Structured Cabling: Strengthening the Backbone

If one is not using modular cabling solutions, then one must insist on installing latest products (copper & fiber) that are standards compliant and tested for the performance by third party as a complete system. It is better to deploy an end-to-end solution from a single vendor instead of installing component-based network.

IT/BPO, BFSI, telecom, education, and health verticals are the usual key drivers for the growth of SCS industry in India

Planning Your Infrastructure

Build your network with a vision keeping in mind your future expansion, capacity needed, future applications and ability to support triple play
Choose an experienced cable vendor with good support service
Work with installation partners who are qualified and trained engineers to ensure proper terminations
It is recommended that one should use modular components that are pre-terminated and tested at the factory prior to shipment
Always choose standard cable components. Category5e, Category6, Category6A are the three UTP cabling systems that are commonly available standards
Opt for intelligent infrastructure management system for a better control over your IT backbone while being more secure and easy to handle.
Make sure that terminations are proper as this is one of the common mistakes while cabling
Choose between copper and fiber depending on bandwidth capacity and return on investment

Midspan for POE, should be seriously considered-it is expected to change the way IT deploys big applications. Use of products like intelligent patch panels solutions for ease in maintenance and frequent moves, additions and changing scenarios would greatly improve maintenance time.

Choosing Standards
Indian market is mainly a UTP market where Category5e, Category6, and Category6A are the three UTP cabling systems that are available for data communication. Category5e cabling is now considered for small enterprises though it can support Gigabit Ethernet. Category6 cabling system dominates the market as of now. With the recent ratification of IEEE 802.3an 10 Gb Ethernet standards, Category6A started gaining market acceptance. Category6A can support 10 Gb Ethernet for the full channel distance. Fiber optic cables are used in backbone connectivity. Cat7 is also in the market, however its uptake is not very significant.

While it is often difficult to predict the future needs of specific tenants, it is certain that all will have telephone service and most will have a computer network that allows information and centralized equipment, such as printers, to be shared. The computer network will typically provide access to the Internet via either a broadband modem (cable or DSL) or a dedicated T-1 or higher-capacity line, depending upon the number of users and the applications being used.

Kiosks for Intelligent Cabling Solutions (India specific)
Vendor	Product Name	Feature	No of installations
Tyco	AMPTRAC Intelligent Cable Management System	Automatically generates a complete physical topology of the network at the data center, enabling troubleshooting the network remotely.	200,000 ports in last fiscal with over 30 customers
Systimax	iPatch System	An integrated real time infrastructure management solution comprised of intelligent copper and fiber patch panels, a Rack Manager Plus unit for managing and monitoring the panels in a rack or cabinet and System Manager software.	NA
ADC Krone	TrueNet PLM (Physical Layer Management)	TrueNet PLM drastically speeds and simplifies daily network provisioning, maintenance and security providing Network Managers with full visibility and control of the network and its assets.	Over 10 installations
Molex	Premise Networks Real Time Patching System	Comprises of intelligent patch panels, patch cords, integration strips, cable and physical layer management hardware and software. A key feature is that it can be retrofitted to legacy cabling systems in addition to new installations.	Over 14,000 drops
Panduit	Panduit PANVIEW –Intelligent Cabling Systems	Provides real-time information on the state of patch field connections.	One installation
Belden CDT	RiT's PatchView IPLMS (Intelligent Physical Layer Management Solutions)	It consists of a comprehensive, standards-based, end-to-end SCS with intelligent patch panels and software agents. It presents complete view of physical layer connectivity and its relation to the logical layers.	Over 16,000 drops

Intelligent vs Traditional
Parameters	Intelligent Cabling Management	Traditional Networking Management
Security Features	System quickly identifies unauthorized changes and alerts the network manager	Cannot detect authorized and unauthorized changes. Does not generate any alerts
Work process flow	After identifying a problem, the system can suggest possible changes to rectify the problem through e-mail or text alerts. The user can revise suggested changes	Third-party software needs to be procured to automate the process; however, it provides no interlink between the physical layer and other network layers
Documentation support	Software automates documentation process and generates detailed reports for cable, port and asset utilization. develop disaster-recovery plans; and document physical-layer activity	Manual documentation has to be maintained. Reports cannot be generated for passive devices such as patch panels, patch cords and the utilization of the same in the network
Database maintenance	Automatically updates the database of any changes made to the network	Manual spreadsheet databases need to be updated
Re-Synchronization	When a network outage occurs, the system database automatically re-synchronizes upon the restoration of power, showing network asset connectivity changes	No automated re-synchronization takes place. All updates have to be documented manually

Upgrading to Category5e or Category6 wiring ensures that today's networking technologies running at 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps can be easily supported. It is important to match the categories of both the connectors and wiring because the weakest link dictates the performance of the circuit.