Cabling Planner Issue 020

MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS

2017

ISSUE 20

A special supplement with

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CAT 8

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FOUNDER, CPI MEDIA GROUP Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015)

CABLINGPLANNER MAKING THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS

2017

ISSUE 019

Publishing Director Natasha Pendleton natasha.pendleton@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9139 ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Kausar Syed kausar.syed@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9138 Sales Manager Merle Carrasco merle.carrasco@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9147 CIRCULATION Circulation Manager Rajeesh M rajeesh.nair@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9119

CONTENTS

4 FEATURE New Cat on the block

EDITORIAL Group Editor Jeevan Thankappan jeevan.thankappan@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9129 Editor James Dartnell james.dartnell@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9153 Online Editor Adelle Geronimo adelle.geronimo@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9135 Deputy Editor Glesni Holland glesni.holland@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9134 PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Production Manager James P Tharian james.tharian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5673 Senior Designer Analou Balbero analou.balbero@cpimediagroup.com Designer Neha Kalvani neha.kalvani@cpimediagroup.com Operations Manager Shweta Santosh shweta.santosh@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9107 DIGITAL SERVICES Web Developer Jefferson de Joya Abbas Madh

8 INTERVIEW: Nexans Cabling Solutions

10 INTERVIEW:

Photographers Charls Thomas Maksym Poriechkin webmaster@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 440 9100 Published by

Siemon

Publication licensed by Dubai Production City, DCCA PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 440 9100 Fax: +971 4 447 2409 Regional partner of

12

14

INTERVIEW: R&M

INTERVIEW: Fluke Networks

Printed by Printwell Printing Press © Copyright 2017 CPI All rights reserved While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

COVER FEATURE CAT 8

NEW CAT ON THE BLOCK Representing the next generation of twisted pair cabling, Category 8 supports bandwidths of up to 2GHz and will be used initially in data centres for 25G and 40Gb Ethernet for distances of up to 30 metres (100 feet).

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C

ategory 8, the newgeneration twisted-pair cabling specification, which was ratified by TIA last year promises to redefine copper cabling for data centres.

Composed of four shielded copper twisted pairs, with the similar overall diameter as Cat 6A and Cat 7A cables, the Category 8

cabling system is fully backwardcompatible with the previous standards.

In order to support the 40G data transmission, the overall length of the Category 8 cabling channel will be limited to 30 meters, and IEEE says majority of the applications within the data centre can be serviced with a 30-meter overall reach.

How it was done In 2011, TIA first submitted the Project Authorization Request (PAR), the official "Call for Interest" for nextgeneration cabling (with "cabling" defined as the cable and connector together). This prompted cable manufacturers to begin developing Category 8 prototypes and also prompted the ANSI/TIA and ISO/IEC 2017 CABLING PLANNER 5

COVER FEATURE CAT 8 committees to begin developing new standards for Category 8 cabling and field testing devices.

The TIA and IEC committees are made up of representatives from cable, cabling system, and field testing manufacturers, as well as installers and users of cabling systems. While many of these vendors are market competitors, it benefits them to work together to develop a common set of product standards. This ensures that all Category 8 cabling will offer the same performance levels, regardless of manufacturer, and all Category 8 field testers will certify all Category 8 cabling using agreed performance measurement levels.

The committees developed the standards over several years, and the final result was ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1, an addendum to the established 568-C.2 standard for balanced twisted-pair cabling, including requirements for Category 8 cabling and components.

What is accelerating the adoption of Cat 8?

"As core networking speeds approach 200 Gb/s, the need for 25 Gb/s and even higher Ethernet speeds to support server to switch connections in the data centre will be the major driver towards adoption of category 8,” says Narender Vasandani, technical manager – Middle East and India at Siemon. “Because the extended bandwidth that is needed to support

"AS CORE NETWORKING SPEEDS APPROACH 200 GB/S, THE NEED FOR 25 GB/S AND EVEN HIGHER ETHERNET SPEEDS TO SUPPORT SERVER TO SWITCH CONNECTIONS IN THE DATA CENTRE WILL BE THE MAJOR DRIVER TOWARDS ADOPTION OF CATEGORY 8."

Narender Vasandani, technical manager – Middle East and India at Siemon

25 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s throughput is greater than specified for category 7A, higher performing categories of cabling are needed to support these emerging applications. Balanced twisted-pair solutions at the “edge” of the data centre offer the advantages of attractive cost and the ability to support multiple generations of technology without the need for re-cabling.”

Tarek Helmy, regional director of Nexans Cabling Solutions, says it’s important for IT managers to understand how Cat 8 will impact the data centre infrastructure. “With the ever-increasing number of mobile devices and IoT (Internet of Things), data has also grown and increased exponentially. Virtualisation and cloud are other trends that are putting

WITH THE EVER-INCREASING NUMBER OF MOBILE DEVICES AND IOT (INTERNET OF THINGS), DATA HAS ALSO GROWN AND INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. VIRTUALISATION AND CLOUD ARE OTHER TRENDS THAT ARE PUTTING PRESSURE ON CONVENTIONAL NETWORK ARCHITECTURES, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF ENSURING BUSINESS CONTINUITY. Tarek Helmy, regional director of Nexans Cabling Solutions

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pressure on conventional network architectures, particularly in terms of ensuring business continuity. These developments affecting the data centre environment place a new series of demands on the network at the level of cabling infrastructure, and are changing data centre design from the ground level up.”

He adds that today, data centres need higher speeds, greater design flexibility and a cost-effective migration path. Cabling needs to support the increasing need for speed and bandwidth and Cat 8 cabling can be the right fit for organisations that are looking at future-proofing their networks in data centres.

In the near future, Cat 8 is expected to become the physical medium of choice for 25G/40G data cantres. “Cat 8 seems set to become the mainstream technology for racklevel interconnects in the data centre.

Unlike copper cabling for earlier 1G and 10G technologies, Cat 8 will not have a 100-metre range. For most data centre purposes, however, this limitation is not a problem,” says Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa.

Cat 8 copper is an excellent, future-proof solution for current and upcoming generations of active equipment, with 10G and 40G. The inherent distance limitations are seldom an issue in data centre applications. Current specifications also adequately deal with crosstalk,

and manufacturers and standards bodies have smart solutions for any potential connection problems. Data centre operators and planners can make a cost-effective choice and reduce capex without increasing opex and without sacrificing ease of use, flexibility and reliability, he says.

Vasandani adds that the unique channel topology of Cat 8 is optimised to support server to switch connections and 25G/40GBASE-T Ethernet defined in the IEEE Std 802.3bq-2016 amendment that published almost a year ago. “Data centre designers that can arrange their rack and cabinet layouts to support maximum 30-metre channel connections at these locations today will be well-positioned to migrate to 25G/40GBASE-T when the technology becomes available,” he says.

Leveraging the existing infrastructure Category 8 cables will physically be very similar to shielded Category 6A or Category 7A cables. The conductor size will not change, nor should the overall diameter.

“Category 8 is going to be a shielded RJ45 system limited to a 30 metre channel (24 metres jack to jack). It will be RJ45 based, which is expected to be the same as the equipment running 25 and 40GBASE-T. Hence, Category 8 will be similar to Category 6A, but in this case the channels will be shorter and everything is shielded,” says Bassel Halabi, Regional Business Manager, Middle East and Pakistan, Panduit.

Since category 8 and class I cabling will have a similar design construction to shielded category 6A/class EA cabling and class II cabling will have a similar design construction to fullyshielded category 7A/class FA cabling, the installation methods are not expected to be significantly different.

“Category 8, class I, and class II cabling will also be backward compatible with lower categories and classes of cabling. For example, a category 8 connector can be used

in a class EA channel and class EA channel performance will be assured.

Category 8 cabling may be installed in existing pathways and conduit; however, it is important to note that category 8 deployment configurations are typically row based - with edge switches and their corresponding patch panels residing in an end-ofrow or middle-of-row networking cabinet (or rack) and servers and their corresponding patch panels located in the other cabinets (or racks) within the row,” says Vasandani.

Khalil from R&M echoes a similar opinion: “With the higher frequency

and adapters allowing accurate performance data of the relevant measurement elements and criteria,” says Stéphane Bourgeois, Director, Technology and Applications, Belden - Enterprise Solutions Though Cat 8 is fully backwardcompatible, the key question is whether it supports modular RJ45 connectors.

“The cabling infrastructure needs to be able to support frequencies up to 1250MHz for 25G and 2000MHz for 40G. That put special strains on the network,

"CATEGORY 8 IS GOING TO BE A SHIELDED RJ45 SYSTEM LIMITED TO A 30 METRE CHANNEL (24 METRES JACK TO JACK). IT WILL BE RJ45 BASED, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE THE SAME AS THE EQUIPMENT RUNNING 25 AND 40GBASE-T." Bassel Halabi, Regional Business Manager, Middle East and Pakistan, Panduit

and tighter margins, the need for professional installation, testing and certification becomes more and more crucial for a successful implementation. Control of channel length will be a big issue. What kind of patch cords can be used- their length and wire diameter- will have to be made clear and controlled.”

The field testing requirements of Cat 8 are also different as certain performance requirements (i.e. transverse conversion loss, resistance unbalance between pairs) have been specified for the first time in Category 8 cabling standards.

“Testing offering manufacturer system warranty is a relevant part of installing data network solutions as this ensures performance requirements. It is also critical to use the appropriate tester type

its cable, its connectors and its cords. Although Cat8 is designed to connect active equipment with RJ45 connectors, this does not imply that the RJ45 jacks are truly capable of supporting 40GBase-T over a frequency band up till 2GHz (including headroom),” says Helmy from Nexans.

Vasandai from Siemon adds that while class I and category 8 cabling specifications are supported by modular RJ-45 style connecting hardware, the connectors must be designed specifically to support 2 GHz operation. “The performance associated with class II cabling can only be realised when category 8.2 cables are used in conjunction with non RJ-45 interfaces.”

2017 CABLING PLANNER 7

INTERVIEW NEXANS CABLING SOLUTIONS

STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE Tarek Helmy, regional director of Nexans Cabling Solutions, on what his company brings to the table for regional enterprises.

T

he structured cabling market was stagnant last year. Do you see the market growing this year? If yes, what is driving the demand?

Though the growth of the Middle East structured cabling market was much slower last year compared to the previous years, it was still growing and will continue to grow over the next couple of years especially with so much development happening here.

Events such as Dubai Expo 2020, Saudi’s Vision 2030 and digital transformation initiatives, and Qatar FIFA 2022 are driving new infrastructure projects in this region.

Over the last few years, we have won large infrastructure projects in countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan to name some. Due to government country digitisation initiatives and ongoing infrastructure projects such as airports, hotels, hospitals, educational institutes to name a few across the region, Nexans saw the highest demand for structured cabling solutions from these types of clients. We are confident Nexans will experience similar growth in 2017 and beyond.

Is Cat 8 cable the ideal solution to meet today’s need for high-speed connectivity?

Cat 8 allows organisations to transport data up to four times faster on the same type of cabling already being used. It is primarily intended to support 25G and

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40G applications for short distances for switch-to-server connections in data centres. Cat 8 can play a role in meeting the growing need for high-speed communications in data centres or other high bandwidth applications that run on copper cable.

Our Cat 8 solution for data centres, LANmark-8 supports both 25G and 40G, while LANmark-7A supports up to 25G. This new generation of twisted pair cabling is designed to support growing data needs by enabling cost savings for BASE-T protocols compared to fibre or twinax solutions. So far BASE-T is limited to 10G but 25G and 40G will be available soon and will require new cabling better than Category 6A. Nexans is the first global vendor to offer commercially available Cat-8 cabling solutions in this region. We have seen a lot of interest for our LANmark-8 cabling from the region.

What kind of cabling would you recommend for the new generation of wireless LANs? Wireless Access Points (WAPs) are transmitting more and more data at increasingly higher speeds. WAPs are connected with each other via a cabling network. In fact, wireless is one of the main drivers of increased bandwidth demands in the office. Next generation WAPs require 10Gb/s uplink ports and studies are done to run at 25Gb/s.We would recommend Cat 6A or Cat 7A for the new generation of wireless LAN. We recommend at least two Cat 6A cables

to each WAP at the minimum or they may even consider Cat 7A for future 25G support.

With the advances in passive optic networks and active Ethernet technologies, is it time for enterprises to transition to fibre optic networks?

With the ever-increasing demands on the network, it is important for organisations to have a scalable infrastructure, which forms the basis for a future-proof solution and guarantees high network performance to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.

In enterprises, fibre cables are used mainly in network backbones and server rooms or data centres to connect switches to switches. Fibre is always the backbone of the LAN and also the only option if the channel distance exceeds 100 metres. In the era of digital transformation and intelligent building, fibre cabling is definitely important and is used for larger buildings that require backbone cabling.

The benefits of fibre optic networks include future-proof (scalable, flexible, sustainable), investment protection/life cycle, secure network, low maintenance cost/simple administration, low investment cost, quick and simple realization and upto to 70% less energy consumption. The Fibre To The Office (FTTO) concept combines the advantages of fibre with the requirements of modern enterprise networks for flexibility, cost-efficiency and interoperability.

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INTERVIEW SIEMON

WIRED FOR INNOVATION Narender Vasandani, RCDD, technical manager Middle East and India at Siemon, encapsulates the latest trends in the regional structured cabling market.

T

he structured cabling market was stagnant last year. Do you see the market growing this year? If yes, what is driving the demand?

The Middle East economy in general went through a challenging period last year. Subsequently, investment in new projects had slowed down in some key markets and so has investment in IT including structured cabling.

We believe this is a temporary phase and are confident that the Middle East economy is bound to soar much higher going forward. The businesses are now realigned to the new realities and we are witnessing the market now picking up at a good pace.

IT is now the central element of any business strategy and this will have a positive effect on structured cabling as the cabling infrastructure forms the foundation of any organisation’s IT and all of its systems rely upon it. We are seeing great demand for intelligent/ smart buildings and data centres in the region and the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data are rapidly evolving. The structured cabling market is bound to benefit from these developments and we are already witnessing significant market growth this year.

Is Cat 8 cable the ideal solution to meet today’s need for high-speed connectivity?

Category 8 cabling is certainly an

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ideal solution to support high speed links at the data centre ‘edge’ where server to switch connections are made. This new category of cabling was developed in response to ever increasing server uplink speeds found in the data centre and the need for 40 Gb/s and even higher Ethernet speeds to support these connections. Class I, class II, and category 8 cabling has a unique channel topology that is optimised for support of 25GBASE-T and 40GBASE-T server to switch connections in the data centre. It is characterised to 2 GHz and supports 30 meter cabling channels that contain no more than 2 connectors. These channels and the emerging 25G/40GBASE-T applications that they support are specifically targeted for deployment at the data centre ‘edge’ where server to switch connections are made. Data centre designers that can arrange their rack and cabinet layouts to support maximum 30-metre channel connections at these locations today and be well-positioned to migrate to 25G/40GBASE-T when the technology becomes available.

In contrast, the data centre backbone, where switch-to-switch backbone links to the core and to the storage area network (SAN) are rapidly migrating from 10 Gigabit per second (Gb/s) speeds to 40 and 100 Gb/s, is best served by optical fibre cabling.

What kind of cabling would you recommend for the new generation of wireless LANs? The performance of wired uplink connections supporting today’s Wi-Fi devices is critical to achieving stated throughput capacity. It is therefore recommended that a minimum of two category 6A shielded channels be deployed to each wireless access point to not only support 1000BASE-T link aggregation of today’s 1.3 Gb/s 802.11ac implementations, but also future 2.6 Gb/s and higher data rate implementations that may utilise 10GBASE-T. Shielded cabling is specifically recommended if the access points are receiving 30-watt Type 2 PoE remote power from the switch due to its superior heat dissipation. Under all circumstances, the equipment outlets, patch panels, and other connecting hardware used in channels supporting remotely powered Wi-Fi devices should comply with IEC 60512-99-001 to ensure that critical contact seating surfaces are not damaged when plugs and jacks are unmated under 802.11ac remote powering current loads. In addition, a zone cabling deployment configuration is recommended. This type of design places floor or ceiling enclosures containing consolidation points with spare port capacity in a grid pattern throughout the building space, which allows for rapid reconfiguration of wireless coverage

areas and provides redundant and future-proof access point connections.

The pace of Wi-Fi application development shows no sign of slowing down as the IEEE P802.11ax High Efficiency WLAN (HEW) Task Group currently develops specifications for 6th generation Wi-Fi that will support at least a fourfold improvement in the average throughput per wireless station (i.e., potentially greater than 10 Gb/s throughput, which would likely require 10GBASE-T link aggregation).

Therefore, a proper specification of the balanced twisted-pair cabling uplinks has never been so important.

We are seeing the rise of digital buildings in the region. What should be the cabling design considerations for these converged buildings?

In ‘digital’ buildings, a zone cabling design is best suited for the convergence of voice, data, wireless, and building device applications over one managed network as zone cabling provides a highly flexible and agile infrastructure that is ready to respond to new applications and changing needs. Zone cabling consists of horizontal cables that run from the telecommunications room (TR) to intermediate connection points housed in zone enclosures (called the service concentration point or SCP).

Connections at the SCP are typically facilitated by connecting hardware, supporting two to 96 outlets. Cables are then connected from outlets in the SCP to building devices, such as security cameras or building automation controllers, or to outlets serving voice/data, wireless, security and other systems. Further benefits include less disruptive reorganisation of work areas and equipment and simplifying deployment of new devices and applications. Each zone enclosure serves many devices residing in coverage areas, which are typically presented as overlapping circles having radii of up to 13m. A well-designed arrangement of zone enclosures will ensure sufficient SCP availability to support present and future devices in multiple coverage areas and provide optimum accessibility, which translates to lower cost for MACs.

Narender Vasandani, RCDD, Technical Manager MECA, Siemon

Various patterns may be used to lay out coverage areas and their associated zone enclosures, such as the hexagon pattern, grid pattern or leg pattern.

With the advances in passive optic networks and active Ethernet technologies, is it time for enterprises to transition to fibre optic networks?

One of the key trends influencing digital transformation today is the fast development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the vast amounts of information (known as ‘Big Data’) generated by the IoT, as well as by increasing storage intensive and cloudbased applications.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is evolving rapidly with Gartner predicting 50 billion connected devices by 2020. The vast amounts of data generated by these devices is characterised by its extreme volume and its wide variety of types from a multitude of devices, and all of this

data must be transmitted, stored, processed and analysed quickly and effectively. To achieve this, high speed optical fibre cabling infrastructures are required in the backbone of enterprise data centres. Especially within switchto-switch backbone links to the core and to the storage area network (SAN), there is immense pressure to process these extreme data volumes.

In addition, switch-to-switch links are rapidly migrating from 10 Gigabit per second (Gb/s) speeds to 40 and 100 Gb/s and beyond. Optical fibre enables reliable high bandwidth, low latency connections. And with the continual requirement for expansion and scalability the deployment of an optical connectivity solution allows for an infrastructure that provides reliability, manageability and flexibility for current and future data rates.

However, it must be noted that copper will remain the primary cabling media in horizontal links due to its ability to support remote powering applications like power over Ethernet (PoE).

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INTERVIEW R&M

TAKING CARE OF THE NETWORK Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa, answers some of the key questions about network cabling and emerging technologies.

T

he structured cabling market was stagnant last year. Do you see the market growing this year? If yes, what is driving the demand?

Last year, it wasn’t just the structured cabling industry, but many industry segments that were impacted by the general economic slowdown in the region brought on by the decline in oil prices.

However, Q1 2017 has already registered a healthy growth rate and this brings confidence back to the market. We expect that there will be moderate growth through the year. In the UAE for example, preparation for Expo 2020 will bring spending back to the hospitality, airports, recreational, and retail segments. Other Middle Eastern countries also have ambitions to digitise their economies, increase internet penetration and performance through FTTH projects, and reinitiate some of their major construction projects. All this will continue to drive growth in the coming years.

Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M Middle East, Turkey and Africa

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Is Cat 8 cable the ideal solution to meet today’s need for high-speed connectivity?

While organisations must now future-proof their connectivity investments for 40G and even 100G with fibre, copper cabling is still

a good option for horizontal links (10G). In fact, with Cat 8, it will be able to provide 40G for 30 meters.

So, it remains sufficient for small distances, mainly for data centre horizontal links.

However, when the network team wants to provide a backbone in 40G or 100G, they will need to start thinking about fibre cabling, especially when the distances involved exceed 30 meters.

Are users choosing shielded solutions over unshielded?

As technology leader in shielded and unshielded cabling systems, R&M has also taken the lead with the most reliable and convenient Cat 6A solutions.

Our unshielded Cat 6A / Class EA product line with its especially high performance reserve is intended for generic cabling systems for applications up to 10 GB/s with increased requirements. It is best suited for mid-sized installations with high data volume in demanding environments and with highest availability. The shielded Cat 6A / Class EA product line offers the above features with improved protection against external disturbances (EMI).

That said, there is no straightforward answer to this as the questions of shielded or unshielded is always the first that is raised when deciding on investing in a local data network or structured office cabling. Shielded copper cabling gives signal transmission reliable protection against interference; and is said to be more secure; while unshielded copper cabling is easier to install, and is thus often more affordable which is why it is used all over the world.

In terms of performance, when correctly installed, both technologies offer sufficient reserves for applications up to and including 1 Gigabit ethernet. With 10 Gigabit ethernet to the workstation, there is a requirement for sensitive high frequency technology up to 500 MHz. The 10GBASE-T specification

by IEEE, which is the standard for

10 GbE transmission over copper twisted pair, permits the use of both Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) and Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) copper cabling systems.

What kind of cabling would you recommend for the new generation of wireless LANs? Wireless access points still require cabling and power supply. The cabling is required to provide highspeed Ethernet, while for power, Power over Ethernet is usually needed.

The Cat 6A U/UTP WARP cables developed by R&M dissipate heat – when using Power over Ethernet (PoE) – more effectively than conventional unshielded cables.

They behave just as well as shielded cables. And that brings a number of advantages for network planning.

Therefore, we would recommend Cat 6A cabling as it provides the high performance needed for today’s wireless access points.

Furthermore, today, Cat 6A is very easy to deploy and is cost-effective and flexible.

Power over Ethernet – that is, supplying power to terminal equipment over data cables – is increasingly popular. In the future, all four twisted pairs are to be used for the power feed (4PPoE).

Up to one ampere is supposed to flow over each twisted pair. On the one hand, this makes new applications possible. But on the other, it means that network cables heat up more. Warmer cables

40G

provided by Cat 8 for 30 meters

attenuate data transmission. This means network planners have to do their calculations with shorter link lengths.

The corresponding IEEE 802.3bt standard is currently being developed and cabling that adopts this standard will be well suited for wireless LANs. IEEE 802.3bt is a leap forward for Power over Ethernet (PoE) as instead of 13 or 22 watts, end devices will be able to be supplied with up to 100 watts of power. This will allow powerful devices such as wireless access points and multimedia devices to be powered via the data cables within the office’s or building’s structured cabling system.

With the advances in passive optic networks and active Ethernet technologies, is it time for enterprises to transition to fibre optic networks?

POL is the most future proof fibre to the work area network, eliminating for example the need for blow in technology since there is simply no conceivable reason why the used fibre infrastructure would have to be replaced or enlarged. In addition, emerging from a provider based FTTH environment, POL offers superb management capabilities and codes. Therefore, administration of a POL system using existing integrated management codes is much simpler than administrating an Ethernet network. POL, therefore, may be better suited to a new "greenfield" campus network build. However, it still would require additional training and the introduction of perhaps unfamiliar networking environment.

While fibre optic networks are the way forward for highperformance 40GbE and 100GbE applications, enterprises today still find use for copper cabling. As explained in my response above, R&M provides high-quality shielded and unshielded copper cabling that is still capable of meeting the demanding requirements of networks today.

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INTERVIEW FLUKE NETWORKS

TESTING TIMES It's important to understand that testing Category 8 cabling is not just a matter of increasing the upper frequency of the testing module.

In addition to a higher frequency range, Category 8 cabling requires tighter performance specifications in the tester. Werner Heeren, regional sales director of Fluke Networks, spells out the Cat 8 testing requirements.

W

hat is the requirement for testing cat 8 cabling systems?

Cat 8 solutions are designed to support Ethernet at rates up to 40 Gbps (40GBASE-T) over distances up to 30 meters, making it a solution primarily for data centres. Copper cabling is less costly to install, but the biggest

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savings will be related to power usage and electronics costs. If Cat 8 / 40GBASE-T becomes widely deployed, it’s expected that switch and server connections supporting it will be much less expensive than those using fiber optics. Further, the 25/40GBASE-T standards support autonegotiation, which provides convenience for data

centre operators. It's also possible that Cat 8 may be adopted for other applications in the future.

Customers looking to purchase a tester should seriously consider purchasing a Cat 8 model. Testers are a long-term investment – thousands of our testers that are more than a decade old are still in use today. Given such a long time

horizon, it’s difficult to predict whether or not a customer will encounter Cat 8 technology. The difference in cost between a Cat 8 and Cat 6 tester is relatively small, while upgrading to Cat 8 afterwards is many times more costly; meaning spending the extra now is the safer investment.

What should installers keep in mind while buying Cat 8 testers?

1. Does the tester provide Permanent Link (RJ-45 type plug) and Channel adapters (RJ45 type jack)? These adapters allow connection to installed links in the field which is what is required by contractors installing Cat 8 systems.

2. Is the tester endorsed by Cat 8 cabling manufacturers? One of the main reasons for certifying installed cabling is to obtain a manufacturer’s warranty.

Without their endorsement, the certification is of no use for this purpose.

3. Is the first tester independently verified to meet the ANSI/TIA1152-A Level 2G requirements for measurement accuracy required for Cat 8 testers? If so, you can be confident that it will really be able to certify Cat 8.

4. Can the tester test screen continuity along the path of the cabling as required for Level 2G testers?

Can you tell us a bit about your Linkware Live SaaS offering?

The Fluke Networks LinkWare Live platform is a cloud-based service that works with Fluke Networks Versiv testers, including DSX8000 CableAnalyzer, DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer, OptiFiber Pro and CertiFiber Pro certification testers.

To date, more than five million test results have been uploaded to the LinkWare Live platform by Fluke Networks customers. LinkWare Live allows users to upload, manage and analyze complex certification test results from anywhere. The service's new device management

IF CAT 8 / 40GBASE-T BECOMES WIDELY DEPLOYED, IT’S EXPECTED THAT SWITCH AND SERVER CONNECTIONS SUPPORTING IT WILL BE MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THOSE USING FIBER OPTICS. FURTHER, THE 25/40GBASE-T STANDARDS SUPPORT AUTONEGOTIATION, WHICH PROVIDES CONVENIENCE FOR DATA CENTRE OPERATORS. IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE THAT CAT 8 MAY BE ADOPTED FOR OTHER APPLICATIONS IN THE FUTURE.

capability makes it easy for project managers to keep track of their testers and to confirm the status of device software and calibration from a single cloud-based screen.

As a result, project managers, cable installers and contractors can improve on-time project completion and efficiency.

With LinkWare Live installers are reporting upwards of 20 percent gain in efficiency and productivity, with errors significantly reduced and the ability to upload test result immediately from the jobsite, rather than having to wait for the tester to return to the office to download results. The software also provides great visibility over jobs in process as supervisors can monitor results instantly online, whether to verify jobs are done correctly, to generate reports for

20%

efficiency with LinkWare Live installers

customers, to invoice customers more quickly, among a myriad of new and more efficient business processes.

The efficiency gains mean that Fluke Networks LinkWare Live is changing both cabling testing and certification processes and the way network installers manage projects.

Overall, it means installer are experiencing greater profitability and clients are more satisfied.

How can Fluke help installers reap new profits in this highly competitive market?

A survey of over 800 contractors revealed a variety of problems that add up to a week of wasted time to a typical installation job.

Contractors can get this time back with our Versiv Cabling Certification System which offers simplified set-up, eliminating errors, and making sure all tests are done correctly. Our LinkWare Live cloud service works with Versiv to set up and track testers, upload results and track projects from any mobile device. The net result is that contractors using Versiv report a 2/3 reduction in testing problems and a 10% increase in profitability.

2017 CABLING PLANNER 15

INSIGHT ETHERNET

WHAT IS DRIVING ETHERNET? David Chalupsky, Director, Ethernet Alliance Board of Directors

F

or many years, Ethernet evolution was characterised by the “need for speed” as networks and data centres sought higher and higher throughput. But over time, Ethernet has found its way into applications unforeseen by the developers of the original specification, resulting in a broad and varied Ethernet ecosystem. Today the desire to bring the advantages of Ethernet into new applications necessitates a new approach where the needs of the application are considered first and foremost in defining new Ethernet incarnations.

In this new paradigm, the Ethernet roadmap combines new and existing data rates with other attributes to meet various applications’ requirements.

Considerations can include distance, environmental factors,

16 CABLING PLANNER

2017

acquisition vs. operational cost, longevity vs. fast time to market, ease of use and flexibility, physical infrastructure reuse and even the size and weight of the cabling. In use cases ranging from industrial processes to security to connected cars, Ethernet is increasingly enabling your lifestyle, safety and productivity.

NEW ETHERNET APPLICATIONS Two new Ethernet specifications illustrate the application-driven approach for the automotive environment, which requires lightweight cabling and robustness in the face of harsh environmental conditions. The IEEE 802.3bw-2015 100BASE-T1 and IEEE 802.3bp-2016 1000BASE-T1 standards provide 100 Mb/s and 1000 Mb/s Ethernet over a single twisted pair copper cable in the “connected car” and

mark the entry of Ethernet into vehicular applications to connect the growing number of intelligent devices found there.

As the number of connected devices in a vehicle design increases, the more valuable it becomes to provide the automotive industry with an in-vehicle, homogenous network architecture, and Ethernet serves that purpose very well. Enthusiasm appears to be high in this area, as industry discussion is already addressing the topic of “what’s next?” for automotive Ethernet.

Don’t be surprised, but the answer may be to go both faster and slower. The most cost and power sensitive devices, without a lot of data to move, may benefit from a single-pair 10 Mb/s specification. On the other hand, connecting sensors and compute

resources for autonomous, selfdriving vehicles will cause the bandwidth needs to surge well past 1 Gb/s, and Ethernet may be put to work once again to fill this need. Extending this idea even further, the IEEE 802.3 10 Mb/s Single Twisted Pair Ethernet Study Group is focused on bringing Ethernet protocol with lower costs and longer reaches to industrial automation, building automation and automotive applications.

Although we primarily consider Ethernet to be a data network protocol, consider Ethernet’s utility in moving electric power along the same copper cable as the network data, referred to as Power over Ethernet (PoE). PoE has long been used as a means to power wireless access points, security cameras and IP telephones. Now, new PoE specifications are in the works to provide higher power and more efficient PoE on 4-pair cabling, as well as providing PoE over the single pair cabling used by 100/1000BASE-T1.

Currently, 4-Pair PoE is being standardised by the IEEE P802.3bt task force to deliver power over all 4 twisted pairs, versus the two pairs in current PoE and PoE+ technology. On one hand, this higher power PoE capability will enable higher bandwidth applications, such as higher speed wireless access points. On the flip side, this capability can also be used where little data transmission is needed, such as intelligent lighting systems.

To complement 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 networks, IEEE P802.3bu is specifying power delivery over the same single pair cable used for data for applications in internal automotive networks. The goal here is reducing the weight and cost of wiring harnesses – one of the heaviest items in an automotive bill of materials.

NEW APPLICATIONS IN TRADITIONAL MARKETS As Ethernet has progressed into new application areas, the existing

POE HAS LONG BEEN USED AS A MEANS TO POWER WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS, SECURITY CAMERAS AND IP TELEPHONES. NOW, NEW POE SPECIFICATIONS ARE IN THE WORKS TO PROVIDE HIGHER POWER AND MORE EFFICIENT POE ON 4-PAIR CABLING, AS WELL AS PROVIDING POE OVER THE SINGLE PAIR CABLING USED BY 100/1000BASE-T1.

infrastructure needs of enterprise campus applications have also driven a choice of speed. Serving this need, IEEE Std 802.3bz-2016 defines 2.5 Gb/s and 5 Gb/s MAC operating speeds, and 2.5GBASE-T and 5GBASE-T PHYs operating over category 5e, category 6, or better cabling. The technology is already in products where it allows users to realise greater data bandwidth from the 70+ billion meters of installed cabling while also supporting PoE for our beloved wireless access points.

What’s next in this whirlwind of new Ethernet applications and corresponding standards?

This most versatile and adaptable protocol continues to evolve. Don’t worry – the need for speed is still there,

and development is underway to specify Ethernet links at 50/100/200/400Gbps, from a few inches to tens of kilometers in reach. This is where the network adrenaline junkies thrive, putting to work the latest in electrical and optical signaling technologies in that robust and cost effective form that we call Ethernet.

Undoubtedly, the diverse, even currently unimagined networking needs of the Internet of Things (IoT ) will drive new Ethernet applications as well.

A standard that began life over 30 years ago to connect computers to printers at 10 Mb/s continues to evolve to serve myriad new applications, with no end in sight.

About the author:

4-Pair PoE

is being standardized by the IEEE P802.3bt task force

Chalupsky is a Principal Engineer in Intel’s Data Centre Group focusing on Ethernet products, IP, and standards development. With Intel since 1988, Dave has held a variety of hardware development and engineering management roles, which began with single board industrial computer design.

An active contributor to the advancement of the Ethernet ecosystem, he is a Director of the Ethernet Alliance and the NBASE-T Alliance, and chairs the Ethernet Alliance BASE-T subcommittee. He sits on the advisory board for the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Lab (UNH-IOL), and previously chaired two BASE-T-related standards development projects in IEEE 802.3.

2017 CABLING PLANNER 17

PRODUCTS

PANDUIT HD FLEX 2.0 FIBRE CABLING SYSTEM

ROUND UP

BELDEN INDUSTRIAL WIRELESS ACCESS POINT Belden has expanded its industrial wireless portfolio with the addition of the BAT867-R Wireless Access Point - a compact and rugged device designed to help industrial applications maximize efficiency and performance.

The BAT867-R offers essential interfaces for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications, including one radio, one Ethernet port and one power supply. “We only want our customers to pay for the features they need, so we selected a priority set of features to offer a cost-effective solution that can still transmit data at high speeds,” added Arjinian.

Wireless access points, like the BAT867-R, enable many benefits for customers, such as: • High levels of flexibility and productivity by monitoring and operating machines from tablets or smartphones • Remote access of machines for maintenance, diagnostics and troubleshooting • Reliable wireless connectivity for mobile equipment and automated guided vehicles Used as clients, routers or bridges, these access points feature IEEE 802.11ac technology and are backward compatible to a/b/g/n standards.

The BAT867-R’s rugged design also ensures compliance with challenging requirements and approvals for use in harsh industrial settings.

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2017

Panduit has launched its HD Flex 2.0 Fibre Cabling System, which has been designed for ease of integration with existing fibre infrastructure by accommodating fibre cassettes and fibre adapter panels (FAPs) with different port counts within the same innovative enclosure and panel design. 6-port or 12-port cassettes and FAPs can be deployed in virtually any combination to achieve up to

144-fibers (LC) or 864-fibers (MPO) per rack unit. This solution enables seamless port migration from 10G to 25/40/50/100G in the same RU space without replacing existing fibres and provides substantial savings.

The HD Flex 2.0 Fibre Cabling System also provides a clear path for adopting Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches and ACI 40Gig and spineleaf architecture with a reliable physical infrastructure. It offers the lowest installation and test costs through the utilisation of 12-port cassettes, as fewer cassettes are required per RU of rack space.

SIEMON BASE 8 PLUG AND PLAY FIBRE SYSTEM Siemon has expanded its line of LightHouse advanced fibre cabling solutions with a comprehensive Base 8 plug and play system consisting of fibre enclosures, modules, adapters, assemblies and jumpers.

Current 40 Gb/s (40GBASE-SR4) and 100 Gb/s (100GBASE-SR4) multimode fibre applications deployed for backbone switch-to-switch links in the data centre are based on 8 optical fibres with 4 fibres transmitting and 4 receiving at either 10 Gb/s or 25 Gb/s. When using 12-fibre MPO/MTP solutions for these 8-fibre applications, 33 percent of the optical fibre goes unused. While conversion cords or modules can be used to enable 100% fibre utilisation, these solutions add additional cost and complexity.

Furthermore, conversion modules add increased insertion loss, which can significantly limit flexibility when deploying fibre links.

Siemon’s new Base 8 plug and play system enables 100% fibre utilisation, eliminating the need for conversion cords or modules while providing a complete end-to-end Base 8 fibre system for the most efficient support of current and future 8-fibre applications.

The system includes Siemon’s high density FCP3 fibre enclosure along with snap-in Base 8 modules that feature three 8-fibre MTPs to 24 LCs to support 10 Gb/s applications and MTP adapter plates to support day-one 40 Gb/s or 100 Gb/s applications. The system also includes Base 8 MTP to MTP trunk assemblies and jumpers for backbone and equipment connections.

ADVANCED FIBER SOLUTIONS

siemon.com/base8

BASE-8 Fiber is here!

Siemon are pleased to announce the expansion of our LightHouse™ advanced fiber solutions portfolio with the launch of our brand new Base 8 Plug and Play solutions, consisting of fiber enclosures, modules, adapters, assemblies and jumpers.

While conversion cords or modules can be used to enable 100% fiber utilization, these solutions add additional cost and complexity.

Furthermore, conversion modules add increased insertion loss, which can significantly limit flexibility when deploying fiber links.

Current 40 Gb/s (40GBASE-SR4) and 100 Gb/s (100GBASE-SR4) Multimode fiber applications deployed for backbone switch-to-switch links in the data center are based on 8 optical fibers with 4 fibers transmitting and 4 receiving at either 10 Gb/s or 25 Gb/s. When using 12-fiber MPO/MTP solutions for these 8-fiber applications, 33% of the optical fiber goes unused.

Siemon’s Base 8 solutions enable 100% fiber utilization, eliminating the need for conversion cords or modules while providing a complete end-to-end Base 8 fiber system for the most efficient support of current and future 8-fiber applications.

CONNECTING THE WORLD TO A HIGHER STANDARD

WWW.SIEMON.COM/LIGHTHOUSE

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