STRUCTURE OF DATA CABLING

A scholarly technical paper presented to the

ENGR. DIRK MALDITO CASOMO III

Heavy Metal Association of IT Professionals

B. Rodriguez Strt., Cebu City

In partial fulfillment of the requirements

For the subject in

SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

Submitted by:

Gliezl Joy M. Bautista

March 4, 2010
Title: Structure of Data Cabling

Author: Derek Rogers, A Freelance Author and Marketer

Abstract

Many network administrators keep hearing that the network is down

because of some or the other reason. Various researches indicate that in many

cases, the network is down on account of inferior cabling systems. And installing

standards-complaint structured cabling systems can eliminate much of this

downtime. Another important factor that needs to be taken into account is that

the structured cabling system, though it outlives most other networking

components, represents just five percent of the total network investment.

The structured cable is the only one that needs to be installed to contend

with the needs of telephone and data communications now and in the future. It is

a system that provides a very "structured" approach to the entire cabling system

—a single-mixed media network that handles all information traffic like voice,

data, video, and even big complex building management systems. In brief, it

could be described as a system that comprises a set of transmission products,

applied with engineering design rules that allow the user to apply voice, data, and

signals in a manner that maximizes data rates. Structured cabling divides the

entire infrastructure into manageable blocks and then attempts to integrate these

blocks to produce the high-performance networks that we have now come to rely

on. To the user, this means investment protection. In addition to investment

protection, structured cabling also provides administrative and management

capabilities. All cables originating from the different work locations are terminated

on a passive centralized cross-connect in the network room. Simple labeling and

colouring mechanisms provide for easy and quick identification of work outlets.

Hence, it provides for a single point for all administrative and management

requirements. Another underlying factor is management of change. It must be

realized that system architectures keep changing as the system evolves. And the

cabling architecture should be able to change with minimal inconvenience. The

provision of a central administrative panel provides the flexibility to make

additions, moves, and changes. The changes can be facilitated with simple

switch over of patch cords. Apart from this, structured cabling is also technology

independent.

The Problem

There are some problems before considering network requirements, the

machines and software, which are to be networked now or in the future, must be

identified.

• Identify which software applications the network operating system and

hardware must support

• Exclude software or machines that will be discarded for other reasons from

further networking considerations.

After answering the following questions, it should be possible to identify

which PC's will initially be networked, and what existing "legacy" networks should

be supported and grafted to the new network.

a) Which software packages are proposed to implement the target applications?

b) What hardware platform (type, size and speed of PC) will be required to run

the software?

c) Can existing computers be used, or will they require replacement?

d) Can existing computers be upgraded (higher speed CPU, add DOS card to

Mac, etc)?

e) If existing computers require replacement, should they be redeployed to less

demanding tasks?

f) To what extent will expenditure on replacement PC's and software reduce the

available budget for networking?

Methods and Procedure

Before we go further we will get the procedure and some advantages of

Structure of Data Cabling

The advantages of Structured cabling are:

 Consistency – A structured cabling systems means the same cabling

systems for Data, voice and video.

 Support for multi-vendor equipment – A standard-based cable system

will support applications and hardware even with mix & match vendors.

 Simplify moves/adds/changes – Structured cabling systems can support

any changes within the systems.

  Simplify troubleshooting – With structured cabling systems, problems

are less likely to down the entire network, easier to isolate and easier to

fix.

 Support for future applications – Structured cabling system supports

future applications like multimedia, video conferencing etc with little or no

upgrade pain.

Another primary advantage of structured cabling is fault isolation. By

dividing the entire infrastructure into simple manageable blocks, it is easy to test

and isolate the specific points of fault and correct them with minimal disturbance

to the network. A structured approach in cabling helps reduce maintenance

costs too. Structured cabling system is fast becoming the norm for small, medium

and large networks.

Local Area Network (LAN) technology has been available for over fifteen

years. The first decade of LAN technology development was a period in which

corporate computing users were gradually adapting to the new technology and

steadily rolling it out within organizations on a department basis. The technology

options for implementing corporate LANs during this period consisted primarily of

“Ethernet” and “Token Ring” products which would deliver on the average

approximately 200 Kbps to 500 Kbps per user and no more than 10 Mbps to 16

Mbps for an entire network. This first phase of LAN market growth was

characterized by an increasing penetration of LAN technology into corporate

computing environments. Within the last five years, the corporate computing

marketplace has been almost completely converted to the LAN-based model,

with over 80% of all PCs now attached to corporate LANs. As the use of

corporate LANs for supporting critical business functions has been increased, so

has the importance of speeding the rate at which these LANs process this critical

corporate information. This trend has recently fueled the development of multiple

new higher speed LAN technologies such as LAN switching, multiple 100 Mbps

Ethernet replacements and ATM-the ultimate high speed LAN/WAN technology.

Local Area Network (LAN) technology has been available for over fifteen

years. The first decade of LAN technology development was a period in which

corporate computing users were gradually adapting to the new technology and

steadily rolling it out within organizations on a department basis. The technology

options for implementing corporate LANs during this period consisted primarily of

“Ethernet” and “Token Ring” products which would deliver on the average

approximately 200 Kbps to 500 Kbps per user and no more than 10 Mbps to 16

Mbps for an entire network. This first phase of LAN market growth was

characterized by an increasing penetration of LAN technology into corporate

computing environments. Within the last five years, the corporate computing

marketplace has been almost completely converted to the LAN-based model,

with over 80% of all PCs now attached to corporate LANs. As the use of

corporate LANs for supporting critical business functions has been increased, so

has the importance of speeding the rate at which these LANs process this critical

corporate information. This trend has recently fueled the development of multiple

new higher speed LAN technologies such as LAN switching, multiple 100 Mbps

Ethernet replacements and ATM-the ultimate high speed LAN/WAN technology.

 Network managers face a difficult challenge when fitting up a new

corporate facility. They must ensure that every possible employee location is

accessible to the corporate LAN, but they must also ensure that each of these

locations can successfully work with a potentially broad range of new high 7

speed LAN technologies, since these technologies are rapidly gaining in

importance and becoming cost effective.

The solution to these challenges lies in implementing a structured cabling

system within a new facility. Such a system must extend to every employee work

area and must be able to support all of the existing LAN technologies and all of

the new and emerging high speed LAN technologies, since it is impossible to

predict where within a facility the highest capacity users will be at any time in the

future. The group, which sets standards for structured data wiring in the United

States, is the Telecommunications Industry Association, or TIA. The TIA 568A

standard defines multiple categories or grading of structured wiring system

performance, with the category 5 designation as the highest currently

standardized. The TIA 568A category 5 specifications are the basis to which

many of the new high-speed LAN technologies are targeted.

Highlights of the EIA/TIA-568A standards Purpose

 To specify a generic voice and data telecommunications cabling systems

that will support a multiproduct, multi-vendor environment.

 To provide direction for the design of telecommunications equipment and

cabling products intended to serve commercial enterprises

  To enable the planning and installation of a structured cabling system for

commercial buildings that is capable of supporting the diverse

telecommunications needs of building occupants

 To establish performance and technical criteria for various types of cable

and connecting hardware and for cabling system design and installation

In addition to the 90 meters of horizontal cable, a total of 10 meters is

allowed for work area and telecommunications closet patch and jumper cables.

Backbone Cabling:

a) Main Cross-connect (MC)

b) Interbuilding Backbone Cable

c) Intermediate Cross-connect (IC)

d) Intrabuilding Backbone Cable

Work Area (WA)

• Telecommunications Closet (TS)

• Equipment Room (ER)

• Entrance Facility (EF)

• Administration**

** Although administration is addressed to a limited extent, the governing

specification on telecommunications administration is ANSI/EIA/TIA-606.

STRUCTURED CABLING

Structured Cabling System Design Considerations

The six subsystem of a Structured Cabling System are as follows:

A. Building Entrance

Building entrance facilities provide the point at which outside cabling interfaces

with the intrabuilding backbone cabling. The physical requirements of the

network interface are defined in the EIA/TIA-569 standard.

B. Equipment Room

The design aspects of the equipment room are specified in the EIA/TIA-569

standard. Equipment rooms usually house equipment of higher complexity than

telecommunication closets. An equipment room may provide any or all of the

functions of a telecommunications closet.

C. Backbone Cabling

The backbone cabling provides interconnection between

telecommunications closets, equipment rooms and entrance facilities. It consists

of the backbone cables, intermediate and main crossconnects, mechanical

terminations and patch cords or jumpers used for backbone-to-backbone cross-

connection. This includes:

• Vertical connection between floors (risers)

• Cables between an equipment room and building cable entrance facilities

• Cables between buildings (inter-building)

Other Design Requirements

• Star topology

• Bridge and taps are not allowed

• Main and intermediate cross-connect jumper or patch cord lengths should not

exceed 20 meters (66 feet)

• Grounding should meet the requirements defined in EIA/TIA 607

• Equipment connections to backbone cabling lengths of 30m (98ft) or less.

• The backbone cabling shall be configured in a star topology. Each horizontal

cross-connect is connected directly to a main cross-connect or to an intermediate

cross-connect, then to a main cross-connect.

• The backbone is limited to no more than two hierarchical levels of cross-

connects ( main and intermediate). No more than one cross-connect may exist

between a main and a horizontal cross-connect and no more than three cross-

connects may exist between any two horizontal cross-connects.

• A total maximum backbone distance of 90m(295ft) is specified for high band-

width capability over copper. This distance is for uninterrupted backbone runs.

( No intermediate crossconnect)

• The distance between the terminations in the entrance facility and the main

cross-connect shall be documented and should be made available to the service

provider.

• Recognized media may be used individually or in combination, as required by

the installation. Quantity of repairs and fibers needed in individual backbone runs

depends on the area served.

• Avoid installing where sources of high levels of EMI/RFI may exist

TIA Backbone Cable Distance (MC to HC)

- Singlemode Fiber………………………..3000m(9840ft)

- 62.5/125um Multimode Fiber……………2000m(6560ft)

- UTP Copper Applications<5Mhz………..800m(2625ft)

Generalization

Cable is the medium through which information usually moves from one

network device to another. There are several types of cable, which are commonly

used with LANs. In some cases, a network will utilize only one type of cable;

other networks will use a variety of cable types. The type of cable chosen for a

network is related to the network's topology, protocol, and size. Understanding

the characteristics of different types of cable and how they relate to other aspects

of a network is necessary for the development of a successful network.

Unshielded Twisted Pair

UTP may vary from telephone-grade wire to extremely high-speed cable. This

cable has four pairs inside the jacket. Each pair is twisted with a different number

of twists per inch to help eliminate interference from adjacent pairs and other

electrical devices. UTP can support telephone, 4 & 16 Mb/s Token Ring,

Ethernet, 100 Mb/s Ethernet, Copper FDDI (CDDI), 155 Mb/s ATM. UTP cable is

rated by the EIA/TIA standards into categories. Among these the best value on

pricing is Category 3 and Category 5. However, Category 3 is rated to 10 MHz,

suitable for Ethernet (10 Mb/s), and Category 5 is rated to 100 MHz, suitable for

Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s) and ATM (155 Mb/s).

There is also Category 5e (Enhanced Category 5). It is the recently ratified

standard designed to make the world safe for full-duplex Fast Ethernet. The main

difference between Category 5 and Category 5e can be found on the

specifications and the performance has been raised slightly. UTP cable is

generally wired in the star topology due to the troubleshooting advantages

associated with stars.

Shielded Twisted Pair

A disadvantage of the UTP is that it is susceptible to radio and electrical

frequency interference. Shielded Twisted Pair is suitable for environments with

electrical interference. It has a foil shielding which can block out the electrical

interference, but this makes the cable bulky and often difficult to work with and it

uses a Universal Data Connector. However, a new version of STP cable

introduced and promoted by companies like ITT Datacomm uses RJ-45

connector. It is not bulky, and it is easy to work with. It has a much better signal

carrying capability than the UTP.

Fiber-Optic Cable

Fiber Optic cabling consists of a center glass core surrounded by several

layers of protective materials. Fiber optic cable offers up the possibility of very

high bandwidth and perfect immunity to noise. It transmits light rather than

electronic signals, eliminating the problem of electrical interference. This makes it

ideal for environments with large amount electrical interference and it has also

been made a standard for connecting networks between buildings, due to its

immunity to the effects of moisture and lightning.

 Fiber optic cable has the ability to transmit signals over much longer

distances than coaxial and twisted pair. It also has the capability to carry

information at vastly greater speeds. This capacity broadens communication

possibilities to include services such as video conferencing and interactive

services. However, it costs significantly more to purchase fiber optic cable,

connectors, patch panels, jumper cables, tools and network interface cards. It is

also difficult to install and modify.

There are two types of fiber optic cabling- multimode (MMF) and

singlemode (SMF). Light propagates through the core (central portion) of optical

fiber. Multimode fiber, with a typical core diameter of 62.5 microns or 50 microns,

is designed for coupling light from low cost LED-based transmitters. Singlemode

fiber has a core diameter of 10 microns and is only suitable for laser-based

transmission. Much of the installed base of optical fiber supporting LAN

backbones is multi-mode because most of the current-generation 10 or 100 Mb/s

LAN equipment is LED-based.

Gigabit Ethernet operating at 1.25 Gbps is too fast for LEDs and requires

the use of lasers. Traditionally, laser –based data transmission has been used

with singlemode fiber. The 1000Base-X standard has introduced laser-based

transmission over multimode fiber and this new type of transmission has

introduced new types of physical layer issues.

Findings

The group, which sets standards, for structured cabling system is the

Electronic Industry Association/Telecommunication Industry Association, or

EIA/TIA. The EIA/TIA 568A standard defines multiple categories or upgrading of

structure cabling system performance, with the category 5 designations as the

highest currently standardized. The EIA/TIA 568A category 5 specification is the

basis to which many of the new high-speed LAN technologies are targeted.

EIA/TIA published a baseline standard for field-testing installed category 5

structured cabling. This document, EIA/TIA TSB-67, defines the test functions,

test procedures and the minimum instrument requirements to accurately

determine if installed cabling meets the category 5 performance level.

The following are the published standards:

- EIA/TIA-568-A: Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling/wiring

Standards.

- EIA/TIA-569-A: Telecommunications Pathways & Spaces.

- EIA/TIA TSB-36: Additional UTP Specifications.

- EIA/TIA TSB-40A: Additional UTP Connecting Hardware Specifications.

- EIA/TIA TSB-53: Additional STP Connecting Hardware Specifications.

- EIA/TIA TSB-67: Field Testing Bulletin for TIA 568-A.

- EIA/TIA TSB-95: Field Testing Bulletin for TIA 568-A.

- EIA/TIA-606: Building Infrastructure Administration Standard.

- EIA/TIA-607: Grounding and Bonding Requirements.

- EIA/TIA TSB-72: Centralized Optical Fiber Cabling Guidelines.

- EIA/TIA 526-14(OFSTP-14): Optical Power Loss Measurement of Installed

Multimode Fiber Cable Plant.

- EIA/TIA 526-7(OFSTP-7): Measurement of Optical Power Loss of Installed

Single-Mode fiber Cable Plant.

References

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