July/August 2009 May/June 2006 BICSI news president ... · May/June 2006 advancing information...

May/June 2006

advancing information transport systems president message 3

executive director message 4

editor’s note 33

technician corner 34-35

bicsi update 36-37

global community 38

course schedule 39-41

standards report 42

Volume 30, Number 4

BICSInewsadvancing information transport systems

July/August 2009

Active Ethernet/IP Networks SS 12

The 568-C Family of Standards SS 18

New Internationally Standardized Multimode Launching Conditions SS 21

Data Center Thermal Management SS 26

Professional Training vs. the School of Hard Knocks SS 30 Maintaining Professionalism SS 32

DoCuMENTATIoN. WhAT’S IT gooD For?

An overview of the university of Florida’s success. S S 6

Fits 3x as much.

When there’s no room left for another rigid innerduct, there’s plenty of space for MaxCell. So, put away your trenching tools and pull through some MaxCell. More cables per conduit and the ability to overlay. That’s the flexibility of MaxCell.

More space. More productivity.w w w . m a x c e l l . u s 8 8 8 . 3 8 7 . 3 8 2 8

MXCL-55300_BICSI.indd 1 10/24/08 11:04:15 AM

BICSINEWS | July/August 2009 | 3

Stay with us, grow with us Indicating a focus on markets tailored to optical fiber services, Verizon Communications, Inc. agreed to sell local phone businesses in 14 states. I believe this is an opportunity for professionals working in the outside plant industry. As many look to expand services in emerging markets, BICSI will continue to stay on top of opportunities. Recently we established the Green Building Technology Alliance (GBTA), and in this issue of BICSI News we are featuring thermal management to bring this important environmental concern to our members. BICSI is constantly seeking

ways to improve development and training, and articles in this issue also aim to help you improve on your professional development. The successful 2009 BICSI Spring Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore proved that our association is in great demand for providing education, training and access to the latest industry trends. We reinforced the need for networking and skill sharing while welcoming craft to the BICSI conference experience. From the success of the Baltimore Incentive Program, with 38 participating companies, to the amazing success of the BICSI Cabling Skills Challenge, we covered new ground. A live video feed broadcasted the Cabling Skills Challenge on bicsi.org and new speed skill challenges were set up in the Exhibit Hall to get everyone involved. Our first-ever Maryland crab festival, hosted by the BICSI Northeast Region, resulted in many satisfied crab lovers. Old Bay seasoning is still in the air! We then moved on to other shores to promote our European members’ abilities and provide quality education and training in Dublin, Ireland. These conference opportunities, like all our programs, allow you to remain competitive in a demanding, technology-driven global economy. Many of BICSI’s new programs involve networking—including social networking on LinkedIn and Twitter. Under the careful watch of Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, John D. Clark Jr., CAE, BICSI has entered into a deal with IHS Global for worldwide distribution and marketing of our publications and standards. We are making major improvements on the delivery methods of our services and look forward to sharing these with you as they happen. To strengthen members’ ability to bring their profession to the industry, we are implementing outreach programs with the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) and Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). These agreements will represent our industry within other nonprofit associations, placing us in the center of a colliding world—a world where BICSI membership is becoming full of value-added benefits like never before. Stay with us and engage in opportunity to belong to the BICSI network; stay with us to be certain in uncertain times. We are here to listen to your needs and better serve you in your career goals. As always, it remains my pleasure and honor to serve you. Please have an enjoyable summer and remember to sharpen your knowledge and skills in Las Vegas at the BICSI Fall Conference. n

president’s message

Edward J. Donelan,RCDD, NTS, TLT

[email protected]

2009 BICSI Board of DirectorsPRESIDENT—Edward J. Donelan, rcdd, nts, tlt; telecom infrastruc-ture corp; patterson, ny; 845.878.3400; [email protected] PRESIDENT-ELECT—Brian Hansen, rcdd, nts; leviton; rosemount, mn; 651.423.9140; [email protected]

SECRETARY—Christine Klauck, rcdd, nts; Fiber connect, inc. a leviton company; brookfield, ct; 860.355.9184 ; [email protected]

TREASURER—James [Ray] Craig, rcdd, nts; craig consulting services; coppell, tx; 972.393.1669; [email protected]

U.S. NORTHEAST REGION DIRECTOR—Brian Ensign, rcdd, nts, osp, csi; ortronics/legrand; york, pa; 717.779.0116; [email protected]

U.S. SOUTHEAST REGION DIRECTOR—Mel E. Lesperance, rcdd; affiliated engineers, inc.; tampa, Fl; 813.477.5642; [email protected]

U.S. NORTH-CENTRAL REGION DIRECTOR—Jerry L. Bowman, rcdd, nts, cissp, cpp, tpm, spm; commscope global services; columbus, oh; 614.853.3812; [email protected]

U.S. SOUTH-CENTRAL REGION DIRECTOR—Michael Collins, rcdd; at&t; bellaire, tx; 713.567.1234; [email protected]

U.S. WESTERN REGION DIRECTOR—Todd L. Strand, rcdd, nts, osp; 714.423.7733; [email protected]

CANADIAN REGION DIRECTOR—Richard S. Smith, rcdd, nts, osp; bell aliant regional services; moncton, nb, canada; 506.859.3106; [email protected]

EUROPEAN REGION DIRECTOR—Brendan [Greg] Sherry, rcdd, nts, Wd; data centre standards, ltd.; essex, uK; +44 1708 733 032; [email protected]

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CHIEf EXECUTIVE OffICER— John D. Clark Jr., cae; bicsi; tampa, Fl; 800.242.7405 or 813.979.1991; [email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRS: BICSI CARES—Christine Klauck, rcdd, nts; Fiber Connect Inc.; Brookfield, CT; 860.355.9184; [email protected] • CODES—Phil Janeway, rcdd; time Warner telecom; indianapolis, in; 317.713.2333; [email protected] and Robert [Bob] Jensen, rcdd; aus-tin, TX; 512.845.6684; [email protected] • EDUCATION ADVISORY— Suzanne M. Hommertzheim, rcdd, nts; tyco electronics corp., glad-stone, MO; 816.452.6264; [email protected] • ETHICS—Carl Bonner, rcdd, osp, Wd; network communications supply company; milton, Fl; 850.626.6863; [email protected] and Alvin Emmett, rcdd; AT&T; Tucker, GA; 770.590.4863; [email protected] • EXHIBITOR LIAISON—Michael Collins, rcdd; at&t; bellaire, tx; 713.567.1234; [email protected] and Debra Leingang; ideal datacomm; st. charles, il; 800.435.0705; [email protected] • INSTALLATION—Daniel Morris, rcdd; Kitco Fiber optics; virginia beach, va; 757.216.2220; [email protected] • MEMBERSHIP & MARKETING—Edward Boychuk, rcdd; convergent technology partners; Flint, mi; 810.720.3820; [email protected] and Catherine Dunn, rcdd; Kitco Fiber optics; Virginia Beach, VA; 757.216.2205; [email protected] • NOMINATING— Edward Donelan, rcdd, nts, tlt; telecom infrastructure corp; patterson, ny; 845.878.3400; [email protected] and Brian Hansen, rcdd, nts; leviton; rosemount, mn; 651.423.9140; [email protected] • REGISTRATION & SPECIALTIES SUPERVISION—R.S. [Bob] Erickson, rcdd, nts, osp, Wd; communications network design; haysville, Ks; 316.529.3698; [email protected] and Carl Bonner, rcdd, osp, Wd; network communications supply company; milton, Fl; 850.626.6863; [email protected] • STANDARDS—Robert [Bob] Y. faber Jr., rcdd, nts; the siemon company; Watertown, ct; 860.945.4366; [email protected] • TECHNICAL INfORMATION & METHODS—David P. Labuskes, rcdd, nts, osp; rtKl associates, inc.; baltimore, md; 410.537.6070; [email protected] and Robert [Bob] Y. faber Jr., rcdd, nts; the siemon company; Watertown, ct; 860.945.4366; [email protected]

4 | advancing information transport systems | www.bicsi.org

A Tale of Two Cities—BICSI Style According to Wikipedia, April 30, 2009 was the 150th anniversary of the first printing of the Dickens classic “A Tale of Two Cities.” I recently experienced a similar odyssey, except this time the cities were not London and Paris but rather Dubai and Baltimore. Within a seven-day period I had the privilege of making opening remarks at two different BICSI conferences 8,000 miles apart. What an adventure! When I landed in Dubai to attend the 8th Annual BICSI Middle East Conference & Exhibition, I had the feeling that my plane had really been a time machine and that I had jumped forward to the year 2040. If the movie “Logan’s Run” is ever redone, it should be filmed here. If I were playing word association and someone said “Dubai,” my answer would be “construction cranes.” All the stories you’ve heard are true. It was a lightning-strike moment when I walked into the conference hotel at the Dubai Airport and saw BICSI signage and branding all around me. The BICSI brand is truly global and we now have an opportunity to take it to the next level. Eugene Botes, RCDD, NTS, Middle East & Africa district chair, is both a passionate BICSI member and a fabulous host. From Abu Dhabi to Dubai, Eugene left no stone unturned in showing me the lay of the land and the opportunities present for BICSI in the Middle East & Africa District. One week later I attended the final BICSI Spring Conference & Exhibi-tion in Baltimore. Talk about going out on a high! The general sessions, workshops and exhibit floor were all strong in energy and participation. I noticed definite similarities and differences between the BICSI Dubai and Baltimore conferences. The BICSI brand is respected in both places. Both places have the passionate search for knowledge by BICSI members and respect for the role of BICSI programs and services as that source. In Dubai, the attendees would not let the presenters leave. Questions were abundant as every session ran over. In both places, respect for the Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD®) credential is paramount. I heard unique, personal stories about what the achieving of the RCDD has meant both professionally and personally to our members. Finally, another similarity is the universal benefits of in-person networking with one’s peers as a way to determine what is really happening in today’s information transport systems (ITS) world. Key differences exist as well. Certainly the need for multilingualism is one. Second is that the networking groups are very different. In fact, in the Middle East & Africa District there are many distinct peer networks. Third is the role of the Internet in servicing our members in the Middle East & Africa District. Here the Internet is the primary, not secondary, delivery channel of BICSI programs and services. One final important difference—no crab feast in Dubai! From Dubai to Baltimore in one week—what a ride! The reach of BICSI is broad in bringing education, knowledge and networking to our members wherever in the world they may be. BICSI spans the ITS globe. n

BICSI World Headquarters 8610 hidden river parkway tampa, Fl 33637-1000 usa +1 813.979.1991 or 800.242.7405 (usa & canada toll-free); Fax: +1 813.971.4311; Web site: www.bicsi.org; e-mail: [email protected]

BICSI Executive Staff Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer John d. clark Jr., cae, [email protected]

Administration and financebetty m. eckebrecht, cpa, [email protected]

Director of Member Engagement georgette palmer smith, cmm, [email protected]

Director of Professional Development richard e. dunfee, rcdd, osp, [email protected]

NxtGEN Project Directorrichard Jones, rcdd, tpm, [email protected]

Standards DirectorJeff silveira, [email protected]

Acting Director of International Operationsbetty m. eckebrecht, cpa, [email protected]

BICSI News Staff Editor betsy Ziobron, +1 860.399.1825, [email protected]

Senior Graphic Designer/Brand AdministratorWendy hummel, [email protected]

Graphic Designer michael akins, [email protected]

Copy EditorKaren Jacob, [email protected]

Copy Editorashley macaluso, [email protected]

BICSI International Staff European Office Supervisor: pol van de perre+32 2 789 2333, [email protected]

Japan District Manager : Kazuo Kato +81 3 3595 1451, [email protected]

South Pacific District Manager: margarite d’cruz+ 61 3 9813 3355, [email protected] the bicsi news is published bimonthly for bicsi, inc., and is

distributed to bicsi members and bicsi its installers and techni-

cians. articles of a generic nature are accepted for publication,

however, bicsi reserves the right to edit these for space or other

considerations. opinions expressed in articles in this magazine are

those of the writers and not necessarily of their companies or bicsi.

© copyright bicsi, 2009. all rights reserved. bicsi and rcdd are

registered trademarks of bicsi, inc. printed in the usa.

executive director message

800-622-7711 | Canada 800-443-5262 | occfiber.com


cover article By ShEArD gooDWIN, rCDD, NTS, oSP

DoCuMENTATIoN. WhAT’S IT gooD For?An overview of the university of Florida’s success.

“If documentation is not part of the daily operations, it loses

value every day that it remains unused.”

The industry accepted the standard with open arms. Companies spent advertising dollars to tout their label-making devices, while established labeling companies wooed contractors with new vigor. They all claimed that labeling new installations would win you new contracts and impress customers. Following suit, most contractors began claiming that they followed the 606-A standard on all new projects. The new standard supplied one more way for contractors to differentiate themselves from the competition. Unfortunately, a number of contractors found that their customers just didn’t care. The creation of new documentation systems took time that local information technology (IT) managers did not believe they could spare. New labeling systems mixing with old labeling systems complicated support questions instead of alleviating them. IT managers found the concept of a standardized administra-tion scheme appealing but daunting in scope. Networks that consisted of thousands of nodes would take time and money to convert.

A Daunting Task About the time that labeling was becoming widely accepted, the University of Florida (UF) embarked on a large-scale project to relabel and document every facet of its physical networking infrastructure. No one involved in the project would have defined the scope that broadly, but each step has taken us closer and closer to that goal. For perspective, the UF main campus consists of hundreds of buildings with thousands of individual network nodes. We currently estimate that the main campus network consists of more than 35,000 devices, and each year that number grows. UF had a physical networking problem. University cabling crews were having difficulties building new optical fiber connections across the network infrastructure. The UF Computing and Networking Services (CNS) department believed that poor installation and excessive attenuation across the fiber were to blame. CNS had never required copies of test results following installation, so the current infrastructure was an easy target. CNS charged their staff to discover and resolve all current problems with the optical fiber infrastructure before those problems impacted new

connections requested by departmental customers. This called for a comprehensive audit and restoration effort—and so the project began. UF deployed 606-A to establish a standard for namingoutside plant (OSP) fiber cables, fiber panels and telecom-munications rooms (TRs)—CNS staff walked the UF campus in an effort to find and label them all. Discovery only played a small part in the overall project, but it allowed us to speak with relative certainty about what would be required to audit (test) and repair the UF fiber plant. Following the discovery project, the decision to move forward waited on funding approval. CNS now manages the infrastructure for the entire 35,000 node network described above. This includes just under 1,000 backbone fiber cables and more than 50,000 horizontal copper cables spread across hundreds of buildings. The administrative system is now close to self-maintaining, and our normal workday procedures both rely on and maintain the documentation systems. CNS began with a spreadsheet driven documentation system and has graduated to a database driven system. One thing remains clear—we have never had a management directive to document our systems to this degree. CNS documentation systems have evolved as a direct result of our own immediate utility, from both executive management and the technicians who work with it on a daily basis.

Successes in Documentation Labeling without documentation is only half the story. This is why some contractors have had difficulty selling customers on their labeling skill. When customers don’t use the data, a new labeling system only confuses the installation. Documentation requires consistent labeling. Contractors need to understand that individual contracts must fit into the bigger scheme of the user’s documentation. Where a

In May 2002, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) published ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A, Administration Standard for the Commercial

Telecommunications Infrastructure. That document established a framework for labeling and documenting telecommunications infrastructures, ranging from a

small business building up to a large multicampus environment.



customer has not defined their overall documentation scheme, there is opportunity. A number of steps enabled the success of the physical network documentation project at UF, and very few of them have to do with technical advances in labeling.

Bury labeling and documentation in other projects “No one pays for documentation projects.” I first heard this at a BICSI Winter Conference during a discussion concerning the documentation of OSP cables. Documentation of physical infrastructure tends to take a back seat to other forms of documentation and implementation projects. Zero-sum budgets require that funding of a documentation project automatically lowers the funding available for other projects. In a contest for funding, documentation upgrades will always lose to more appealing projects like network speed upgrades and server upgrades. Success can be found in embedding documentation projects inside other projects that have more immediate value:

Label and document all TRs, OSP fiber cables

and fiber panels to determine the scope of a fiber remediation project.Label and document all horizontal cable in a

building to facilitate billing for network services located in the building.Label and document all backbone network

connections across fiber cable to facilitate the movement of connections in preparation for new building construction.

Label and document all connections inside a data

center to facilitate locating customer servers within a machine room environment.

These are examples of projects I have participated in that have required long-term documentation efforts. The projects could have been achieved without proper documentation, but by preparing thorough reports, it becomes possible to simplify future work and present reports to superiors. As a contractor, documentation and horizontal record creation should never be billed as a separate line item in a customer’s bill. Inquire into a customer’s labeling or documentation standards before beginning a project. If a customer doesn’t have a documentation standard, the contractor can create a standard for them. This, in turn, benefits the contractor on future contracts.

Share the information The purpose of a facility’s administration standard is to enable the collection and sharing of information. Unfortunately, some individuals who create impressive bodies of documentation do not share that information with others. Whether people hoard information to ensure their own job security or because they don’t realize that the information is applicable to other problems, the result is the same. The information does not reach the people who need it, and the value of the documentation is lessened. In a large organization, departments can find uses for documentation that an outsider, or even the designer, might not consider. They may not have the funds to gather the information, but if your documentation contains the information they need, your documentation gains value. In building the network infrastructure documentation for UF, CNS discovered that a number of departments have indirectly benefitted from documentation efforts:

The Facilities Planning Data Management

department uses the CNS staff in the field. We need current maps of all buildings to properly document the network. We find and report errors in the floor plans maintained by Facilities Planning, and they store the location of our telecommunications outlets/connectors.The CNS accounting department was a driving

force behind the documentation of horizontal cable. CNS successfully argued that knowledge of telecommunications outlet/connector locations was integral to accurate billing for network services. Changes in billing alert us to networking changes that customers may not have reported, and vice versa.

labeling of each physical component interfaces with electronics naming conventions

established by uF’s networking services core group.

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LanTEK II uses universal testingadapters for Category 5E through6A certification, so off-the-shelfpatch cords can be used. Plus, theDualMODE function allows cablingto be certified to two differentcabling standards with one press of a button.

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LanTEK® II will have even themost seasoned network specialists

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©20

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NC.

Are they out there? Yes, and they comefrom the intelligent life forms at IDEAL.LanTEK II Cable Certifiers will make abeliever out of everyone — with incrediblespeed, performance, and the lowestcost-of-ownership that saves more timeand money than ever before.

In seconds, LanTEK II provides certificationswith 7x the storage capacity of any other cable certifier,saving an astonishing 1700 Category 6 results with graphs.And a new smart lithium battery runs for a record-breaking18 hours in the field.

LanTEK II uses universal testingadapters for Category 5E through6A certification, so off-the-shelfpatch cords can be used. Plus, theDualMODE function allows cablingto be certified to two differentcabling standards with one press of a button.

For fiber optic certification, the optional FiberTEK® FDXcompletely eliminates the need to swap launch cords ormodules. It provides the fastest and only dual wavelengthbidirectional fiber certification in the world.

The LanTEK II is the best cable certifier on this…or any other planet. Learn more at www.lantek2.comor call 1-800-435-0705 and talk to a LanTEK specialist.

®

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• Low cost-of-ownership• No permanent link adapters• 7x the storage capacity• 18-hour battery life

LanTEK® II will have even themost seasoned network specialists

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©20

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The CNS data center staff use the documentation

as a selling point when trying to sell space in the CNS data center. A potential data center customer can watch CNS staff track a connection across the room based on one line’s worth of information. This leads potential customers to trust CNS to host their servers.The University Police Department works with CNS

in locating stolen laptops. Given a media access control (MAC) address, CNS can trace a machine to a specific location within a room in two minutes—a combination of active network MAC tracing and documentation being used to trace the connection to the telecommunications outlet/connector.

As a cabling contractor, a horizontal record is a key into your customers concerns. Speak with them about procuring a floor plan to document drop locations. For larger construction projects where that documentation is provided on as-built drawings, communicate with the construction manager and ensure that your documentation is given to your customer.

Use it or lose it Finally, use the documentation. If documentation is not part of the daily operations, it loses value every day that it remains unused. Disaster recovery has been a major driving force behind some recent documentation efforts and discus- sions, but those efforts will fail if the documentation is only used when a disaster occurs. There may be policies in place to ensure the documentation is kept up to date, but if there is no means of systematically checking, the

the Facilities planning data management platform allows uF staff to review where cables are terminated in the room, as well as which ones are patched to a live connection.

labeling at the telecommunications

outlet/connector enables a customer

to communicate with support using

a common language. names are also

keys to documentation and Facilities

planning data management

graphical interface.


documentation will fall out of use. This leaves two possibilities—systematic audits or constant use. Systematic audits consume even more resources and are a thankless task. It is difficult to maintain morale when performing constant auditing. Using the documentation results in a spot check of the documentation while conducting other more varied duties:

When a new cable is placed at UF and entered into documentation, integrated error-checking ensures that a telecommunications outlet/connector is placed on the floor plan in the correct room and that no other cable has the same name. Error-checking algorithms throughout the system result in fewer errors and the discovery of mistakes as our documentation work continues.Cabling contractors who label their cables after they have finished the installation are more prone to errors than those who label cables as part of the testing process.The weakest point in the CNS documentation is the documentation of backbone connections across UF’s OSP cable, ironically one of our first projects. This documentation is only utilized when a network interruption of service occurs. Because of lack of utilization, backbone connection information remains the one piece of documentation that should be subject to annual auditing.

Again, as a contractor, the use for documentation of past projects can be extensive, from assisting old customers who have lost their copies of horizontal records to using installation records to justify dealing with some of your more troublesome customers. If labeling and documenting are part of your work, you won’t regret it.

Closing Thoughts Even with all the successes, I’m still amazed at what we can do with the information at our fingertips. Along with the sheer utility of documenting your physical layer infrastructure, don’t underestimate the ability to impress upper management or other departments with clear numbers concerning the network physical layer. I stated earlier that CNS manages a network of about 35,000 active connections. With two minutes of effort, I can state that we have a current managed inventory of 21,147 active connections and 38,322 horizontal cables. If I needed more detail, I could have it in two more minutes. And none of this was driven by a general documentation project. n

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Sheard Goodwin, RCDD, NTS, OSP, was the principal author of the original 606-a compliant university of Florida labeling standard. he acquired his rcdd in 2002 and can be reached at [email protected].


Feature

While many ITS technicians

work on the installation and

testing of the physical media, they

increasingly find themselves needing

to test networks that have active

equipment installed. This article

discusses the basic tests that can be

performed to ensure that the active

network from the TR to the desktop

is performing correctly.

A Lesson in Ethernet history Before discussing testing, it is

worthwhile to first look at Ethernet

and how it has evolved.

Introduced in the early 1990s,

10BASE-T Ethernet was the first to

use UTP cabling and introduced the

star topology to local area networks

(LANs). In the TR, Layer 1 hubs

allowed users to communicate with

each other half-duplex—an Ethernet

network interface card (NIC) could

transmit or receive but not do both

at the same time. The term media

dependant interface (MDI) was used

to refer to the interface between the

NIC and the cabling. Commonly

(and incorrectly) called RJ-45, the 8

position, 8 contact (8P8C) modular

connectors were wired at the NIC

to transmit on pins 1 and 2 and to

receive on pins 3 and 6. One of the

reasons these pins were selected

was because most modular jacks in

use at that time were for telephone

service, which used the center two

pins 4 and 5. Ports on the hub were

wired as MDI-X (X for crossover),

meaning they received on pins 1 and

2 and transmitted on pins 3 and 6.

Connecting a NIC to a hub therefore

required a straight-through cable,

but connecting two hubs required

a crossover cable (pins 1 and 2

connected to pins 3 and 6, pins 3

Basic testing for the ITS technician. By ED gASTLE

Active Ethernet/IP Networks

During the past 15 to 20 years, Ethernet and Internet protocol (IP) have evolved to become the technologies of choice for networking needs ranging from the enterprise and access to metro networks and global telecommunications carriers. Ethernet over unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) started in the enterprise in the early 1990s and now allows virtually any service—from data to voice to video—to be carried. All of these services have converged over IP, and IP is in turncarried over Ethernet, which is the applica-tion that rides on most of today’s UTP installations.

phot

o cou

rtesy

of Jd

su


and 6 connected to pins 1and 2).

In the mid-1990s, networks required more speed due to new

applications. Ethernet evolved and 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet)

was introduced. One of the most important changes was the use

of Layer 2 switches instead of Layer 1 hubs, which facilitated the

move to full-duplex networks. Switches were intelligent enough to

make forwarding decisions based on Ethernet media access control

(MAC) addresses, allowing traffic to be sent out only the port to

which the target device was connected. In contrast, hubs broadcast

an Ethernet frame out of all ports.

Because networks were a hybrid between 10BASE-T and

100BASE-TX, there needed to be a method for devices to

decide at which speed and which duplex mode they operated.

Autonegotiation (AUTONEG) was introduced to facilitate this.

With AUTONEG, two devices first advertise to each other their

capabilities and then operate at the highest common speed and

duplex mode. Fast Ethernet continued to use 8P8C modular

connectors and transmitted and received on the same pins as

10BASE-T.

In early 2000, the introduction of 1000BASE-T (Gigabit

Ethernet over UTP) provided a 10-fold increase in speed over

100BASE-TX without a significant change in the physical media

requirements. This allowed for gigabit connections to the desktop

to become reality. 1000BASE-T achieves gigabit speeds by using

all four pairs of the cable—250 megabits per second (Mb/s) is

transmitted and received simultaneously on each pair to create

1000 Mb/s full-duplex connections. AUTONEG is still required

since 1000BASE-T uses the same 8P8C connector as 10/100

Ethernet. AUTONEG now allows devices to decide on three

different speeds (10/100/1000) and will always connect at the

highest possible speed.

Another requirement in 2000 was the ability to power devices

via the Ethernet cable. Voice over IP (VoIP) telephones, wireless

access points (WAPs), IP security cameras and other devices were

not always installed near ac power outlets, or it was considered

too cumbersome to have multiple cables to a single device. The

concept of power over Ethernet (PoE) was simple and familiar—

telephones had always been powered by the line. As is often the

case, many vendors created proprietary methods of providing

PoE prior to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,

Inc. (IEEE®) releasing a standard. It also took switch vendors some

Many ITS technicians increasingly find themselves needing to test networks that have active equipment installed. “ “


time to develop switches with

integrated PoE, so midspan power

inserters were developed that went

between the Ethernet switch and the

horizontal cabling. Power inserters

also provided a migration path for

IT managers who did not want to

replace their existing switches with

PoE-capable switches.

Ethernet allows devices to

communicate together within a

LAN segment. A LAN segment is

typically defined as a single Ethernet

broadcast domain or a single IP

subnet. If two devices within

the same IP subnet need to

communicate with each other,

they can do so using Layer 2

Ethernet MAC addressing. If devices

on different IP subnets need to

communicate, the packets must

first be sent by Layer 2 Ethernet to

a router. The router will then look

at the IP layer addressing and make

decisions about where to forward

the packet using its routing and

forwarding tables.

Layered Testing in Active Networks When dealing with modern

networks that stack protocols one

on top of the other, a layered

approach to testing is always the

best choice. Although it is often

best to start at the bottom of the

stack and test up one layer at a time,

this can be a time intensive process

and is not always done. However,

it is important to understand in

which layer you are testing so you

know whether to work your way up

or down.

Figure 1 provides a simple view

of the layers involved in Ethernet/

IP networks that use UTP as the

physical media. Starting from the

bottom, the following basic tests can

be performed:

UTP —Simple tests performed

at this layer are verification tests

such as wire map and length.

Since the only technology being

carried on the cable is Ethernet,

speed certification to ensure that

the cable can carry 1000BASE-T

signals error-free also may

be performed. Although TIA-

568 certification tests can be

performed, they typically are

not required to ensure that the

Ethernet signals can be carried

over the cable.

Ethernet —If equipped with

PoE, tests to ensure that the

correct voltage and current are

present should be performed.

Port discovery tests can verify

that the switch is advertising the

appropriate speed and duplex

options and can determine if

the switch is configured as an

MDI-X device or an auto-MDI

device.

IP —The simplest IP test is ping,

which uses Internet control

message protocol (ICMP) echo

requests to verify IP layer

connectivity.

Many other in-depth tests can

be performed at the Ethernet and

IP layer. In-depth tests also can be

performed at the higher layers. Since

this article is focusing on the basic

tests, we will only deal with what

was just outlined.

Wire Map and Length Wire map and length tests

verify pin-to-pin connectivity and

the ability of the cable to carry a

signal. The cable length will also

be measured to ensure that it does

not exceed the 90 meter (m [295

feet (ft)]) length limitation of the

permanent link. While some tests

can be performed at one end, a full

wire map test requires a remote

device connected to one end of the

cable and a main tester connected

to the other end. There are five basic

outcomes for wire map tests:

Pass—All pins are correctly

connected.

Open—An electrical

discontinuity (break) exists

in one of the two wires in a

pair. These faults are typically

installation errors and occur at

the ends of the cable (punch

down blocks or outlet).

Short—An electrical connection

between one conductor and any

other conductor. These are often

man-made and can be caused by

staples, nails or screws that have

cut into the cable. Unless these

are at the ends of the cable, the

correct solution is to replace the

cable. Identifying the location

of the short is not always a

benefit since the cable should be

replaced.

Miswire—At least one wire is not

connected to the correct pins

at the other end of the cable.

This is normally a man-made

termination problem.

Split pair—A cable does not have

integrity in two or four pairs.

This means that even though

the cable is wired correctly pin-

figure 1: ethernet/ip network layers.

OSI Layers 5-7Application

OSI Layer 4TCP/UDP

OSI Layer 3IP

OSI Layers 1 & 2Ethernet

Physical MediaUTP


to-pin, the pairs do not line up.

The pairs must be as follows:

1-2, 3-6, 4-5 and 7-8. If the pairs

are wired 1-3, 2-6, 4-5 and 7-8,

the signal that is transmitted on

pins 1-2 will not be transmitted

on a pair but will instead be

transmitted on wires of two

different pairs.

Power over Ethernet When installing powered

Ethernet devices, it is useful to

ensure that the correct voltage is

present on the expected pins and

that enough current is available to

power the device. This allows the

technician to isolate any power-

related faults as being caused by the

power device (e.g., switch, power

inserter) or the end device (e.g.,

VoIP phone, WAP, IP camera).

PoE testing tells the technician

the type of PoE (IEEE or inline

power), the pins the power is

on, and the polarity, voltage and

current.

Port Discovery Port discovery tests allow

the technician to verify the

operation and configuration of a

switch’s Ethernet interfaces. Port

discovery tests can be performed by

connecting a capable test set to an

Ethernet jack—either directly at the

switch or at any point up to the jack

at the workstation.

Port discovery tests will attempt

to establish an Ethernet link. The

first step in the process is to check

which pair is the transmit pair.

As mentioned earlier, switches

normally transmit on pins 3 and

6 and receive on pins 1 and 2.

Auto-MDI allows devices to switch

the transmit and receive pairs,

eliminating the need for crossover

PASS

12345678 ID

12345678 1

Cable OK-53ft

FAIL

12345678S ID

345678 1

FAIL

12345678S ID

123456xxS 1

Short 78

FAIL

12345678S ID

12345678S 1

FAIL

12345678S ID

12345678S 1

Split 1236

Wire Map and Length Tests

PASS

OPEN

SHORT

MISWIRE

SPLIT WIRE


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cables. Port discovery will report

if the Ethernet interface on the

device being tested is configured

as a hub (MDI-X) or a NIC (MDI)

or is able to auto-MDI. If auto-

MDI, the test device will report

the configuration of the far-end

Ethernet interface.

Once the transmit and receive

pairs are determined, the tester

will look for Ethernet AUTONEG

messages and send AUTONEG

messages. If the remote Ethernet

interface is not set for AUTONEG,

the tester will detect the Ethernet

speed and default to half-duplex as

required by standards. The tester

will then report what speed and

duplex capabilities the remote

device advertised (if advertisement

took place) and at what speed and

duplex the tester connected.

Port discovery test notes the

advertised speed and if duplex is

reported. Duplex and wiring are

also reported.

Ping The previous tests verify the

connection from the wall plate

to the switch. The next step is to

ensure that other IP devices can

be reached by performing ping

tests. The first step in a ping test is

to obtain an IP configuration. In

most networks today, this is done

using dynamic host configuration

protocol (DHCP). Once the tester

has established an Ethernet link,

it will attempt to contact a DHCP

server and obtain a configuration.

Once the tester has an IP

configuration, it will start to send

ICMP echo requests to various


devices such as the router, the

domain name system (DNS) server

and other predefined IP addresses.

The user can then analyze details,

such as how many ping requests

have been sent and how many have

been received—the difference being

lost packets. Current and average

round-trip delay times also can be

viewed. One caution about ping

is that many firewalls, servers and

other devices are configured to not

respond to ping requests. For this

reason, it is best to choose devices

that you know will respond to ping

requests when testing.

Ping can be used to trouble-

shoot a variety of issues. If you

cannot obtain an IP configuration,

there could be a DHCP server fault or

connectivity problem to the DHCP

server. If you can ping the router but

not any devices past the router, there

likely is a router issue. If you can

ping devices within your network

(e.g., mail server) but cannot ping

devices off your network (e.g.,

search engine), there may be a WAN

connectivity issue. If the test shows

you are dropping packets, there may

be a congested or corrupted link. If

delay is excessive, there also may be

a congested link.

Ping test enables the technician

to verify that the correct IP address

range is being assigned by the DHCP

server and can verify that the router,

DNS server and predefined targets can

be reached via ping. This particular

screen shot shows detailed transmit

and receive results for the DNS server,

allowing the technician to verify that

no packets have been lost.

Conclusion The tests described in this article

are basic tests that can be performed

with simple handheld testers to

verify network connectivity. Often,

the results provided will be enough

to pinpoint a fault or to confirm that

the network is working properly.

If not, the results will point the

technician in the right direction for

further testing and isolation. n

Ed Gastle is a product line

manager for the Jdsu

network and enterprise

test organization. For more

information, visit www.jdsu.

com/know or contact ed at

[email protected].


A summary of content and recent

revisions. By vALErIE MAguIrE

The 568-C Family of Standards

The ANSI/TIA-568 family of telecommunications standards contains the requirements for balanced twisted-pair and optical fiber cabling, which provide the foundation for the design, installation and maintenance

best practices described in BICSI’s Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual (TDMM). With the newly published 568-C.0, 568-C.1 and 568-C.3 and almost finalized 568-C.2 standards encompassing 305 pages of detailed information and containing 151 tables and 121 figures, it can be challenging to remain up to date with the latest Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) telecommunications cabling specifications. This article will help to summarize the content, enhancements and critical revisions of this important series of standards. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) mandates that subcommittees responsible for the publication of standards reaffirm, revise or rescind their document every five years. As a result, the ANSI/TIA-568 family of standards has undergone three sets of revisions since the original document was published in 1991. This mandate provides an opportunity for TIA subcommittees to evaluate the document content to ensure that material is up to date, information is centralized and duplication is reduced or eliminated. A key outcome of the last ANSI review process was the decision to divide the three main documents that composed the previous edition ANSI/TIA-568-B family of standards into four main documents. This decision was driven by the need to have one common standard that could be used to address generic cabling needs when a specific premises standard such as the commercial building, data center, residential or industrial standard does not exist. This common content applies to previously unsupported environments such as nonoffice areas of an airport or stadium and serves as a repository of generic requirements that are applicable to all specific premises and component standards. The new ANSI/TIA-568-C family of standards contains the following main documents:n ANSI/TIA-568-C.0, Generic Telecommunications Cabling for Customer Premises, published 2009n ANSI/TIA-568-C.1, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard, published 2009n ANSI/TIA-568-C.2, Balanced Twisted-Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standard, pending publication August 2009

Feature

Cabling System Structuren generic topologyn lengthn recognized cabling

Installation Requirementsn pull tensionn bend radiusn cable terminationn separation from powern grounding and bondingn polarity (optical fiber only)

Optical fiber Transmission/Test Requirementsn optical fiber cabling field test instrumentsn multimode test considerations (e.g., mandrel wrap)n link attenuation

Annex A: Centralized Optical fiber Cabling

Annex B: Optical fiber Polarityn consecutive-fiber and reverse- pair positioning for duplex systemsn method a and method b for array systems

Annex C: Multi-Tenant Cabling

Annex D: Application Information

Annex E: Optical fiber field Test Guidelines

Annex f: Environmental Classificationsn mice (mechanical, ingress, climatic, and electromagnetic) conditions

568-C.0, Generic Telecommunications Cabling for Customer Premises

Entrance facilitiesn designn electrical protectionn osp connections

Equipment Roomsn designn cabling practices

Telecommunications Rooms and Enclosuresn designn cross-connections and interconnectionsn centralized optical fiber cabling

Backbone Cablingn star topologyn length

Horizontal Cablingn topologyn lengthn recognized cablingn bundled and hybrid cables

Work Arean cordsn open office cablingn installationn administrationn consolidation points

568-C.1, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard

Table 1: content overview of the 568-c series of telecommunications standards.


n ANSI/TIA-568-C.3, Optical Fiber Cabling Components Standard, published 2008, errata issued in October 2008

The 568-C series incorporates material from 568-B.1, 568-B.2, 568-B.3 and the 18 addenda to the 568-B series, as well as necessary updates and revisions. Table 1 provides a summary of the content appearing in the four main 568-C documents. Figure 1 shows how the 568-C documents interrelate with each other and with other important TIA cabling standards. The key updates and changes to 568-C are listed below:

ANSI/TIA-568-C.0:n Generic terminology has been introduced to describe cabling segments and connection points.n Category 6A has been added as a recognized media.n Optical fiber link test requirements were moved to this document.n Optical fiber link performance requirements were moved to this document.n The installation bend radius requirement for UTP and F/UTP cables has changed to “4x cable o.d.” and the patch cord bend radius requirement has changed to “1x cable o.d.” to accommodate larger diameter cables.n Stewardship text has been added recognizing the need to support sustainable environments and conserve fossil fuels.

ANSI/TIA-568-C.1:n Category 6A has been added as a recognized media.n An 850 nm laser-optimized 50/125 µm optical fiber is recommended if multimode optical fiber is used for backbone cabling.n Category 5, 150-ohm STP and 50-ohm and 75-ohm coaxial cabling have been removed from the list of recognized media.

Mechanical Requirementsn channels, permanent links, cord, and connectorsn pair assembly and color coden performance markingn reliability

Transmission Requirementsn channels, permanent links, cord, and connectorsn return loss, insertion loss, next loss, psnext loss, Fext loss, acrF, psacrF, tcl, tctl, eltctl, coupling attenuation, propagation delay, propagation delay skew, psanext loss, average psanext loss, psaacrF, and average psaacrFn dc loop resistance and dc resistance unbalance

Annex A: Connector Reliability

Annex B: Measurement Require-ments

Annex C: Test Procedures

Annex D: Connector Transfer Impedance Test Method

Annex E: Connector Test fixtures

Annex f: Multiport Measurement Considerations

Annex G: Installation in HigherTemperatures

Annex H: Propagation Delay Derivations

Annex I: Return Loss Limit Derivation

Annex J: Modeling Configurations

Annex K: NEXT Loss Limit Considerations

Annex L: PSAACRf and AfEXT Loss Normalization

Annex M: Category 5 Channel Parameters

568-C.2, Balanced Twisted-Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Components Standard

Optical fiber Cablen inside plant, indoor-outdoor, outside plant, drop cablen Wavelength specificationn attenuation, overfilled modal bandwidth – length, and effective modal bandwidth - length

Connecting Hardware and Adaptersn duplex and arrayn Keying and fiber positionsn identification

Patch Cords and fiber Transitionsn simplexn duplex (a-to-a and a-to-b)n array (type-a, type-b, and type-c)

Annex A: Connector Performance Specificationsn attenuation and return lossn mechanical, temperature, humidity, impact, durability, retention, flex, and twist

568-C.3, Optical fiber Cabling Components Standard

figure 1: interrelationship of the ansi/tia-568-c family of standards and other tia cabling standards. source: ansi/tia-568-c-0

Continued Table 1: content overview of the 568-c series of telecommunications standards.


ANSI/TIA-568-C.2:n Category 5e cabling is recommended to support 100 MHz applications.n Category 5 channel performance values have been preserved in an informative annex.n Balanced twisted-pair channel and permanent performance requirements were moved to this document.n Performance equations for individual transmission parameters are listed in a single table for all categories.n Coupling attenuation has been introduced as a parameter that is under study for characterizing radiated peak power generated by common mode currents for screened cables.n One laboratory test method has been defined for all categories of connecting hardware.

ANSI/TIA-568-C.3:n ISO nomenclature for optical fiber cable type (i.e., OM1, OM2, OM3, OS1 and OS2) has been added to transmission performance tables.n Recommended connector strain relief, housing and adapter color coding has been added to support installations when color is used to identify fiber type.n Minimum OFL bandwidth for 62.5/125 mm optical fiber cable has been increased from 160 MHz/km at 850 nm to 200 MHz/km at 850 nm.

New generic Terminology An initial cause of concern and confusion for those reviewing the 568-C.0 standard for the first time is the new terminology introduced for the functional elements that describe generic infrastructures. It is important to remember that the 568-C.0 terminology is only to be used when a specific customer premises standard defining terminology does not exist. As shown in Figure 2, the generic infrastructure topology is actually fully consistent with the commercial building topology specified in 568-C.1.

Additional Changes It is interesting to note that optical fiber link performance specifications are contained in 568-C.0, while balanced twisted-pair channel and permanent link specifications are contained in 568-C.2. This represents a deviation from the original 568-C series planning outline and caused considerable debate in the TIA subcommittees. Ultimately, it was agreed that since the balanced twisted-pair channel and permanent link specifications are so dependent upon the modeling configurations described in Annex J of 568-C.2, it was logical to move the cabling specifications into 568-C.2 and keep this interdependent information together.

Another deviation from the original 568-C series planning outline was the agreement to move balanced twisted-pair field tester and field testing requirements from the 568-C.2 standard into a stand-alone document (pending ANSI/TIA-1152). This carefully weighed decision supported reducing the overall page count of 568-C.2, as well as ensuring that updates or even simple reaffirmations of future revisions of the proposed ANSI/TIA-1152 standard could be quickly addressed without the need to open the entire balanced twisted-pair cabling content of 568-C.2 for review.

Closing Thoughts Although there is always an understandable degree of trepidation and resistance to change when something new comes along, the 568-C family of standards is a user-friendly and well-organized compilation of the critical information that RCDDs and other cabling professionals need to know to excel in their areas of expertise. Since there are five more years to go until the next ANSI review cycle, now is the time to familiarize yourself with the content of these important standards! Copies of the standards referenced in this article may be purchased through the IHS standards store at www.global.ihs.com. n

figure 2: comparison of 568-c.0 and 568-c.1 terminology.

valerie Maguire is the global sales engineer for Siemon, chair of the TIA TR-42.7 Copper Cabling Subcommittee and 2009 recipient of BICSI’s Harry J. Pfister Award for Excellence in the Telecommunications Industry. Valerie can be reached at [email protected].


In recent years, the

enterprise networking

environment has changed

significantly and has seen

an explosive increase

in data transmission,

compounded by the

relatively recent increase

in the available local area

network (LAN) bandwidth

to the desktop from 10

megabytes per second

(Mb/s) to 100 Mb/s, to

1 gigabit per second (Gb/s)

and now 10 Gb/s. Currently, most building backbone LANs typically are based on multimode optical fiber. Appropriately selected multimode launch specifications can restrict the modes used by the transmitters primarily to those providing the highest possible effective modal bandwidth (EMB) while still allowing for low-cost transceivers. For most legacy multimode networking applications, the attenuation uncertainty due to mode launch variation was not a concern. However, with new high-speed

applications, multimode launch conditions (MLC) specified in most legacy attenuation measurement standards are no longer satisfactory, and the evolution of high-speed multimode network technology has raised the requirements for system attenuation. In the final draft of IEC 61280-4-1 Ed. 2.0, Fibre optic communication subsystem test procedures—Part 4-1: Installed cable plant—Multimode attenuation measurement, new MLCs are now defined by the encircled flux (EF) template for more accurate and reproducible attenuation measure-ments in today’s demanding high-speed LAN applications. This article overviews these new mode launch conditions, comparing the light source power meter (LSPM) approach to multimode link attenuation measurement with the optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) method, which easily matches the LSPM method when the launch conditions fall within the encircled flux template.

New Encircled Flux Template for Attenuation Measurement Until recently, the following MLC and measurement approaches were used:n Overfilled launch (OFL) + 1

kilometer (km) of multimode fibern 70/70 (steady-state launch) n Coupled power ratio (CPR):

OFL + mandrel (ex: CPR C1 + mandrel) CPR (Class 1 to 5) CPR + high-order mode power

(HOMP)n Near field (NF) and far field (FF)

with diameter requirements for relative power (RP) at: 5 percent or 75 percent, 15 percent and 5

percentn Mode power distribution (MPD)

template + tight CPR (1 decibel [dB] tolerance)

The new EF metric is defined as the fraction of cumulative NF integrated power to the total output power. This power ratio is obtained as a function of the radial distance from the core optical center and is determined from the NF measurement of the light coming from the end of a reference-grade launch jumper. The EF template for attenuation (EFTatt) consists of a target (the template center) and two limits (upper and lower bounds), which are the EF values for a set of particular radial control points. In fact, the EF target corresponds to slightly underfilled MLCs, providing good correlation between the attenuation and the connector lateral offset. When setting the MLCs in the EF template of a multiconnector link, connector attenuation is

At last, reliable test and operation performances. By Dr. gANg hE, Dr. ANDré gIrArD AND vArIS hICKS

NEW Internationally Standardized Multimode Launching Conditions

Feature


independent of connector location. EFTatt limits are chosen to constrain the variation on measured attenuation within ± x percent (on a dB basis) or a threshold, whichever is the largest, of the value that would be measured if the target launch conditions were used. The EFTatt and the threshold are different for different multimode fiber types (e.g., 50/125 micrometers [µm] or 62.5/125 µm) and source wavelengths (e.g., 850 or 1300 nanometers [nm]). Figure 1 shows the EFTatt at 850 nm for 50/125 µm multimode fiber, with a threshold of 0.08 dB. Correct MLCs include the correct MPD and central launch requirements at the output of the launching cable connector. The correct MPD is determined by the EFTatt, and the central launch is controlled by the overall concentricity of a reference-grade connector (or jumper). Compliant MLCs imply that the EF value falls within the EFTatt at the particular radial control points from the reference-grade connector. Reference-grade connectors can effectively be assessed by verifying that the attenuation between them is less than 0.1 dB when using the MLCs around the EF target.

Attenuation Measurements using LSPM and oTDr Methods Multimode fiber link attenuation is measured using the LSPM or OTDR methods. Fundamentally, the LSPM approach is straightforward and normally yields the best results. The OTDR technique is more complicated since the probing pulse travels through the forward and backward paths of the link under test, and the MPD of the back reflected pulse is difficult to know and control. While considerable studies (both theoretical and experimental) have been conducted on LSPM-

Figure 1: EFTatt

at 850 nm for 50/125 µm multimode fiber.

Figure 2: Experimental setup for attenuation measurement of multimode fiber (MMF) links using an LSPM vs. an OTDR.


based attenuation measurement, little has been done on the OTDR method. However, an experimental investigation was carried out to reconcile these two methods by comparing LSPM- and OTDR-based link attenuation measurements with EF-based MLC parameters. Figure 2 shows the experimental setups. In order to eliminate any uncertainty arising from wavelength dependence, an 850 nm Fabry-Perot laser is used for both LSPM and OTDR. A proprietary speckle scrambler, functionally equivalent to the scrambler described in TIA/EIA-455-203, Launched Power Distribution Measurement Procedure for Graded Index Multimode Fiber Transmitters, is used for reducing the modal noise. The variable mode conditioner shown in Figure 2 generates the required different MLCs at the output of a launching cable. MLCs are defined using the EF metric, characterized at five radial points, or bounds, as defined in final draft of

IEC 61280-4-1 Ed. 2. Figure 3 shows the EF curves of MLCs used at 850 and 1300 nm with the corresponding target, lower and upper limits for 50/125 µm multimode fiber. MLC0 is the most overfilled and MLC7 is the most underfilled. MLC3 is close to the target launch parameters. MLC2 and MLC3 are close to low-bound parameters, and MLC4 is close to high-bound parameters, as defined in the final draft of IEC 61280-4-1 Ed 2.

Experiment and Discussion on Three Different Links There are three main contributors to link attenuation: n Connection loss (connectors and

splices) n Intrinsic fiber attenuationn Macrobending loss

Multimode fiber link attenuation dependence on MLCs arises from the differential mode attenuation (DMA)

properties of the contributors and the evolution of the mode power distribution (MPD) along the link. To better explain the relative properties of these various contributors, three links were built for this experiment—one long, one short and one that includes a macrobend.

Long Link For the experiment on the long link, the 3 kilometer (km) link shown in Figure 4 consists of the following: n Connector C1n 2 km 50/125 µm multimode fiber

with two splicesn Connector pair C2 (mated

connectors)n 1 km 50/125 µm multimode fiber

cable with two splicesn Connector C3

As shown in Figure 4, at 850 nm, the attenuation is relatively insensitive to MLCs, and the LSPM and OTDR methods exhibit excellent agreement for all cases. This agreement results from non-DMA factors dominating the long link attenuation, such as absorption and scattering within the fiber, as opposed to DMA factors like high-order mode (HOM) filtering. OTDR-measured attenuation tends to be slightly lower in overfilled conditions and slightly higher in underfilled conditions. This is due to the bidirectional nature of OTDR measurements with the backscattered light experiencing additional mode scrambling. For the long link, Figure 4 shows that the attenuation is more sensitive to the MLCs in the 1300 nm window than at 850 nm because DMA plays a significant role on total attenuation at 1300 nm as opposed to 850 nm where the non-DMA part is predominant. As is the case at 850 nm, good agreement is found between the LSPM and OTDR methods, especially for total attenuation. OTDR-measured

Figure 3: EF of various MLCs for 50/125 µm multimode fiber at 850 and 1300 nm.


attenuation is flatter because of the mode scrambling effect on the backscattering.

Short Link For the experiment on the short link with multiple connections, the 120 meter (m) link shown in Figure 5 consists of the following: n Connector C1n 20 m 50/125 µm multimode fiber

cable with three splicesn Connector pair C2 (mated

connectors)n 50 m 50/125 µm multimode fiber

cablen Connector pair C3 (mated

connectors)n 50 m 50/125 µm multimode fiber

cablen Connector C4

As seen in Figure 5, measure-ments show that attenuation at 850 and 1300 nm is more sensitive to MLCs, since the MPD-dependent connection attenuation contributes significantly. In particular, in under-filled conditions at 850 nm (MLC5 and MLC6), the LSPM and OTDR methods yield different values—again, a result of the additional mode scrambling experienced by the OTDR pulse on its return path, filling the HOM and resulting in higher attenuation. Around the target or between the lower and upper limits (between MLC1 and MLC4), LSPM/OTDR-measured attenuation values are in very good agreement, with variation meeting the target launch requirements (± 10 percent).

Macrobend As shown in Figure 6, the experiment on the macrobending link includes the following:n Connector C1n 25 m 50/125 µm multimode fiber cablen Connector pair C2 (mated

connectors)

Figure 4: Experiment on a long link— setup and attenuation measurement.

Figure 5: Experiment on a short link— setup and attenuation measurement.


n 18 mm diameter/10 fiber turn mandrel

n Connector pair C3 (mated connectors)

n Another 25 m 50/125 µm multimode fiber cable

n Connector C4 Figure 6 shows experimental attenuation results as a function of MLCs. LSPM-based attenuation is offset higher by about 10 percent for MLC1 to MLC5, both at 850 and 1300 nm. The macrobending (18 mm diameter and 10 turns) strongly filters the HOMs in the MPDs corresponding to these MLCs. As a result, the OTDR backscattered light is more underfilled than the initial MLCs, despite the scrambling effect exciting HOMs. Since the OTDR effectively measures forward and backward attenuations and averages them, the overall result is a lower OTDR-measured attenuation from MLC1 to MLC5. On the other hand, for the deep underfilled MLC6 and MLC7, the scrambling-induced excitation of the HOMs during backscattering causes the back-

scattered light to be more overfilled compared with the MPD before the macrobending, resulting in a higher measured attenuation. Except for a small attenuation offset, the variation of attenuation as a function of MLCs agrees very well between the OTDR and LSPM methods for MLC1 to MLC5.

Conclusion New generation high-speed multimode optical fiber networks’ attenuation is dominated by connections where the fibers are offset and macrobended. This leads to DMA over the link, which results in more sensitive attenuation to light source MLCs. For such high-speed links, MLC requirements defined several years ago cannot enable attenuation measurements that are accurate enough. The proposed EFTatt defines a range of MLCs as “slightly underfilled” and provides the following benefits:n Reduction/removal of poorly

guided HOMs and transient- loss effects

n Enough HOMs sensitive/measurable to small fiber connection offset and macrobending

n Good repeatability and reproducibility

n Good correlation of attenuation variation on mode filling (the more filling, the more attenuation) and connection offset

n Consistence between attenuation measurements and transmission equipment characteristics

n A kind of “virtual MPD maintaining” launch, reconciling LSPM/OTDR-based MMF link attenuation measurements and making the connection attenuation largely independent of connection position n

Dr. gang he is principal

research scientist

with EXFO. He has

participated in the

development of more

than 30 optical testing

products and holds 11 patents. He can be

reached at [email protected].

Dr. André girard is

a senior member of

technical staff with EXFO

and author of several

technical works. He is

currently responsible for

international standards and training and can

be reached at [email protected].

varis C. hicks is

product specialist with

EXFO. He has over 15

years’ experience in

optical fiber testing and

can be reached at

[email protected].

Figure 6: Experiment on a link, including a macrobend— setup and attenuation results.


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energy on a one megawatt

data center for $1.9

million savings over the

life of the data center?

(Savings based on fifteen

year life of data center,

$0.08 per kilowatt hour

electricity cost and

power usage effectiveness

improvement from 2.0

to 1.63.)

There are many different paths to improved data center thermal management efficiency, and both the technical literature and vendor claims can be confusing and contradictory. Rather than attempting to make a recommendation for a one-size-fits-all solution, there are surface issues that should be considered in any plan for maximizing the efficiency of data center cooling.

Power usage Effectiveness Power usage effectiveness (PUE) has become a near de-facto metric for describing data center efficiency. PUE is simply the ratio of information technology (IT) equipment energy consumption to the total data center consumption (i.e., total power ÷ IT critical load power). As shown in Figure 1, an average data center would have a PUE of 2.0. Based on the allocation of power in Figure 1, it is readily apparent that the greatest opportunity for improving PUE resides with reducing the energy for cooling the data center. Among the several flaws with PUE is the fact that a data center with an overall high operating cost due to various types of server inefficiency could actually have a better PUE than a data center operating at higher density with fewer, more efficient servers and a lower total operating cost—reducing the divisor actually drives up the

metric. Nevertheless, beyond the importance of achieving better utilization and efficiency in the server hardware itself, improving thermal management represents a significant opportunity for either reducing the total cost of operating a data center or extending the life of legacy data centers by re-allocating significant portions of the power budget from mechanical to critical IT equipment.

harvesting Energy Savings The two most important considerations during the development of a plan for harvesting significant energy savings from the data center thermal management architecture are:n Maintaining recognition of the

entire mechanical cooling processn Defining the facility continuity

objectives

Figure 1: Average Data Center Energy Allocation. Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory


The entire mechanical cooling process includes all the heat exchanges beginning at the heat sinks or cold plates inside the servers and extending to the water tower or condensers where the thermal energy is finally removed, and all the sources of energy load (e.g., pumps and fans) moving that thermal energy from one heat exchange to the next. Vali Sorrel and Terry Rogers of Syska Hennessy Group developed a simple “thermal sentence diagram” to describe the elements of this process as shown in Figure 2. Since two-thirds or more of the total cooling energy consumption is outside the data center in the chiller plant, it is important to understand the impact of all design options on the efficiency of the chiller plant. In addition, every heat exchange requires some level of energy input to move the thermal load to that exchange. Reducing the number of heat exchanges will also contribute to achieving a lower total thermal management operating cost. Data center continuity requirements are typically described in terms of the Tier 1-4 levels developed by the Uptime Institute. At the risk of great over-simplification, this article assumes the following continuity levels for planning thermal management deployment:n Neither fault tolerant nor

maintainable without downtimen Fault tolerant or maintainablen Concurrently maintainable and

fault tolerant

n Concurrently maintainable at original design-intent fault tolerance

Close-Coupled Cooling & Isolated heat removal The importance of tracing the impact of all design decisions back through the entire mechanical process, as well as some hint of the issues to be considered, can be revealed through a comparison of a close-coupled cooling solution to a system of isolated heat removal (e.g., containment aisles or ducted exhaust cabinets). Assuming a baseline of a close-coupled cooling solution with variable air volume (VAV) fans and computer room air handlers with VAV fans versus completely isolated supply and return air streams, the room with air handlers will have whatever slight efficiency advantage comes with the coefficient of performance (COP) advantage generally associated with the larger fans. In both situations, efficiencies are realized by raising the supply air temperature, raising change in temperature across the evaporator coils, raising chilled water loop temperatures and increasing available water-side economization hours. That baseline will be modulated by any number of the following factors: n Computer room air handlers

without VAV fans would mean that cooling capacity could

only be adjusted in increments of a cooling unit, and the close-coupled solutions would therefore gain any affinity law advantage (see Figure 3), particularly when server cabinet loads were below maximum capacity.

n Close-coupled solutions typically add one extra step of heat exchange at some type of consolidation unit between the data center chilled water loop and the chiller plant loop. There is an approach loss associated with each heat exchange. Therefore, that higher temperature will translate into a slight chiller plant efficiency and economizer hours advantage for the computer room air handlers.

n According to the D’Arcy-Weisbach equation, pressure drop increases as a factor of the ratio of duct length to duct diameter (see Figure 4), so long overhead ducted delivery systems can reduce or even eliminate the efficiency advantages of computer room air handlers or air-side economizers during mechanical cooling hours.

n While close-coupled cooling solutions provide nearly similar benefits as computer room air handlers associated with isolated supply and return air streams with respect to available hours for water-side economization, most close-coupled solutions will not

Figure 2: Data Center Mechanical Cooling Generic Process


be compatible with air-side economization or energy recovery wheel heat exchange. Both usually provide significantly more hours of cooling without running the chiller plant. In a data center with complete supply and return isolation, the computer room air handlers can be replaced by the economization air handlers and cooling coils.

Project continuity requirements likewise have a significant impact on data center thermal management operating efficiency and associated design decisions.n Close-coupled solutions have VAV

fans directly coupled to the air volume demand of the associated server load and will therefore gain the affinity law advantage

particularly in Tier 1 and, to some lesser degree in Tier 2 data centers. For example, if one server cabinet is at 60% of capacity, another at 80% of capacity, and another at 30% of capacity, the total energy requirement for the close-couple fans would be around 25% of full capacity (.603, .803 and .303).

n Where continuity must be simultaneously maintainable and fault tolerant, there is an advantage to separating the cooling source from the heat load to minimize the serial levels of redundancy. For example, in a space where 120 tons of cooling is required, and it has been determined that N+2 will meet the continuity requirements, six 30-ton air handlers equipped with VAV variable frequency drive (VFD) fan motors or electronically commutated (EC) fans would operate normally at 67% air movement capacity or 30% energy consumption per unit, or 45% total by virtue of there being six units running at 30% versus four units running at 100%. The energy savings actually increase during the phase of IT equipment deployment ramp-up at lower loads due to the cubing effect of the affinity law.

n Since close-coupled cooling solutions directly couple cooling capacity to load, the fail-over for maintenance or fault-mitigation will typically need to be either a totally separate reserve depending on reliable actuation or a separate running capacity running in the background and on top of the directly scaled cooling capacity.

n When isolation between supply air and return air is achieved through cold aisle containment and fault-tolerance is required,

air handler fans will need to be

on uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) and will be subject to efficiency losses associated with UPS operation.

Final Considerations Close-coupled cooling solutions and isolated supply/return air solutions represent opportunities to significantly improve the energy efficiency of data centers by eliminating waste, maximizing change in temperature between supply and return, increasing chiller efficiency with higher temperatures, and exploiting affinity law efficiencies of VFD and EC fans. In addition, the greatest chiller efficiency is achieved when the chiller compressor is not running. Both approaches provide access to increased hours of water-side economization, and the data center design based on isolation further provides access to increased hours of air-side economization and energy recovery wheel heat exchange cooling. Since the greatest saving benefits derive from the most extreme temperature differences, plumbing, chillers and evaporator coils all need to be specified for flow rates appropriate for the total design. Finally, design decisions need to exploit continuity requirements and the impact on the total system of each discrete element. n

Ian Seaton

has over thirty

years of product

development

experience in

electromechani-

cal systems. He

is currently the

technology marketing manager for Chats-

worth Products, Inc. and can be reached at

[email protected].

Figure 3: The Affinity Law

Figure 4: Pressure drop increases as a factor of the ratio of duct length to duct diameter

The Affinity LawAlso known as the cube effect of fan speed,

whereby the required fan horsepower varies as the cube of the speed:

hp2 = (rpm2 / rpm1)³ x hp1;

While fan air delivery varies directly as the speed varies (linear relationship):

cfm2 = (rpm2 / rpm1) x cfm1;

80% RPM = 80% air volume = 51.2% energy required (0.8³)

Pressure Loss in a DuctΔp = λ (l / dh) (pv² / 2) (1)

Where:Δp = pressure loss (Pa, N/m²)λ = D’Arcy-Weisbach friction coefficientl = length of duct of pipe (m)dh = hydraulic diameter (m)p = density (kg/m³)


ITS education converges with the bright lights and great sights of fabulous Las vegas. Make sure you’re there to take it all in. www.bicsi.org/fall.


Feature

In today’s economy, many look at the bottom line more than usual and don’t do anything unless it is mission critical.

When we cut costs, we also decrease expenses, but to what end? How many companies cut marketing budgets and then wonder why sales are impacted? This one reason is why some companies go into a tail spin from which they may never recover. Training seems to be one of the first things a company eliminates without thinking about the outcome. But why is training and development so important, and why can’t people learn the way that many of us did—by the school of hard knocks?

Avoid the Dangerous Mind-Set Wikipedia defines the school of hard knocks as, “A phrase that is most typically used by a person to claim a level of wisdom imparted by life experience, which they consider at least equal in merit to academic knowledge.” We often learn because life teaches us lessons that we would rather not repeat. A punch in the stomach, falling off a ladder, getting sued and losing a job are examples of

lessons that the real world teaches us. In the school of hard knocks, students learn from failure, not from success. You may say, “But I had a great instructor who taught me everything I know.” Almost all of you have taught someone at some point in your career. Be honest, did you teach them everything you knew or what you thought they should know? Unless your company has a program for your employees, and unless you are a teacher or instructor, then you probably taught them what you thought they should know. If that person then teaches another person in the same way, that person then teaches another person, and so on, five generations later, much of the knowledge is lost. But then again, the school of hard knocks will bring them to your level eventually. The question is how much does “eventually” cost you and your business? You may understand the consequences but think that you cannot afford to train someone. Plus, you might believe that they will leave once they are certified. This is the number one reason I have heard for not training someone. It’s not that the classes are too expensive, or that

they require travel and time out of the office—the typical mind-set is that if you train someone, they will become so good and worth more than what you can afford to pay them. This is a self-fulfilling prophesy and a dangerous one. Having the very best employees is what you should strive for—that is the difference between what your customers want and what they are getting. A person that is trained is less likely to make the same mistakes of someone that is not trained. The worst sales person in the world cannot do as much harm as the worst technician on your customer site or re-works and a blown budget stemming from a poor design. It only takes one mistake or lack of professionalism to destroy years of good relations.

Keep Trained Employees Most companies know that by providing employee training and development early on, they can create the difference between a long-termed, effective and loyal employee, and an ineffective one. The employment market is currently soft, so you may not be thinking about employee training and development right now. However, you can bet that when the economy improves, companies will lift their hiring freeze, and new employees will be looking for guidance. Moreover, companies will try to recover and seek businesses and individuals that can help them achieve their goals quickly, efficiently and within budget.

One still triumphs, even in a down economy. By MIChAEL A. CoLLINS, rCDD

the School of hard Knocksvs.Professional

Training

BICSI’s Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual

(TDMM) features 22 chapters that recommend global best

practices covering the areas of design through construction,

installation and maintenance. This coming fall, look for the new

12th edition of this thoroughly comprehensive resource!


How do you keep the employees that you train? Training should be a reward for your employees—a give and take process. They provide their time and skill to achieve; you provide your money to improve them. It is this investment that will take your company to a higher level. The manager that does not hire their replacement cannot be successful. If you are afraid that your employees will leave if you train them, it is probably that fear that will make them leave anyway. Most employees want to believe that they are part of the growth of the organization. The feeling of security and being part of the team may make a difference in keeping them from leaving even when offered higher pay. Despite working for the best organization, some employees will still look for greener grass. However, those that do move on will likely be hit with the realization that the grass is not always greener on the other side—it is often better to work things out with the boss that you know than the one that you don’t know. It’s important to make sure that each party is willing to put something into the training. If the employee is not willing to invest his or her time, then the employee is wasting money. Look for the employee who wants to advance themselves—it will be the one who ask for more responsibilities, gives you a copy of this article, or shows you that they are ready. When you do decide to invest in

training, make sure that the students are prepared for the class. Many students come to BICSI’s training not prepared for the hours of reading and studying that are required in most classes. If a book is available or required for the class, be sure the student has it in time to read and study. This will not only enhance their classroom experience, it will also increase their probability of passing the exam. Your attitude will also make a big difference. If you are sending them for training because you have to and are irritated that you are being forced to, think of the message you are sending. Talk about pressure! I have heard employees say, “My manager says that if I fail, I might as well not come back.” If this is what you tell your employee before they leave for training, that employee may not be back even if they do pass. Encouragement and commitment in helping an employee succeed will be the difference in what that employee does after the training.

Make an Investment Worth Making Any financial expert worth his salt will advise you to not stop investing, regardless of what the economy is doing. Training and education should be considered an investment. Whether you are investing in your business or your career, the dividends returned will

be invaluable. Whatever training you decide on is not as important as the decision to train. Professional training can be quite costly, but the largest cost of training is not the travel expense, hotel expense, or even the loss of revenue. The largest cost is the jobs you lose because you are not certified or not differentiating yourself from your competitors. If both you and your competitors offer the same service without much difference in value, your customer will make their selection based on price. When this happens, you have created a commodity product. As with all commodities, it is the customer that ultimately loses. Remember, if your customer loses, then you lose your customer. So invest in training and take control of your own future and make sure you are prepared for tomorrow, today. Be sure to check out all of the training courses BICSI has to offer! Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget; teach me and I remember; involve me and I learn.” n

the School of hard Knocks

Michael A. Collins, RCDD, CCDA, NCE is an associate director with at&t southwest, rbm major accounts and bicsi south-central region director. he can be reached at [email protected].

CECs At Your Own Pace, In Your Own Home, At Reduced Cost.

BICSI CoNNECT—ITS Training for the Modern World BICSI CONNECT offers a variety of convenient, online courses to help ITS professionals earn CECs without incurring travel expenses—everything from firestopping, confined spaces and Internet Protocol, to network security and our new ITS Design Fundamentals Program that provides a solid base of knowledge for those starting a career in ITS distribution design. Complimentary and discounted BICSI CONNECT courses are also available through the BICSI Corporate Connection Program. For more information, visit www.bicsi.org/training or www.bicsi.org/corporate, or call +1813.979.1991 or 800.242.7405 (USA & Canada toll-free).


When it comes to succeeding in today’s economy, making your customers happy is not about the perks. How you present yourself

and communicate promote a trust that will keep them coming back, even without the free iPod. Many sales training courses suggest everything from lunches to extravagant trips and gifts for customers. The fact is most businesses are simply looking for honesty, communication and quality workmanship. After all, a trip to Hawaii is not going to help much when their infrastructure fails and they cannot contact anyone. There are many simple things you can do to sustain a professional relationship with your customers. These are the same practices that held true 50 years ago, work today and will work well into the future.

Call them back Many employees have told me they didn’t call a customer back in a timely manner because they didn’t have an answer. There is nothing worse than not returning a phone call at all or in a timely manner. If you don’t have the answer your customer is looking for, you still need to let them know when they can expect an answer. Even if you have bad news, avoiding the call altogether is worse than the bad news. The number one way to lose the respect of customers is to not return calls.

Be respectful Taking a friendly but formal position with customers eliminates the potential of feeling uncomfortable when asking for signatures, purchase

orders and deposits. It also establishes your position as a respectable business person who takes the job and customer satisfaction seriously. Also be respectful to everyone in the company where you are working. The good old boy mentality is history—the receptionist, the financial department and anyone else you deal with is as important to your overall success as the person who hired you. Once you stray from setting a professional standard of behavior, it is very difficult to recover from it—the expectation has been set as to what you are willing to do in order to gain their business.

Documentation, documentation, documentation What location is to real estate, documentation is to service and installation. The argument has been made that it can be damaging to give out too much information. On the contrary, I have found that not enough information causes confusion and uncertainty. Besides, if you are doing what you said you would, you should have nothing to hide. Again, transparency yields trust. Don’t be afraid of details Every aspect of the job should be specified in your scope of work. Don’t be afraid to show what you are charging—no one expects you to work for free. Itemizing your materials and labor provides a sense of transparency that is respected by the customer. Knowledge is power—the more the customer is empowered, the better they feel. It also allows them the

opportunity to ask questions about what you are planning on installing at their location. A detailed scope of work also differentiates you from your competitors. Customers may wonder what your competitor may be hiding in those lump sum figures.

Itemize change orders No matter how many lunches or night clubs you take your customers to, if you hand them a change order with a lump sum for a variety of obscure tasks and materials, good luck getting paid for it. Respect your customers’ money as you do yours. When you purchase something, you want to know what you are getting, and so do your customers. Itemize the changes, along with their material and labor charges. Some people argue that itemizing change orders is too difficult, but change order itemization helps you to understand what aspects of your projects are causing the most trouble, so you can make improvements.

own your mistakes Mistakes happen; they’re part of life. Making mistakes will not ruin you, but how you handle them can cause your success or failure. So own your mistakes, follow through and fix them immediately.

Maintain timely and detailed invoices This area is consistently overlooked. Invoice a customer as close to the completion of the job as you can. Separate any change orders from the main proposal so there is no confusion.

Feature

Maintaining ProfessionalismKeeping your customers in good times and bad. By yAFA BoyEr


Too big, too important to turn our backs on I was pleasantly surprised at the 2009 BICSI Spring Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore when someone on the exhibit floor revealed that they actually enjoyed reading my editor’s note. In response, I mentioned that I was still contemplating what to write about for the July/August issue and was considering the topic of “green.” I was wittily reminded that the topic was somewhat passé. I’ve been pondering that comment ever since and

realized that I now have no choice but to write about it. Like many, I jumped on the “green” bandwagon. Last year, I traded in my big V8 SUV for a smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicle. I keep the thermostat low, heat primarily with wood and turn off the lights. As a family, we gather (yes, I own chickens), catch and grow the majority of our own food. What we haven’t been able to grow or raise ourselves, we buy at local farms (with the exception of bananas and avocados, which I can’t seem to live without). In fact, if it wasn’t for my travel to BICSI conferences, my carbon footprint would be 48 percent lower than the average American. I’m not the only one going green. Last year with oil prices through the roof, the talk around the nation was alternative energy, fuel-efficient cars and reducing greenhouse emissions. We’ve seen a powerful shift toward green thinking across many industries, with energy efficiency, environmental regulations and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program occupying much of the focus. In our own ITS industry, the headlines have continually cited issues like reducing power consumption in data centers, improving airflow and deploying cabling that is compliant with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive. Last year, BICSI established the Green Building Technology Alliance (GBTA), declared efforts to reduce conference waste and acknowledged companies by awarding the BICSI Green Award. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just launched its ENERGY STAR specifications for data center servers. As Val Maguire points out in her article on the ANSI/TIA-568 family of telecommunications standards, even TIA added stewardship text to 568-C, recognizing the need to support sustainable environments and conserve fossil fuels. Also in this issue, I hope you enjoy Ian Seaton’s unique perspective on data center thermal management. While the topic of “green” may be passé, for the sake of the environment, I sure hope the practice is not. As I passed a swanky new Hummer the other day, the sad thought occurred to me that some people will go back to their old ways following the recent drop in gasoline prices. But for as long as I’m editor, and as long as it’s pertinent to our industry, I plan to continue covering environmental issues in BICSI News. After all, anyone like me who was a Muppet fan as a kid knows that although it may not be easy being green, green can be friendly-like, big and important. In fact, in the words of Kermit the Frog, it’s beautiful, and I think it’s what I want to be. n

editor’s note

Betsy Ziobron [email protected]

You may think timely invoicing makes you look money hungry, but sending an invoice to a customer more than one or two months after completion gives an unprofessional appearance. The sooner the better; that way any concerns that arise can be handled quickly while memories are fresh.

Closing thoughts There are many areas in business where we can focus on improving our service to our customers. Everyone wants to walk away from a business engagement feeling they have been respected, heard and treated fairly and equitably. All of today’s technological advances combined cannot give your customers the same satisfaction and peace of mind as the way you conduct yourself and your business practices. Having been in this business for more than 15 years, I have heard it all and seen it all (unfortunately). I have also learned that no one will take care of and respect your business like you will. Witnessing inappropriate activities and choosing not to say anything does not send the right message. The concept of professionalism applies to your staff as well as your customers. Make sure your employees also treat each other with respect. When you let your standards fall in the workplace, it often carries outside your office. The occasional inappropriate joke may seem harmless, but it inadvertently sends a message that can harm your reputation. Ultimately, most companies will choose a professional organization to do business with over one with questionable values. They may drink the free drinks or enjoy the free iPod, but they will eventually go elsewhere with their business. n

Maintaining Professionalism

Yafa Boyer is the owner and president of lancab, inc., a company in anaheim, calif., that primarily provides voice, data and optical fiber cabling infrastructure design and installation. yafa can be reached at [email protected].


Twenty-four BICSI-certified competitors competed recently at the second annual Cabling Skills Challenge held during the BICSI Spring Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore. After completing several events—including structured cabling; copper cable terminations; fiber termination; cable assembly; cable troubleshooting, technical support; professionalism; and a written competency exam—the following winners of each level were named during the conference award ceremony on Wednesday, May 13, 2009: ITS Installer 1 1st Place—Vincent Santucci, Vision Technologies 2nd Place—James Sundy, Staley, Inc. 3rd Place—Steven Hartley, Staley, Inc.

ITS Installer 2 1st Place—Andrew Davis, Vision Technologies 2nd Place—John Barczak, RKB Electric and Supply LLC 3rd Place—Jeffrey Johnson, Staley, Inc.

ITS Technician 1st Place—Jessie Spearman, Vision Technologies 2nd Place—Timothy Roberts, Access Communication Services 3rd Place—Stephen Stamp, James River Communications

The overall winner with the highest score of the competition was rightfully named BICSI Installer of the Year. Jessie Spearman, an ITS Technician at Vision Technologies, walked away with the honor and $5,000 for the second year in a row. Other prizes Spearman received included a UniCam Toolkit and a Deluxe Fiber Toolkit donated by Corning, a Testifier Pro and Optical Probe from JDSU, a Rhino 6000 Hard Case Kit from DYMO, a two-year BICSI membership and various gift cards, tools and packages from Unique Firestop, Siemon, STI, Sumitomo, Mohawk, Abesco, Kitco, Klein and RANDL. In total, the grand prize was worth more than $15,000. The first place winners in the other categories won prizes totaling more than $2,000. A humble Jesse Spearman was at first hesitant to compete in the Cabling Skills Challenge for the second year in a row because he wanted to make sure that other’s from his company

Technician’s CornerWelcome to the new Technician’s Corner of BICSI News! This section will provide industry news and real-world information and tips about solutions and practices geared specifically to BICSI ITS Installers and Technicians. The Technician’s Corner will feature a short article in each issue aimed at improving the skill and knowledge of those working in the field to install, test and service information transport systems. If you have any suggestions for installer/technician tips or topics you’d like to see covered in this section, please contact Betsy Ziobron, editor of BICSI News, at [email protected].

Installer of the year Announced at the 2009 BICSI Spring Conference & ExhibitionReigning champion Jessie Spearman takes home title for second year.

Jessie spearman, its technician, vision technologies

george henderson Jr., its technician, information innovators inc.


were given the opportunity. Ultimately, Jesse was glad he won but also knows that the competition was tough. “I couldn’t believe that I won again—I was more surprised this year than last year,” said Spearman. “I watched some of the other competitors, and there were some really skilled technicians that participated. It was a very friendly competition as well.” According to Spearman, his approach to the competition is staying calm, focused and relaxed while being confident in what he’s doing. “I set a personal goal for myself this year to finish the fiber terminations and splicing, and I was proud to accomplish those tasks,” he said. “Throughout the competition, you don’t really know how exactly you’re doing compared to others so you just have to go with your gut instincts and try your best.” Since the 2008 Cabling Skills Challenge, Jesse was promoted from foreman to supervisor and now oversees Vision Technology’s Virginia office operations.

“I would like to think that my growth in the

ITS industry would have happened anyway, but

I’m sure winning the competition last year had

something to do with it,” said Spearman.

“The event is such a great opportunity to get involved in BICSI at the technician and installer level. Even I didn’t know the extent of BICSI until I started to attend conferences. Now I know that BICSI is more than just training—it’s about developing a career path and helping people grow.” n

competitors and Judges of the 2009 cabling skills challenge.

Joseph d’urso, its technician, vision technologies

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The BICSI Ethics Committee administers the BICSI Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct for BICSI credentials, such as the RCDD Standards of Conduct. The Ethics Committee reviews and investigates charges of misconduct against BICSI members and credential holders and takes necessary action to resolve issues and maintain professional and ethical behavior. We sat down recently with Chair J. Carl Bonner Jr., RCDD, OSP, WD, to find out more about the history, processes and current goals of this extremely important BICSI committee.

Can you tell us when and why the BICSI Ethics Committee was established? “The Ethics Committee was established in January 2004 with Russ Oliver as BICSI president. Before that time, the only document BICSI had was the RCDD Standards of Conduct. With a growing need for RCDDs and the evolution of computer networks, BICSI membership was increasing to a point where we started to see things like people falsifying credentials. Many members were also not RCDDs, and we needed a general code of ethics for all BICSI members.”

What process does the Ethics Committee go through to investigate and resolve issues? “Violation charges can come from customers, other BICSI members or even nonmembers. The Ethics Committee only deals with charges against BICSI members and credential holders. Charges against nonmembers are channeled through John D. Clark Jr., BICSI Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, such as when a nonmember falsely advertises an affiliation with BICSI.

When a charge is made, the Ethics Committee contacts those involved to determine if there has been a violation. The charge could be minor or significant—everything from not complying with a bid to falsifying credentials or unscrupulous activity. Depending on the severity of the offense, it may just take a phone call to tell the violator that they need to rectify the situation. It may never go further than that. However, we do keep a log, and if an issue with the same person comes up on a continuous basis, we may take action. When a violation occurs and is proven, action could involve banning that member from BICSI for a period of time.”

What are some of the current goals of the Ethics Committee? “The Ethics Committee uses the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ approach, and our goal is to respect and be fair to everyone involved in any ethics issue while ultimately protecting the BICSI organization and membership. We therefore strive to keep all names anonymous, including those that make the complaint. We are also working on formalizing an appeal process to give members an opportunity to contest charges through a review board. We also align new credentials with the Code of Ethics while continuously updating existing Standards of Conduct based on industry and organizational needs.”

What do you most want the BICSI membership to know? “We understand that people may be hesitant to report a violation of the Code of Ethics or Standards of Conduct. However, BICSI is an organization run by members, and it’s in the best interest of those members to maintain a level of integrity and speak up when that is not being done. And when there is a legitimate concern, complainants can’t just call us. They need to go through the proper channels and provide as much detailed, factual information as possible, including all appropriate contact information. We realize that sometimes people slip and fall, or even crash and burn, and the Ethics Committee is not here to run anybody out or police whether or not someone did a good job. We’re here to help and prevent anyone from doing something that is a true detriment to BICSI and its membership.” n

getting to Know the BICSI Ethics CommitteeAn eye-opening discussion with Chair J. Carl Bonner Jr., RCDD, OSP, WD.

bicsi UPDATE

To learn more about the BICSI Ethics Committee, Code of Ethics and RCDD Standards of Conduct, visit the General BICSI Information section of the www.bicsi.org Web site under the Home menu/Our Story. To file an Ethics Code violation against BICSI members or file a complaint against nonmembers, click on Filing an Ethics Concern under the BICSI Code of Ethics.


BICSI Announces New Director of Standards BICSI is pleased to announce Jeff Silveira as the new Director of Standards. Jeff joins BICSI from Semiconductor Equip-ment & Materials International (SEMI) in Northern California, a global industry associa-tion serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovol-taic industries. Jeff’s experience includes 11 years of increasing standards responsibility, including experience with ANSI development and accreditation processes. He has been a presenter on standards topics and has written standards articles for various publications. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Santa Clara University and is active in the Standards Engineering Society (SES). As BICSI’s Director of Standards, Jeff intends to foster and promote the BICSI Stan-dards program mission to develop standards of high value and import to the ITS industry and its related fields; provide members with exceptional service and information; as well as adopt and embrace new opportunities and technology to better our ability to serve our members and industries.

bicsi UPDATE

Catalogs, offers and Companies

Power & Tel/Clifford of Vermont can help you set a fiber world record. MaxCAP 50µm laser-optimized fiber leaves competitors in the dust by outperforming standard 62.5µm fiber in capacity, speed and value. MaxCAP transfers 15.6Gb/s over 1 kilometer. That’s equal to sending more than 1.6 million pages of text in one second! To find out more, contact us today at 800.451.4381 or [email protected]

Exciting Events, great Achievements and rave reviews 2009 BICSI Spring Conference & Exhibition in Baltimore, MD

From motivational speakers and new BICSI credentials to social networking, fun challenges and catching up on the latest ITS products and technologies, the 2009 BICSI Spring Conference & Exhibition had something for everyone.

bicsi northeast region and rtKl associates, inc. hosted a steamed blue crab feast in baltimore’s historic Fell’s point.

over 1,700 professionals attended the 2009 bicsi spring conference & exhibition.

bicsi credential exams resulted in 24 new rcdds and 2 nts, 3 osp and 1 Wd specialists.


gLoBAL CoMMuNITy

Japan7 August 2009

Bury St Edmunds, uK

8 August 2009 10 October 2009

5 December 2009

Dubai, uAE3 October 2009

7 November 200912 December 2009

Singapore6 October 2009

gLoBAL CoNFErENCES

2009 BICSI Japan Conference4 September 2009

Plaza Heisei/Media HallTokyo Academic Park, Japan

Contact Kazuo Kato, District Manager, at +81 3 3595 1451 or e-mail

[email protected] for more information.

2009 BICSI India Conference10 September 2009

Bangalore, IndiaThe Leela Palace

Visit www.bicsi.org/conferences for additional information.

BICSI South Pacific Conference is a SuccessAt the BICSI South Pacific Annual Conference & Exhibition in Sydney, more than 175 delegates were brought up-to-date on developments in data center design and deployment, green practices and the latest copper and optical fiber technologies.

At the event, BICSI Cares raised $1,500 for children affected by the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, and BICSI South Pacific introduced its new Board of Directors.

Former BICSI South Pacific District Chair, Colin Browitt, was awarded a Lifetime BICSI Membership Award for his commit-ment and leadership to BICSI South Pacific and the ITS industry.

Dubai hosts 8th Annual Middle East Conference & Exhibition The BICSI Middle East Conference & Exhibition in Dubai featured quality presen-tations and workshops covering data center design and management and the latest ITS trends. Key sponsors included Leviton, MaxCell, Synergix International, Ortronics and AFC.

gLoBAL ExAM DATES

Mike Kazemian and his team from Synergix Interna-tional and Fluke Networks together with Ortronics donated door prizes for the conference.

BICSI Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, John D. Clark Jr., CAE, attended the conference in Dubai along with Eugene Botes, RCDD, NTS, Middle East & Africa District Chair and Asef Baddar, RCDD, of Leviton, one of the key sponsors of the conference.


BICSI Courses For more information about courses, please contact BICSI at 800.242.7405 (USA & Canada toll-free) or +1 813.979.1991 or visit www.bicsi.org/training.

AuguST 2009

SEPTEMBEr 2009

da = data distribution design dc= data center designdd = distribution design

in = installationosp = outside plant designpm = project management

te = cabling installationWd = Wireless design

3-4 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, tampa, Fl

3-7 in101 its installer 1 training, meriden, ct

3-7 in101 its installer 1 training, tampa, Fl

5-6 osp100 introduction to outside plant, tampa, Fl

10-12 dc110 data center design best practices, los angeles, ca

10-13 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, honolulu, hi

10-13 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, los angeles, ca

10-14 in225 its installer 2, copper training, meriden, ct

10-14 in225 its installer 2, copper training, tampa, Fl

17-19 dc110 data center design best practices, tampa, Fl

17-21 in250 its installer 2, optical Fiber training, tampa, Fl

20-21 da100 introduction to networks, tampa, Fl

23-28 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, seattle, Wa

24-25 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, seattle, Wa

24-27 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, seattle, Wa

24-28 te350 its technician training, tampa, Fl

26-28 dc110 data center design best practices, seattle, Wa

30-9/4 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, tampa, Fl

31-9/3 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, tampa, Fl


14-18 in250 its installer 2, optical Fiber training, las vegas, nv

14-18 in250 its installer 2, optical Fiber training, richmond, va

14-18 in101 its installer 1 training, tampa, Fl

15-20 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, las vegas, nv

16-17 da100 introduction to networks, las vegas, nv

16-17 pm100 telecommunications project management Fundamentals, las vegas, nv

16-19 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, las vegas, nv

16-20 da110 designing networks, las vegas, nv

16-20 osp110 cable plant design, las vegas, nv

16-20 pm125 telecommunications project management program, las vegas, nv

16-20 Wd110 designing Wireless networks, las vegas, nv

18-19 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, las vegas, nv

18-20 da200 network design specialty review, las vegas, nv

18-20 pm120 telecommunications project management, las vegas, nv

18-20 pm121 information technology project management, las vegas, nv

18-20 pm122 outside plant project management, las vegas, nv

18-20 pm123 Wireless project management, las vegas, nv

18-20 Wd200 Wireless design specialty review, las vegas, nv



CoNTINuED SEPTEMBEr 2009

oCToBEr 2009

19-20 osp200 cable plant design, las vegas, nv

21-25 te350 its technician training, las vegas, nv

21-25 te350 its technician training, richmond, va

25-26 osp100 introduction to outside plant, las vegas, nv

25-26 Wd100 introduction to Wireless, las vegas, nv

25-27 dd120 grounding and protection Fundamentals for telecommunications systems, las vegas, nv

25-27 dc110 data center design best practices, las vegas, nv

25-28 Fo110 Fiber optic network design, las vegas, nv

26-27 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, charlotte, nc

27-10/2 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, charlotte, nc

28-30 dc110 data center design best practices, charlotte, nc

28-10/1 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, charlotte, nc

4-9 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, san mateo, ca


5-7 dc110 data center design best practices, san mateo, ca

5-8 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, san mateo, ca

5-8 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, tampa, Fl


9-10 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, atlanta, ga

9-10 osp200 cable plant design, atlanta, ga

11-12 da100 introduction to networks, atlanta, ga

11-15 osp110 cable plant design, atlanta, ga

11-16 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, houston, tx

12-14 dc110 data center design best practices, atlanta, ga

12-15 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, houston, tx

12-16 in225 its installer 2, copper training, nashville, tn


13-14 osp100 introduction to outside plant, atlanta, ga

15-16 Wd100 introduction to Wireless, atlanta, ga

15-17 pm122 outside plant project management, atlanta, ga


19-23 in250 its installer 2, optical Fiber training, nashville, tn


20-22 dd300 telecommunications distribution methods manual update review, tampa, Fl

25-30 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, tampa, Fl

26-27 pm100 telecommunications project management Fundamentals, tampa, Fl

26-30 pm125 telecommunications project management program, tampa, Fl

28-30 pm120 telecommunications project management, tampa, Fl

28-30 pm121 information technology project management, tampa, Fl

28-30 pm122 outside plant project management, tampa, Fl

28-30 pm123 Wireless project management, tampa, Fl



2009 region Meetings

u.S. Northeast

nOctober 15, Sturbridge, MA

u.S. North-Central

nNovember 20, Columbus, OH

u.S. South-Central

nJuly 23, Memphis, TN

nDecember 15, Dallas, TX

u.S. Southeast

nOctober 15, Miami, FL

Canadian region

nOctober 22, Ottawa, ON

2009 Breakfast Club Meetings

u.S. South-Central

nJuly 16, Wichita, KS

nJuly 17, Kansas City, MO

nOctober 15, Wichita, KS

nOctober 16, Kansas City, MO

u.S. Northeast/North-Central

nJuly 28, Pittsburgh, PA

nOctober 6, Pittsburgh, PA

nOctober 15, Wichita, KS

nOctober 16, Kansas City, MO

NovEMBEr 2009

da = data distribution design dc= data center designdd = distribution design

in = installationosp = outside plant designpm = project management

te = cabling installationWd = Wireless design

2-3 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, Kansas city, mo

2-3 pm100 telecommunications project management Fundamentals, Kansas city, mo


2-5 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, Kansas city, mo

2-6 pm125 telecommunications project management program, Kansas city, mo


4-6 pm120 telecommunications project management, Kansas city, mo

4-6 pm121 information technology project management, Kansas city, mo

4-6 pm122 outside plant project management, Kansas city, mo

4-6 pm123 Wireless project management, Kansas city, mo

4-6 dd120 grounding and protection Fundamentals for telecommunications systems, tampa, Fl


9-12 Fo110 Fiber optic network design, tampa, Fl

9-13 in101 its installer 1 training, atlanta, ga

9-13 in101 its installer 1 training, san diego, ca


15-20 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, columbus, oh

15-20 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, syracuse, ny

15-20 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, tampa, Fl

16-17 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, columbus, oh

16-18 dc110 data center design best practices, columbus, oh

16-19 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, columbus, oh

16-19 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, syracuse, ny

16-20 in225 its installer 2, copper training, atlanta, ga

16-20 in225 its installer 2, copper training, san diego, ca


16-20 Wd110 designing Wireless networks, tampa, Fl

18-20 dd120 grounding and protection Fundamentals for telecommunications systems, columbus, oh

29-12/4 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, minneapolis, mn

29-12/4 dd102 designing telecommunications distribution systems, providence, ri

30-12/1 dd100 introduction to voice/data cabling systems, tampa, Fl

30-12/1 pm100 telecommunications project management Fundamentals, tampa, Fl

30-12/3 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, minneapolis, mn

30-12/3 dd200 telecommunications distribution design review, providence, ri

30-12/4 pm125 telecommunications project management program, tampa, Fl


MICE What do ISO/IEC 24702, Information technology—Generic cabling—Industrial premises, published in September 2006, CENELEC EN 50173-3, Infor-mation technology—Generic cabling systems, Part 3: Industrial premises, published in 2007, and ANSI/TIA-1005, Telecommunica-tions Infrastructure Standard for Industrial Premises, published in

March 2009, all have in common? Each specifies telecommunications cabling to support industrial premises applications (e.g., voice, data, text, video, industrial and building controls, security, fire alarm, image) while allowing for exposures to wider ranges of temperature, humidity, electrical noise, shock, vibration, corrosive gases, dust and liquids than most commercial environments. Each of these standards uses the MICE model to characterize the severity of the environment, as does ANSI/TIA-568-C.0, Generic Telecommunications Cabling for Customer Premises, published in February 2009. In each case, the term MICE relates to the classification of the environment immediately surrounding the cabling channel. Four primary MICE criteria are used to classify an environment:

M—defining the mechanical characteristics of the environmentI—defining the ingress protection characteristics of the environmentC—defining the climatic and chemical characteristics of the environmentE—defining the electromagnetic characteristics of the environment

M1I1C1E1 generally relates to environmentally controlled areas such as commercial building offices, M2I2C2E2 generally relates to a light industrial environ-ment and M3I3C3E3 generally relates to an industrial environment. The most benign environmental classifi-cation is described as M1I1C1E1, and the harshest environ-mental classification is described as M3I3C3E3. The classification for areas with mixed environments may be described by including a classification level for each variable, for example M1I2C3E1. To achieve compatibility with the environment, designers can choose to specify enhanced cabling components or detail the protection, separation or isolation techniques to be used. When a cabling system component crosses an environmental boundary, the

component or mitigation technique selected should be compatible with the worst-case environment. Annex F of ANSI/TIA-568-C.0 contains a table entitled MICE environmental conditions. TSB-185 Environmental Classification (MICE) Tutorial is being developed as a companion to Annex F. TSB-185 will provide information on the development of the MICE environmental classification system and provide examples of the application. The TIA MICE model was originally created during the decadelong process of developing TIA-1005. It was then moved to ANSI/TIA-568-C.0 because the MICE model was to be “generically” applied across all types of cabling infrastructures. Then the tutorial portion of Annex F (informative and not part of the standard) was removed and used as a base for the current work in TSB-185. Having witnessed this laboriously tedious process firsthand, I have begun to feel like TV meteorologist Phil Conner in the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day.” During every ballot cycle, some experts argue that MICE is only applicable to the environment in which the components are located, while others want MICE to apply to cabling component classifications as well. So this persistent and seemingly endless controversy over a concept that has been well addressed in published ISO/IEC standards continues, with the resolution of the most recent ballot comments scheduled for August 2009. For the record, I contend that MICE is a system for classifying the environment in which a cabling channel has to function.

BICSI-002 in Third Ballot BICSI is seeking approval of BICSI-002, Data Center Design Standard and Recommended Practices, as an American National Standard (ANS) under the accredited canvass method of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In the canvass method, organizations and individuals known to have substantial concern and competence in the subject covered by the scope of the standard are canvassed or polled by mail in order to obtain evidence of consensus for approval of the standard. BICSI-002 is primarily a design standard withinstallation requirements and guidelines related to implementing a design. BICSI-002 provides a best practices and implementation standard that will complement TIA, CENELEC, ISO/IEC and other publish-ed data center standards. Ballot responses are due by September 7, 2009, at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Ballot comment resolution will begin September 20, 2009, at the MGM Grand Hotel & Conven-tion Center in Las Vegas during the BICSI Fall Conference.

standards report

Donna Ballast,RCDD

[email protected]

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