Nov 18, 2009

This web-delivered seminar produced by Cabling Installation & Maintenance will examine PoE+ from several perspectives, including standards-based specifications, application/hardware developments, and using an installed cabling base for PoE+ deployment.

Oct 21, 2009


With the first brands of 10GBase-T network gear reaching the market, high-speed networking users are getting an initial opportunity to size up the price and performance options for twisted-pair copper-based 10-Gbit Ethernet networking. Meanwhile, optical-based 10GBase-SR has been available and deployed in enterprises and data centers for years.

Sep 30, 2009

Across many network and user types, the need for higher speeds and increased bandwidth continues even in these globally challenging economic times. Networks are getting larger and faster, and the infrastructure to support those networks must be more powerful and agile than ever before. The Telecommunications Industry Association's TR-42 Engineering Committee develops the cabling specifications that are the bedrock of system performance. This web-delivered seminar produced by Cabling Installation & Maintenance provides some of the latest information to come out of the subcommittees and groups within TR-42, charting the course of the industry's standards-making body.

Presentation 1: OM4 multimode fiber
Development of performance specifications for OM4 multimode optical fiber continue within the TIA's TR-42.8 subcommittee. This presentation will update the status of those specifications, and also describe recent activity within the IEEE to recognize OM4 fiber as a medium for 40- and 100-Gbit Ethernet standards currently under development.

Presentation 2: Cabling and components balance
A group within the TR-42.7 subcommittee is hard at work on specifications for the all-important twisted-pair cabling performance characteristic of balance. This presentation provides an overview of the group's activities, explaining the reasons this issue came up for consideration as well as the work that has been done toward a draft specification.

Presentation 3: The 606-B administration standard
This report from the TR-42.6 subcommittee will detail the current state of the TIA/EIA-606-B administration standard, commonly referred to as the "labeling standard." In addition to describing the 606-B specifications under development, this presentation will also refer to other standards that relate to 606-B, potentially including the TIA's 942 standard for data center infrastructure and the ISO/IEC 14763-2-1.

Presentation 4: Grounding and bonding specifications
The ambitious TR-42.16 committee continues to move quickly and steadily toward a revision of the 607 standard for grounding and bonding telecommunications systems. This presentation charts the progress of that group, explaining the milestones that have been reached already and the issues still under study and discussion.

Aug 06, 2009


This webcast is approved by BICSI for continuing education credit.

The care and precision with which fiber-optic cabling systems are designed, placed, terminated, and certified are well-recognized and appropriate. Less heralded, but no less important for long-term success, is the maintenance of installed fiber-optic systems. This web-delivered seminar produced by Cabling Installation & Maintenance will discuss what should be done after a fiber system is in place to help ensure it continues to perform at the highest possible level.

Presentation 1: Best practices for fiber-cable management
The better a fiber-cabling system is managed, the more likely it is to remain a robust, high-bandwidth information carrier. This presentation discusses fiber-cable management from design through maintenance, describing the technologies and the techniques that can be used to keep the cable at peak performance. The presentation will include discussion of moves/adds/changes in fiber networks, providing tips on how to maintain proper management when circuits are rearranged.

Presentation 2: Testing and troubleshooting
Taking a fiber circuit out of service to test or troubleshoot is a last-resort option. The best way to avoid having to disconnect a live fiber circuit for troubleshooting is to thoroughly test and inspect after installation and before it goes into service. This presentation will describe the methods and tools required to ensure a system is pristine when it goes live.

Presentation 3: Cleaning fiber connections
Presented in a problem/solution format, this presentation explains how and why fiber connections can become dirty, dusty, or otherwise contaminated. It then describes what should be done to clean the connections, whether it is before or after a system has been put into service.

May 27, 2009


This webcast is approved by BICSI for continuing education credit.

A structured cabling system is one of several building systems that traverse a facility. As it makes its vertical and horizontal journey through a building, the cabling system passes through openings in fire-rated walls and floor/ceiling structures. To comply with applicable building codes, these walls and floor/ceiling structures must be returned to their original fire ratings. This Web-delivered seminar, hosted by Cabling Installation & Maintenance, will shine a light on firestopping systems specifically as they support structured cabling systems within a building structure.

Presentation 1: The world of firestopping codes and standards
This presentation will provide an overview of the building codes that reference firestopping, and emphasize the critical importance of compliance with such codes. It also will define and explain the concept of compartmentation, discussing how it fits into the overall picture of fire safety and the role firestopping plays therein.

Presentation 2: Firestopping systems and communications cable
In recent years technologies and products have been developed specifically to accommodate the passage of copper- and fiber-based communications cable through fire-rated barriers. This presentation will focus specifically on the options available to designers, installers, and users of communications cabling systems that provide appropriate fire ratings and also support the cable's signal integrity.