installation issues for converged av/it systems

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© 2015 InfoComm International®

Installation Issues for Converged AV/IT Systems

Andre LeJeune, CTS


About InfoComm Academy®

• Extensive offering of audiovisual courses designed by experts and taught by AV professionals

• Delivered

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www.infocomm.org


Working with IT Professionals

• Specific means of documentation• International standards (EIA, TIA, ISO,

ITC, etc.)• Industry standard construction methods:

– BICSI

• Conservative new technology adoption• Content is mostly information; desktops• Only one or two cabling types

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Working with AV Professionals

• Non-standard documentation

• Lack of standards

• Proprietary techniques

• Constant new technology adoption

• Content is multimedia, large rooms

• Many cabling types


What IT People Care About• Smooth operations

– no downtime

• Unified “build” of computers

• Security of network

• Scheduled backups

• Help Desk operations

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Audiovisual and Network Signals

• Audio: microphone, line, loudspeaker• Video: composite NTSC, PAL, SECAM• TV: Radio Frequency (RF)• HDTV: DVI, HDMI, IEEE 1394 (Firewire)• Broadcast: SDI, AES/EBU• Computer Data: RGBHV (VGA)• Control: Closures, TTL, serial, infrared (IR)• Network: Ethernet• Combinations: Proprietary


Traditional Audiovisual/Control Block Diagram

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What is AV/IT Convergence and Why?

• Began with multi-room control

• Existing IT infrastructure

• Mature digitization technologies

• Videoconferencing

• Inter-building audiovisual transport

• Enterprise management

• Consolidation of resources


“Hybrid” Audiovisual/Control Block Diagram

using Structured Cabling

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Where Are We Now with AV/IT?

• Traditional audiovisual technology is very mature, very robust – but limited

• “Hybrid” AV/IT systems use structured cabling but traditional AV signals

• Videoconferencing, streaming media are almost all IT now

• High bandwidth networks• Bottlenecks


“Converged” AV/IT Block Diagram

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AV/IT Project Cooperation and Coordination

• Unusual locations for information outlets

• Floor and wallboxes, furniture connectivity

• Wireless technology policies

• Network segregation

• IP addresses

• Use of structured cabling

• Firewalls


The IT Domains

• IT infrastructure is highly organized in standard formats:– Demarcation room

– Data center

– Backbone cabling

– Information closets

– Horizontal cabling

– Information outlets

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The IT Domains: The Demarcation Room

• Secure entry point for voice/data services to building

• Sometimes redundant services• Access for service providers:

– Voice/data lines (T1, E1, etc.)– Copper trunks– ISP (Internet Service Provider)– Cable television


The IT Domains: The Data Center

• Secure entry

• Environmentally controlled

• Organized: equipment racks

• Uninterruptible power

• Servers, routers, switches

• May or may not have operations stations

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The IT Domains: Backbone Cabling

• Interconnections between telecommunications rooms, equipment rooms, and entrance facilities

• Cables• intermediate and main cross-connects• Patch cords or jumpers used for cross-

connections• Extensions between buildings in a campus

environment.


The IT Domains: The IDF

• Data Closets (IDF)

• Located throughout building

• Patch points

• Fiber/copper

• Switches, routers

• Sometimes “video:” CATV, SAT

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IDF Installation Example


The IT Domains: The Information Outlet

• Data jacks• Usually copper cabling, RJ-45 (8-pin

modular) connectors• May be Fiber-To-The-Desktop• Mulitple jacks in each outlet, according

to the enterprise’s standard• “Flood” the facility

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Following Cabling Guidelines• IT professionals

prefer to see all cabling comply to their facility standard

• Use building cabling or run new cabling?


Infrastructure Devices: Table Boxes• Doors/pockets• Pop-up• Flip-up• Custom• Audiovisual• Power• Information

outlet

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Infrastructure Devices: Structured Cabling

• Information Outlets: RJ-45

• Category 5, 5e, 6

• Fiber optic cabling

• IDF (Intermediate Data Frame)

• MDF (Main Data Frame)

• BICSI, RCDD (Building Industry Consulting Service International Inc.)


Infrastructure Devices:Electrical Pathways

• Tray

• Conduit

• Ladder rack

• Trough

• “Wiremold”

• Bridal rings

• J-Hooks

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Example: Hybrid AV / ITCourtroom Audio/Audiovisual System


CAT What?

• “Category - #” cable and performance standards correspond to bandwidth-carrying capabilities, attenuation, and Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) of system

Standard

Freq. Range (MHz)

Atten.

(dB)

NEXT

(dB)

CAT-5 1-100

100 Kbps

24 27.1

CAT-5E 1-100

1 Gbps

24 30.1

CAT-6 1-250

1 Gbps

21.7 39.3

CAT-7* 1-600

1-10 Gbps

20.8 62.1

*CAT-7 is a proposed standard: new connector

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IT Terminations

• Punch Blocks

• RJ-45 (8-pin modular) Connectors

• Fiber Optics– Telephone Type

– Data Type

We will do the first two…..


IT Patch Bays: • Every line must run through

a patch bay• Usually equipment racks in

an IDF (data closet) and MDF (data center) have a standard number of patch bays and patch points

• No “normalled” connections

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UTP Wiremap

• Two main termination standards– T568A– T568B

• Verify which standard your client is using for the enterprise!

Gn/wht, Gn, Orng/wht, Blue, Blue/wht, Orng, Brn/wht, Brn Orng/wht, Orng, Grn/wht, Blue, Blue/wht, Grn, Brn/wht, Brn


UTP Pinout

• Straight-through

• Crossover

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Testing

– Network Cabling Infrastructure

– Network Performance


Why Infrastructure Testing?

– Clients require a “certified” cabling system– Robust infrastructure and network– Network may have problems with

streaming media– Network administrator

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4 Levels of Network Testing• Wiremap (correct “pin-out”)

– Basic Level: Cables pass signals

• Cable Verification– Cabling conforms to basic capability standards

• Network Certification– Network cabling conforms to bandwidth standards

– Ready to turn on active components

• Network Operation– Identification of network components

– IP Addresses


Network Certification• Cabling verification PLUS:• Performance and Speed Verification:

– Signal speed carrying specifications to 1 gigabit– Interconnect specifications– Quality of the signal– Real-time testing of cable capability– Measurement of signal quality

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Installation Issues

• CAT# cable maximum pull force 25 lbs.• Do not crush cable in any way:

– Velcro cable ties

• Minimum bend radius 1” (25 mm)• Conform to conduit/material codes• Conform to building standards• Alien crosstalk (AXT)• Proximity to power sources


Bandwidth and the Network

• Bandwidth is a range of frequencies that passes through a system

• “Speed” of the network• “Size of the pipe”

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Performance PASS/FAIL

• Testers are programmed with performance parameters and indicate PASS or FAIL

• Tester must be told what type of cable is being used


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installation issues for converged av/it systems

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