECENELEC has since introduced all of the above specifications to EN50173-1 with some very minor technical differences.
TIA, on the other hand, has so far only introduced Category 6 Augmented cabling to EIA/TIA-568. This was approved in 2008 and published as Addendum 10 to EIA/TIA-568-B.1. All specifications for channel, link and components have since been integrated into the latest revision, EIA/TIA-568-C.2. There are a number of technical differences between Category 6 Augmented cabling and Class EA/Category 6A defined by ISO/IEC and CENELEC. The most significant difference is channel NEXT, ISO/IEC and CENELEC requirements being more stringent, as illustrated in Figure 2.
As there are no formal alien crosstalk specifications for cable Categories lower than Category 6A, care must be taken when mixing different Categories in a common pathway or bundle if high speed applications are supported. TIA recently issued guidelines in the form of TSB-190, which states that mixtures of Category 6A and Category 6 unscreened cables are acceptable on condition that Category 6 cables are used to support speeds of less than 10 Gigabit Ethernet. One of the key assumptions in the underlying analysis
COPPER CABLING STANDARDS
COPPER CABLING STANDARDS
PAGE 26 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
is that the power spectral density of a 10GBASE-T transmit signal is outside the
spectrum of interest of a 1000BASE-T receiver. Not everyone would agree with this assumption.
Data centre cabling standards have also been defined by ISO/IEC, CENELEC and TIA. TIA-942 was published back in 2005, its broad scope encompassing electrical power, resilience, cooling and security as well as data cabling. CENELEC EN 50173-5 was published in 2007 and ISO/IEC 24764 followed in 2010. ISO/IEC and CENELEC specifications focus on data cabling and are technically equivalent.
The minimum performance zone cabling specified by ISO/IEC and CENELEC
standards is Class EA or OM3 terminated with a duplex LC connector for up to two fibres and MPO for greater than two fibres. The subsequent revision – TIA-942-A – has updated its media recommendations – as per ISO/IEC 24764 – and has introduced an additional tier of cabling.
AIR AND CARECabling standards groups have also considered the need to develop design specifications for other environments such as hospitals and airports. The recently approved TIA-1179 defines Healthcare Facility Cabling with higher outlet densities and Category 5e minimum for horizontal cabling. The general view elsewhere seems to be that existing cabling design standards can be applied to airports and healthcare facilities.
Perhaps the most significant investment
‘As there are no formal alien crosstalk specifications for cable Categories lower than Category 6A, care must be taken when mixing different Categories in a common pathway or bundle if high speed applications are supported.’
Figure 2
COPPER CABLING STANDARDS
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 27
ALAN FLATMAN Alan Flatman is an independent consultant with over 30 years experience in the electronics and computer industries. He has advised on network technology and strategy since 1980.
Alan represents the UK in the development of international and European cabling standards and provides the essential link with IEEE 802 as liaison officer. He is also a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering & Technology.
being made to cabling standards in the last three years has been in planning and installation. In many ways, the cabling industry is well blessed with public domain guidance in this area. There are specifications and guides from regional and national standards organisations, regulatory bodies and professional groups, such as BICSI, covering many aspects of planning, implementation and operation.
Unfortunately, this information is highly fragmented and often different, due to local codes and practices. ISO/IEC has taken an initiative to develop a unified approach to planning and installation with a single standard. ISO/IEC 14763-2 has close similarity to the CENELEC planning and installation standard, EN 50174, and has adopted its new segregation rules for power and data cables. ISO/IEC 14763-2 will be available soon and is expected to become the definitive industry handbook for cabling planning and installation.
THE END IS NIGH?So, is 10 Gigabit Ethernet the end of the road for copper cabling? Not when the cost differential with optical fibre is so great, especially at higher speeds, and not when there is a compelling case to extend the BASE-T family to support plug and play connectivity and automatic speed matching for legacy equipment. It is not well known that optical fibre and twinax links such as 10GBASE-CX4 do not support Ethernet auto-negotiation, however this is a standard feature for twisted pair BASE-T links.
Interest in 40GBASE-T has been building for the last three years and there is general agreement that we cannot repeat the design approach adopted for 10GBASE-T, with extensive crosstalk cancellation,
system latency and power consumption issues. Next time we must exploit cabling performance more intelligently and, when we see the untapped potential of Class FA/Category 7A, the answer is obvious. ❏
Power point presentation It’s a welcome bonus of Ethernet and structured cabling, but as the demands for power over Ethernet (PoE) grow, is this once preferred solution about to run out of control? Paul Cave of Mayflex investigates some of the realities of PoE and explains how to use it wisely
The existence and use of copper cabling has numerous plus points,
including the development and use of power over Ethernet (PoE). However, we can’t look in depth at PoE at all without understanding the standards – the strict guidelines of how it should be used.
HISTORY LESSON802.3af PoE or what we now call standard PoE was published in 2003. This document set out the method of delivering power to end powered devices (PD) from power sourcing equipment (PSE), such as PoE enabled Ethernet switches or, in the case of legacy installations, mid-span power injectors. They were designed to provide 15.4W, however, given the distances and potential losses over the cable and connectors, the end powered devices expected a total of 12.95W.
In 2009 we saw 802.3at PoE+ published which answered the demands of some manufacturers of the end
devices, which had been asking for more power to exploit their full features. Some CCTV manufacturers with pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) products, were struggling with standard PoE. The new standard dramatically increased the limits, in effect doubling the power levels involved to 34.2W powering and 25.5W powered.
TWICE AS NICE?Exactly what power you can get from PoE has been debated and has caused much confusion, but the answers can be found quite simply by looking at the standards.
COPPER CABLING
PAGE 28 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
The IEEE is already looking at the next level of PoE
POWER MANAGEMENT
Power point presentation COPPER CABLING
PoE runs over two pairs, however, although the load can be received over all four pairs, it does not mean using all four pairs doubles the power.
At any one time only two of the pairs can deliver the power, even if four pairs are used, so the power can never be doubled in this instance.
The following statement from the 802.3at standard should clarify this point. Please remember that in standards parlance ‘shall’ is mandatory and ‘should’ is recommended.
‘PSE shall implement Alternative A, Alternative B, or both. While a PSE may be capable of both Alternative A and Alternative B, PSEs shall not operate both Alternative A and Alternative B on the same link segment simultaneously.’
THE HEAT IS ONSome people still believe it’s possible to increase the wattage of power used. As a standalone argument maybe it is, but it does not come without consequences.
When you run a current you are going to produce heat. With the increase in the level of power with PoE+ we are now facing greater challenges concerning heat dissipation. This reality has lead to ISO/IEC producing a Technical Report on the heat dissipation titled Telecommunications Cabling Requirements for Remote Powering of Terminal Equipment TR29125.
This document outlines the impact of putting power over structured cabling as well as how to mitigate the effects, as well as number of methods of mitigating this heat. These include powering all the cables
‘ Exactly what power you can get from PoE has been debated and has caused much confusion, but the answers can be found by looking at the standards.’
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 29
in the bundle, as well as:• Using a higher Category cable – minimum 24AWG Category 5e• Selecting a larger conductor size decreases per unit length dc resistance• Choosing pathways and spaces with good air circulation• Selection of applications and devices that use lower current
All the heat calculations are based on the standards, which are the only facts we have to go on.
There is one other reason why the understanding of heat is so important and that is that increased operating temperatures may reduce the length over which an application can be supported. EN 50173 series provides information with regards to reference implementations at temperatures above 20°C.
REDUCED LIFESPANTR29125 highlights a further consideration, and this is the impact of the current on the connecting hardware.
Each time an RJ-45 plug is mated and unmated there is an arcing effect between the two contact points. As you disengage the pins, there may be a point where the load could run over just one pin. This will cause damage over time that will reduce the overall life of the product. The number of matings allowed within the component standards is being reduced from 750 to just 200 for connectors under load conditions of 600mA.
TR29125 does advise that the power should be disabled every time the connections are mated and unmated, however, in the real world it’s hard to
believe that anyone would go to that level of effort each time they have to move and re-patch a device.
WHAT’S TO COME?As people are starting to want more power for more devices, the expectations of PoE are growing.
Any increase in power has to go somewhere. In the main it will be utilised by the end device, but we have already established that a
percentage will be lost in transmission and that loss is reflected by an increase in heat within the cable.
We have illustrated what standards compliant PoE and PoE+ equate to but there are a few vendors of PSE devices that are claiming over 100W.
This worries me. If, as in the example shown from TR29125, a bundle of 170 Category 5e cables will increase in temperature by 16.9°C, what is the impact if the power is trebled? Could we see a doubling in temperature? If so there will be an impact on the data carrying capabilities. The simple calculation is
COPPER CABLING
PAGE 30 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
PoE will promote the growth of converged IP enabled systems
PAUL CAVE Paul Cave is technical manager – infrastructure at Mayflex. He joined Mayflex in 2008 and has been in the industry for 24 years. He holds the Certified Data Centre Design Professional (CDCDP) and BICSI Technician, RCDD and Registered Telecomms Project Manager qualifications. He is also a member of the Expert Panel for TCT/7/-/2 and TCT/7/-/3 and a member of the BICSI European Standards and Education Committee.
that for every degree above 20°C the performance has to be de-rated by 0.2 per cent. Therefore, 20 degrees above the distance is reduced by at least four per cent.
Here is the second problem. How is that heat increase going to be managed within the environment? Will it need additional cooling and ventilation within raised floor spaces?
The IEEE is already looking at the next level of PoE but it’s at very early stages.
However, there is a group of manufacturers that have
come forward and called themselves
the HDBase-T Alliance. Its aim and ambition is
to provide IPTV within the
home by providing remote powering to LCD screens
throughout the property
up to 100m. As the international
standards bodies haven’t provided
them with enough scope they have now
released their own standard for providing 100W up to 100m over Category 5e cable.
My main concern with all of this is that the cable will be run behind walls, that contain various cavity wall insulating products meaning any heat generated will continue increasing as it has no way of dissipating.
What is possible is one thing, but the consequences must be considered. The standards are there to help us all.
CONCLUSIONPoE is a welcome technology and will promote the growth of converged IP enabled systems. Designed and installed correctly it can be simple plug and play but as power increases and the size of installations increase the problems start to appear. My advice is use it, but make sure you understand it and don’t get carried away. ❏
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 31
PoE will promote the growth of converged IP enabled systems
COPPER CABLING
Nexans offers a complete range of copper LAN systems, from high performance screened Category 7A and Category 6A systems through to essential Category 5e and Category 6 UTP ranges for day to day installations.
The new, thinner LANmark-6 10G DC50 cable is specifically designed for 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks in data centres, where facilities are required to support a very high density of cabling but often for relatively short distances.
LANmark EVO snap-in connectors allow use of the same outlets and panels for all categories – and even fibre too. Fast and easy to install, their short length allows for installation in shallow boxes and trunking.
LANmark panels have a timesaving clip-in mechanism that removes the need for tie-wraps and come with removable shutters.
NexansThey are available in standard fixed versions or with an easy front access sliding tray.
The new range of UniBoot patchcords with interchangeable coloured latch protection for easy identification are specifically designed to minimise the boot footprint to facilitate high density patching.
For more information CLICK HERE.www.nexans.co.uk/LANsystems
COPPER CABLING PRODUCTS AND SYSTEMS
3M has launched its new end-to-end structured copper cabling Volition range for Category 6A copper 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
The options and types of cable available give installers and consultants a ‘one stop shop’ for the entire cabling system, with easy installation even in confined spaces. Aimed at ‘to the desk’ and data centre applications, the system has also been designed to minimise alien crosstalk. Elements in the Volition range
3Minclude cables, patch cords, faceplates, RJ-45 Jacks, and 19 inch patch panels.
This latest cabling range from 3M draws on more than 40 years’ experience in the networking and telecom industry and is
backed by support options including network design and project support, on-site assistance, certified installer training and advice on systems upgrades.
3M provides a 25 year warranty on all its structured cabling
systems and adheres to all the main industry standards.
For further information CLICK HERE.www.3M.co.uk/Cat6a1
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 33
CLICK HERE TO PLAY
COPPER CABLING SYSTEMS
Brand-Rex offers a full suite of Category 5e, 6 and 6A copper solutions for the enterprise as well as a market leading suite of copper solutions designed specifically for data centre applications.
Focusing on cable management in high-density environments, the innovative range includes high density patching solutions, such as the High Density Cabling cabinet and the 24 port angled patch panel, which naturally directs the patch cords to the sides of the patching frame – negating the need for horizontal cable management.
The innovative data centre offering also incorporates the groundbreaking space-saving Brand-Rex 10GPlus Zone Cable which represents the market’s smallest diameter Category 6A/
Class EA cable. The high
performance Augmented Category 6 Zone Cable is fully certified by 3P Third Party Testing. Similar in diameter to a Category 5e cable, it is 30 per cent lighter and 50 per cent smaller than standard Category
6A cables. For further information CLICK HERE.
www.brand-rex.com/products
Excel is a world-class premium performing end-to-end infrastructure solution designed, manufactured, supported and delivered – without compromise.
The Excel Category 6A system provides a solution that is independently verified by leading test house Delta and provides a 25 year warranty when installed by an accredited Excel Partner.
The range includes a choice of F/FTP, U/FTP or U/UTP cable depending on the requirement and budget constraints.
There is also an option for a ‘shotgun’ twin cable on the F/FTP version.
The cable is complemented with a range of screened straight or angled jacks and compatible panel frames. The Excel Category 6-2 pt low profile keystone (P/N 100-181)
at 28.3mm deep, is 10 per cent shallower than its closest rival – making
it perfect for confined spaces. It’s also incredibly quick and easy to terminate.
CLICK HERE to visit the Excel Encyclopaedia and see typical performance charts for the F/FTP LSOH cable and further details on the Excel system.
www.excel-networking.com
Excel
Brand-Rex
COPPER CABLING PRODUCTS AND SYSTEMS
PAGE 34 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
Today’s technology advances and business trends across the entire industry require more than a simple copper infrastructure. Ever-growing challenges such as IP convergence, real time access to data, wireless technologies and environmental concerns are creating a great amount of pressure on today’s network deployment and management practices.
TE Connectivity’s solutions are engineered and produced from the ground up so that every aspect of modern technologies is embedded into each single component. A wide range of solutions ranging from Category 5e/
TE ConnectivityClass D (UTP and FTP), Category 6/Class E (UTP and F/FTP), Category 6A/ Class EA (UTP and FTP), Category 7/Class F and Class FA is available to meet any application or bandwidth requirement.
All these solutions are available as standard passive systems and many are available incorporating TE’s latest Managed Connectivity technology.
TE Connectivity’s core principle in enterprise networks, of providing
building owners and data centre managers with unmatchable value and performance, continues to grow.
For further information CLICK HERE.www.te.com
COPPER CABLING PRODUCTS AND SYSTEMS
As applications become more business critical, large enterprises are becoming more critical about their choice of copper cabling – turning away from UTP technology to benefit from more reliable, more robust and more cost efficient shielded (SFTP) copper solutions.
Corning Cable Systems is the only major provider of cabling that - as with fibre – develops, manufactures and assembles all its copper data cable and connection technology itself, in Europe.
Corning Cable Systems’ shielded copper FutureCom EA System is specially designed to support 10
CorningGigabit Ethernet (10GBase-T)
over 100m with enhanced performance
margin. The system provides a universal generic cabling
solution for the use of Ethernet, VoIP, telephone, TV and can save up to 80 per cent of installation time thanks to its factory terminated, 100 per cent tested cable assemblies. What’s more, FutureCom
EA exceeds international standards requirements –ISO/IEC 11801 AMD 1:2008, Class EA, and ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-10 Augmented Category 6 system.
For further information CLICK HERE.www.corning.com
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 35
Melbourne Server Hosting has completed a relocation after investing over £150,000 in a head office with a difference. It is now in residence at Lovell House at Manchester Technopark where it will occupy over 6,000ft² of office space – more than double the size of its previous facilities at Turing
House.CLICK HERE to see a video of the new HQ.
Your one click guide to the latest industry podcasts, events, electronic literature, apps and videos
Quick clicksINTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
Some 18 months since he
was elected president of
the FTTH Council Europe,
Chris Holden talks to Brian
Dolby about how things
have changed. How has
the FTTH market in Europe
developed and what are the
big challenges going forward?
CLICK HERE to watch the
video interview.
PAGE 36 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
QUICK CLICKS
CNet Training has published a range of information about its Certified Data Centre Technician (CDCT) course programme.CLICK HERE to find out more.
Siemon’s has produced a new video
that was taken at its recent ConvergeIT:
Driving Green and Intelligent Buildings
event, which focused on the benefits of
convergence. CLICK HERE to see it.
FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO CLICK HEREInside Networks
Inside Networks
Inside Networks
Your one click guide to the latest industry podcasts, events, electronic literature, apps and videos
Quick clicks
Siemon’s has produced a new video
that was taken at its recent ConvergeIT:
Driving Green and Intelligent Buildings
event, which focused on the benefits of
convergence. CLICK HERE to see it.
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 37
QUICK CLICKS
TIA 2012: Inside the Network will take place between 5th-7th June at the Gaylord Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Focused on innovation and thought leadership, TIA 2012 is the annual gathering of the community of technology suppliers that form the foundation of the global communications experience.CLICK HERE to find out more.
HellermannTyton has extended its range of fibre products and you can find out more by CLICKING HERE.
Nexans has produced a new video to demonstrate the benefits of its new Secure Lock locking patch cords and accessories, created for applications where security is paramount.CLICK HERE to see it.
The Fibreoptic Industry Association (FIA) has published an infrastructure advisory note titled The Impact of Copper Cad Aluminium (and Steel) Conductors Within Balanced Pair Cables (Intended For Use Within Implementations of Generic Cabling.CLICK HERE to download a copy.
FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO CLICK HEREInside Networks
Inside Networks
Inside Networks
CHANNEL UPDATE
Minitran becomes Miniflex authorised distributorMinitran has become an authorised distributor of M2fx’s Miniflex, the first fibre optic cable designed specifically to address key issues found in the modern network. Miniflex does this by being ultra-compact, ultra-tough and ultra-light.
It saves valuable space in cableway and containment, reduces risk of downtime being causes by damage, and minimises risk and cost by reducing loads applied during installation and speeding up the process. The lightweight construction is designed to eliminate kinking, making for a cable that offers great network performance and is a dream to install.
Graham Dupree, m2fx’s director of sales EMEA, said, ‘We are delighted to be represented by Minitran who we know will support our customers and products extremely well. Minitran have a superb reputation that they have earned by serving clients well for many years and we are pleased to be associated with them.’
PAGE 38 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
Iyer Sivakumar
Siemon has promoted Iyer Sivakumar, (Siva), to sales manager for the extended region of Middle East and North Africa. In this newly created role he will be supported by business development manager, Prem Rodrigues, and Narender Vasandari, technical manager.
Since joining Siemon he has expanded the company’s channel in the Middle East, recruited a number of partner companies to join Siemon’s Certified Installer programme – as well as working
Siemon promotes Sivakumar to Middle East and North Africa role
Panduit Europe showcased presentations on the future of data centre design and management given at its first Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Global Systems Integrators Congress (GSIC). GSIC drew together more than 200 data centre professionals from across EMEA to discuss the most disruptive trends in IT infrastructure and systems design.
Alongside Panduit, GSIC saw presentations from EMC, IBM and Cisco as well as sessions by the likes of Anixter and Stulz. Delegates at the event received a vision for the future of the data centre with speakers discussing the
Panduit looks at the future of data centre design
Iyer Sivakumar
with value added resellers (VARs). He has also worked hard to increase consultant and end user relationships in the IT and networking markets.
Steven Foster, Siemon’s managing director EMEA, said, ‘Siva came to us with a great pedigree and has made a massive impact to our Middle East business – we’re now looking forward to him using his perfect mix of skill and market understanding to continue this throughout the region.’
CHANNEL UPDATE
Molex has announced the appointment of Frank van Kessel as its business development manager for Benelux and Germany. Over the last 20 years, he has gained a wealth of industry experience through a variety of roles, enabling him to develop expert knowledge from every angle. Digicel and Masergy have announced a partnership to provide enterprise customers with a global network platform with diverse connections and a range of access methods. iTrinegy has announced a partnership with NETCOR. This agreement enables NETCOR to resell iTrinegy’s network emulators. CMS has been presented with a Gold Award from Cannon Technologies for achieving sales of over £1m of its 19 inch cabinets. Node4 has partnered with Zeacom to offer a new hosted calling platform that will boost the productivity of contact centres, reduce costs and enhance customer service. The Kenton Group recently received accreditation from SAFEcontractor. Ciena Corporation has announced that Vaioni, the UK’s largest Ethernet aggregator, is deploying a range of Ciena’s Carrier Ethernet solutions as part of its enhanced Ethernet service offerings to enterprises, carriers and cloud providers across the country.
CHANNEL UPDATE IN BRIEFSiemon promotes Sivakumar to Middle East and North Africa role
nature of virtual transformation and how implementations of virtualisation and cloud computing are affecting data centre management, as well as how IP-based physical security and high-speed data
transport will be developing across data centre environments.
Steve Luczkiw, vice president for channels and strategic alliances at Panduit, commented, ‘This is the first time we have held this congress in Europe and we exceeded our expectations around attendees and partners coming to the event.’
Panduit looks at the future of data centre design
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 39
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather
than a product. It’s where shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network – usually the Internet. Put simply, the cloud means accessing and storing information on the Internet, rather than on your computer or a physical server.
STRATEGYWith potential cost savings, there’s undoubtedly a real business case for moving to the cloud, but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution and, in some situations, it may not be right at all. So, what do companies need to consider before making the shift into the cloud?
Cloud computing has the distinct advantage of device and location freedom, which enables users to access and manage their services via a web browser regardless of where they are. This gives the users more power over their services than ever before.
Head in the clouds
Cloud computing has been grabbing the headlines for the past few years, but is it always the right solution for everything? Chris Merrett of Melbourne Server Hosting explains what all of the fuss is about
Cloud servers can be deployed instantly and there’s no waiting for hardware or set up. In addition, with certain cloud hosting providers, you can have access to a web control panel that offers the option to scale up whenever you need or want to. In this respect, businesses don’t need to develop a rigid strategy that can’t be departed from. Cloud hosting gives you total freedom over what you install on your server. This means that you have no constraints over software and can tailor your own cloud servers to suit your needs − you don’t need a particular operating system either.
FACILITY MANAGERThere’s often the facility to include redundancy and high availability features, which means if the hardware running your service was to fail your service would reappear on a different piece of hardware
OUTSOURCING
PAGE 40 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
the clouds
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 41
without you having to manually intervene. When using physical servers instead of a
cloud solution, this is something
that you can’t achieve without having extra hardware on
standby − which you’d undoubtedly pay
a premium for. Also, if you need additional resources,
upgrades to your service can typically be fulfilled with the minimum of hassle and downtime. Extra resources are simply applied to your service and from that point on.
One of the negative connotations attached to switching to cloud based services is contention. When using cloud-based services, CPU allocation and disk I/O – input/output, the number of reads/writes a disk device can perform – are contended, which means that the more people working on a physical piece of
hardware, the more performance can be impacted. On busier, more important services, we understand that this has the potential to cause problems and many companies will not want to risk this happening.
What’s most important is that you choose a cloud hosting provider that offers a decent product which suits you. In this respect, it doesn’t differ from any other product or service you’d buy for the business.
IMPLEMENTATIONWhen it comes to implementing cloud technology, we’d always advise that you look to work with a company that can meet your support requirements. We’d typically offer migration assistance at cost price to a company wishing to move their services to one of our cloud platforms. On the whole, this transition is seamless and relatively painless.
There are also other ways that you can leverage the benefits of the cloud to make
Many data centres are filled with physical hardware that is woefully under-utilised
OUTSOURCING
OUTSOURCING
PAGE 42 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
your services ‘cloud aware’. This can mean many things, but in short, the more aware that your applications and services are that they’re running in a cloud environment, the more you can leverage features such are high availability (HA), load balancing and failover. In a lot of cases though, this isn’t a required.
SECURITYAlongside the hype, we’re also seeing high profile security breaches which can discourage businesses from adopting the cloud.
As a business, you need to take all steps necessary to keep your data secure − wherever it’s stored and whoever stores it. Companies should be wary of hosting companies that pretend to have their own data centre, when, in fact, they’re simply taking space in someone else’s. This is a widespread practice and means that you’re placing your data – probably your most valuable asset – in the hands of an anonymous third party.
At the end of the day, it’s your information so you need to put in the
effort to ensure your chosen supplier is looking after it. After all, it’s your business that’ll suffer if you’re missing critical data. Ask for references, and make sure
you follow them up. You should be sure that your supplier is taking steps to back up your data and that those back ups are encrypted if the information is sensitive. There have been a number of well publicised incidents where large cloud providers have lost customer data. Separate, encrypted back ups would avoid any disruption to customer service in these incidents.
Logical security of data can be effectively provided by the virtualisation technology as well as the clear network segregation between customers. Look for internationally recognised standards – such as ISO 27001 and BS 25999 – which
‘ At the end of the day, it’s your information so you need to put in the effort to ensure your chosen supplier is looking after it. After all, it’s your business that’ll suffer if you’re missing critical data.’
Cloud servers can be deployed instantly and there’s no waiting for hardware or set up
OUTSOURCING
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 43
CHRIS MERRETT Chris Merrett has been working in IT for 10 years, starting in a repair shop in Bolton. He has 14 years’ experience with Linux, starting with Slackware 3.1 in 1997.
relate to the information security processes and
procedures a data centre uses. The business continuity plans in place
will demonstrate the level of competence a provider can offer.
GREENEnergy efficiency is increasingly important for future technologies because of the increased usage of IT, combined with the pressure of increasing
energy costs for businesses. In principle, cloud computing can be inherently energy efficient.
Many data centres are filled with physical hardware that is woefully under-utilised. Before virtualisation became the talk of the town, companies would buy or lease physical hardware, and deploy their services to those machines. Now, you have the ability to spin up a new virtual server, deploy your app to a cloud guest that had exactly the resources it requires, and save the rest for future projects. These resource allocations could then be redefined and tweaked at any point, depending on how busy a site may be.
INTO PERSPECTIVEFrom a hardware perspective, this helps to ensure that every physical machine is being used to its full potential. In turn, it also changes the way that a system administrator works with the software you have. When coding a new web application, developers would often concentrate on just getting things working and less on optimising their code so that it works as efficiently as possible. This has started to shift in more recent times, with developers putting real effort into reducing the footprint of their applications, allowing them to work in smaller, virtualised environments, rather than using a huge physical machine. ❏
Cloud servers can be deployed instantly and there’s no waiting for hardware or set up
Cloud hosting gives you total freedom
over what you install on your
server
Energy efficient UPSs from Eaton’s Power Quality division have been selected by Sentrum as the secure power source for critical applications in its principal UK data centres.
A total of 137 Eaton UPS systems are currently installed within Sentrum’s portfolio of data centres and some idea of the scale of these installations can be gained by noting that, between them, they use 25,000 batteries with a total weight in excess of 830 tonnes.
Eaton delivers secure power for Sentrum
Proximity installs new telephony infrastructure for Northbrook CollegeProximity Communications has designed and installed a new telephony infrastructure for Northbrook College, which has two campuses in Worthing and a campus at Shoreham airport, employs approximately 900 staff and has 13,000 full and part-time students.
The first phase of the project saw the implementation of a new Avaya Communication Manager core system for 220 users, all with IP telephones, at the main Worthing Campus. The second phase of the project has seen the expansion
PAGE 44 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
PROJECTS
of the system to around 650 extensions throughout the college campus and beyond, to all remote college locations. It also sees an upgrade to Avaya Aura Session Manager, along with Modular Messaging and Avaya
one-X Mobile services.
The new system simplifies and standardises telephony services across the organisation and will be the catalyst for enabling unified communications,
with the migration to IP based telephony and additional enterprise wide access.
The Eaton UPS systems were selected by Sentrum after its engineers completed an in-depth evaluation of the options available in the market, whilst looking specifically for a solution that ensured high performance levels,
a compact construction, versatility and value for money.
The majority of the Eaton UPS systems in use at Sentrum’s data centres are from the Powerware 9395 range that has been designed specifically to support applications that demand the highest levels of protection against power failure.
PROJECTS
Eaton delivers secure power for Sentrum
Honda takes UK website into the public cloudHonda (UK) has signed a two-year deal with ICM to move its website into a public cloud environment. Previously hosted by another provider via a private cloud, the new platform will save the manufacturer running costs, whilst ensuring 24/7 website availability.
The private cloud meant that Honda was paying a substantial sum for a dedicated resource that was never being used to
capacity. Moving to a public cloud with ICM means that it can benefit from a virtual
infrastructure that is quickly scalable to meet peaks in demand.
To support brand continuity, it is vital that customers can access the Honda website 24/7. The UK website will therefore be hosted
on a virtual shared platform across two of ICM’s data centres, so that if one connection fails an immediate failover ensures constant availability.
CLICK ON A COVER TO READ MOREMISSED AN ISSUE?
PAGE 46 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
PROJECTS IN BRIEF
PROJECTS
Dacoll has secured a six year contract to supply, implement and support the server and storage hardware requirements of Carestream Health as it upgrades its PACS application for NHS Scotland. Codemasters has chosen NextiraOne to deliver a Category 6 cabling infrastructure to enable the company to support its software and games developers with high quality, high performance communications. EC&O Venues (EC&O) has selected and standardised on next generation smart Wi-Fi products and technology from Ruckus Wireless throughout two of London’s premiere event venues – Earls Court and Olympia exhibition halls. Extreme Networks has announced that Finnish cloud provider and telecommunications company, Elisa Corporation, has selected its high performance data centre solutions, based on its Summit and BlackDiamond switches, as it scales out its managed cloud services.
With a history stretching back to the 17th century the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RGBE) has an immense database of information on all things horticultural. A recent investment in 21st century IT ensures that this can be accessed quickly and easily.
Working with IT specialist, Dacoll, the RBGE has undergone a major upgrade of its IT infrastructure, including implementation of virtualisation technology. This investment has led to dramatic savings in the operating expenditure across a range of services.
RBGE presented Dacoll with several challenges to simplify desktop and
application management, while increasing security and control. It also had to deliver personalised, high fidelity,
end user experiences across sessions and devices, enable higher availability and agility of desktop services that was not available from conventional PCs, while reducing the total cost of desktop ownership.
Using the latest VMware View 5 software the Dacoll consultancy team has provided virtual desktops as part of a managed service that includes the entire desktop interface including operating system, applications and data.
VMware gives botanic garden greater agility and cost savings
Cannon Technologies helps Wi-Manx become the host with the mostWi-Manx has become one of the Isle of Man’s leading network, voice and hosting solutions provider. In order to continue its growth, the company decided to establish a state-of-the-art colocation data centre at its Heywood House headquarters using cabinet, racking and cooling solutions from Cannon Technologies.
64 ServerSmart cabinets and two CannonPatch cabling racks were installed. The ServerSmart cabinets are available in a range of heights, widths and depths, with exceptional cooling ability for high power densities. ServerSmart’s doors also have the unique ability to open to 180º when bayed and 270º at end of bay or when used in a standalone formation.
Wi-Manx also needed an efficient cold aisle containment system. Cannon Technologies’ Aisle-Cocoon concept is a
technically advanced solution that provides a system of overhead panels and end doors that effectively seal off the cold aisle. This ensures that the cold air emitted from the floor is sealed in a ‘cocoon’ which is unaffected by hot exhaust air, while the cooling air can only exit through the equipment for which it is intended.
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The launch of the new Infrastructure Configuration Manager (ICM) software from TE Connectivity’s Enterprise Networks business provides network and data centre managers with a greater knowledge of their connectivity infrastructures and extends the integration of the physical layer into network management applications.
The ICM software contains a completely new GUI with a modern style, look and feel. It provides client access through a web interface and gives full support for third-party software via API. The fully configurable GUI offers multiple screens, colour schemes and interfaces with
TE Connectivity
TE’s AMPTRAC hardware to provide a comprehensive managed connectivity solution.
TE’s ICM software is a
powerful network discovery tool which provides full visibility of all active network devices and enables the documenting and tracking of this equipment in real time. With easy management of asset trees, automatic provisioning of work orders and sophisticated alert and reporting features, the ICM enables network managers to optimise asset utilisation, maintain accurate documentation and prevent costly and unnecessary errors.
For further information CLICK HERE. www.te.com
Fluke Networks has announced a new version of AirMagnet Spectrum XT that provides breakthrough interference identification and classification capabilities, simplifying efforts to track down devices that are blocking enterprise WLANs from operating properly.
The new Auto Pattern Detection feature automatically highlights unclassified repeating spectrum patterns from non-WLAN radio frequency (RF) interference
Fluke Networkssources. Engineers can then easily create custom signatures for future alerts to identify those sources of interference, reducing the time and cost associated with
troubleshooting. AirMagnet Spectrum XT is then able to automatically scan, alert and report on those previously identified interference sources.
The new version of Fluke Networks’ AirMagnet Spectrum XT is available now. For customers with valid support agreements, the new version is available as a no-cost upgrade.
For more information CLICK HERE.www.flukenetworks.com
PAGE 48 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
To complement its Smart Card Handle and Smart PDU hardware, Austin Hughes has developed a simple GUI to centralise the management of either a small or large number of data centre server cabinets.
This allows intelligent secure physical layer card access that remotely releases a cabinet’s locking handles as well as centralised management for control. The GUI also allows remote management of intelligent PDUs and fan units.
A dashboard view of each location presents the user with a clear and concise view of the key parameters being monitored
Austin Hughes
and also provides the gateway to integrate, set up and manage the deployed management platforms. This allows alarming on unauthorised access, environmental conditions, multi-function device issues etc.
The GUI also provides a reporting and audit platform down to cabinet level. This is achieved using detailed access logs and event occurrences. Basically every event at the cabinet is recorded and stored and can be easily accessed through the software or via SNMP.
For further information CLICK HERE.www.austin-hughes.eu
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
3M3M has announced the launch of its ‘plug and play’ Multi-Fibre Push-On (MPO) solution for fibre cabling connections, designed to meet the challenges of high speed cabling and limited space typical in data centres.
Features include the highest fibre cable density available on the market – up to 96 connections on a single 1U rack unit – and a broad range of options, including OM3, OM4 and OS2 fibre standards.
Up to 12 fibre cable terminations can be supported in any one 3M MPO connector, giving data centres unrivalled fibre density. The system can accommodate both MPO-to-LC and MPO-to-MPO connections, making it a
highly versatile solution for data centres today and in the future.
At the core of the MPO solution is a 19 inch network sub-rack patch panel, which can accommodate up to four pre-connected
modules, each offering 24 LC-standard connectors on the front of the panel. On the rear of the module are two 12 fibre MPO ribbon backplane fibre connectors.
Patch cords and cables are available for OM3, OM4 and OS2 fibre cable standards. The MPO solution also employs the Modified Method B connectivity format, which 3M believes provides the best potential for interoperability in the future.
For more information CLICK HERE. www.3M.co.uk/MPO
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 49
IT and FM professionals are well aware that both legacy and new
build computer room and data centre operations bring with them significant energy management challenges. Rising energy costs and limited power supply means data centres are coming under increased pressure to become more energy efficient – especially in light of the UK government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) requirements and the newly ratified ISO 50001 energy efficiency standard.
PAYMENT TERMS With the energy bill already the single largest cost in the IT computer room and data centre, and likely to double in the next 7-10 years, one of the biggest challenges is in achieving a more balanced and optimised approach to energy and environmental management. Ultimately, if this ‘balance of power’ is not as optimised and accurate as it should be, there is the risk of seriously compromising overall resilience and business continuity to contend with.
To compound the problem further, the continued growth in data processing requirements and cloud compute resources, brings with it the combined
Co$t cutterSimon Terry of Unite Technologies contemplates best practice for reducing and optimising data centre energy consumption
increase in power and cooling demands of new technologies. Aside from the pure running costs, where cooling systems alone can account for as much as 45 per cent of the total energy bill, there are also the environmental issues to consider. It is estimated that 10 per cent of all UK carbon emissions stem from IT resources and 25 per cent of these are emitted from data centres.
It’s not so surprising, therefore, for Gartner to be forecasting data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) as a huge new technology category – set to grow by 60 per cent by 2014 –as product vendors continue to jump on the bandwagon.
FINAL WORD
PAGE 50 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
DCIM is set to grow by 60 per cent by 2014
Co$t cutter
FINAL WORD
‘ A fundamental step towards a more balanced energy management strategy is to fully understand a facility’s overall consumption and pinpoint its exact utilisation.’
DILEMMAClearly FM and IT professionals have a considerable dilemma on their hands – reducing, conserving and optimising
energy consumption across the whole facility without compromising
overall operations. More than ever, it is necessary to
develop best practice energy management
policies and strategies across
data centre estates, identifying both current and future legislative requirements and their subsequent
impact. A fundamental
step towards a more balanced energy
management strategy is to fully understand a
facility’s overall consumption and pinpoint its exact utilisation.
The key to providing this is a solution which looks not only to focus on CRC reporting and fiscal metering but also to
provide the level of granularity of real data required to optimise and achieve sustained operational energy efficiency across the entire data centre facility. This is achieved through the management of not only open protocol based technology, but also the vast majority of third party equipment previously deployed across all zones, including primary and secondary metering, plant equipment, branch circuit monitoring, data hall cabinets and individual server payloads.
What this therefore results in is the unification of traditional domains of the FM department with those of IT, enabling all concerned to work smarter with the benefit of a holistic view of the entire data centre estate, from building point of entry through to individual server payload.
ACTION PACKEDThis is indeed true DCIM in action, however, for it to work to full advantage there are key factors to remember: • A collection of disparate and non-
integrated DCIM point products will not suffice
• There needs to be a bridging of the traditional ‘them and us’ technology and processes gap between IT and FM departments
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 51
DCIM is set to grow by 60 per cent by 2014
FINAL WORD
• A much deeper understanding of the interdependencies between the two disciplines.
Amongst the key benefits from a centrally managed and integrated approach to DCIM is the ability to take accurate and dynamic power usage effectiveness (PUE) readings, as well as the knowledge and information necessary to take proactive measures in driving down the PUE to reduce energy costs still further. At the same time the means to calculate the CO2 with much more precision for carbon reduction purposes will help ensure CRC compliance and corporate social responsibility commitments.
Such an approach explodes the myth that traditional BMS and Modbus metering systems alone are up to the job. Clearly, historic data collection on pure power consumption in the facilities areas is simply not going far and deep enough. The necessary approach would extend to all zones across FM and IT and, crucially, factor in real-time as well as historic information capture. These must include
the NMS, BMS and PMS, the point of entry fiscal metering systems, facilities asset sub metering, individual IT payload load monitoring and the integration of third party existing management platforms.
COME TOGETHERTo consolidate all of the energy and environmental data being monitored, a scalable enterprise software management platform is necessary.
This should be capable of generating highly granular real-time and historical management reporting to measure, control and deploy energy optimisation initiatives. These include:• Fiscal meter reporting• Energy consumption• Alarm reporting and alerting• Dynamic and historical PUE/DCiQ
reporting• Mandatory CRC reporting and CO2
tonnage and footprint analysis• Environmental monitoring of data
hall cabinets and active cold aisle containment systems
• Security status/reporting and capacity management
PAGE 52 www.insidenetworks.co.uk FEBRUARY 12
The energy bill already the single largest cost in the data centre
FINAL WORD
• Asset management• CRC compliancy
A growing number of ‘early adopter’ corporate organisations have begun to recognise the value and strategic importance of a more integrated six zone data centre management approach, forging much closer ties between FM and IT in their data centre estates. This has been a key driver in shaping the design of next generation power management and monitoring technologies as well as the software platforms necessary for providing the all-important holistic management and reporting intelligence.
These can provide a consolidated view of the entire computer room and data centre facility, harnessing real-time performance information from all six zones across both FM and IT:
• Zone 1: Fiscal monitoring at building point of entry• Zone 2: MV and LV distribution board• Zone 3: Monitoring and control of specific plant equipment • Zone 4: Input and distributed branch
circuit monitoring• Zone 5: Data rack and room monitoring• Zone 6: Individual payload monitoring at server level.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENTAside from the vastly improved energy optimisation performance which such solutions can realise – reducing a typical legacy facility’s annual energy bill by as much as 40 per cent – and the positive impact on PUE, CRC and resilience, there is
SIMON TERRY Simon Terry received a formal engineering training and qualification in the defence industry, supporting the Trident nuclear submarine programme within the Nuclear Controls Division at Fisher Controls. Having gained valuable experience in the project management of high value engineering contracts, he gained a post graduate diploma in strategic marketing and moved into sales, where he held a series of senior international sales and marketing positions within technology based companies. In 2002 Simon was appointed to the position of managing director of Knürr UK heading up all operations of the enclosure manufacturing facility and in 2005 joined Comrac as managing director, where he led the company and drove the merger between Comrac and Sinetica. In June 2007 he was appointed as group chief executive of Unite Technologies.
also more streamlined and accurate billing to be had.
There is now, more than ever, the incentive and necessity to regain total control over the data centre’s energy and environmental performance in order to deliver and sustain improved efficiency. At the same time, new thinking and latest technology have come to the fore, which will help ensure legacy and new facilities can meet the challenges of the next ten years.
It may be DCIM but not as we know it today. ❏
FEBRUARY 12 www.insidenetworks.co.uk PAGE 53
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