The impact on data centres of choosing the right cabling infrastructure

Session Synopsis

Many different elements contribute to the smooth running of a data centre, but one that is often overlooked is the cabling system connecting all the components.

Yet choosing the right cabling system can have a tangible impact on a range of issues, ranging from data speeds through to security, power consumption and 'green ICT' credentials. For all these reasons, fibre optic cabling is increasingly the preferred choice above copper, particularly when installing a system that needs to meet not just today's requirements, but predicted needs in years to come.

While traditionally more expensive, fibre arguably has more benefits than copper cabling and in the long run, could prove the more economic option. This is not to say that there is not a role for copper cabling - and indeed, for most to-the-desk installations today, it probably has the stronger business case - but as far as the data centre is concerned, fibre's benefits are hard to ignore.

For instance, look at the lifetime cost of a structured cabling system. True, in terms of the initial installation, copper will probably be more appealing to the finance director: the components are traditionally cheaper and involve less precision. However, this cost advantage is fast eroding, particularly since the price of raw copper continues to rise. The presentation looks at aspects including total cost of ownership, green aspects of fibre, security and resilience, latest standards, pros and cons, installation issues.

Points to be covered in the presentation:

Role of structured cabling in the data centre how it is such an integral part of the network, overview of latest options (pros and cons of copper v fibre), industry standards, next-step developments What data speeds do you need to support? An examination of how different cabling choices affects this. Looking at the short term versus the long term, including options for 40Gbit/s and 100Gbit/s.

Security do you need the inherent security of fibre (which is hard to hack, doesnt suffer from electro-magnetic interference, etc) Environmental issues the cost of mining copper versus the cost of manufacturing fibre, plus power consumption issues, effect of cable size on cooling (comparison of both)

Lifetime cost of a structured cabling system looking at power usage, how frequently needs to be upgraded, regular maintenance issues What to look for when choosing an installation partner eg, fibre requires more skill, also knowledge of the data centre aspect of the current cabling standards, have the installers been through training? What testing methods do they use to verify structured cabling system quality?