Online learning event includes seminars, materials

Oct. 30, 2020

By Patrick McLaughlin

A two-day educational event hosted by Cabling Installation & Maintenance focused on technologies, applications, and standards related to enterprise and data center networks. On August 11 and 12, 2020, we hosted 8 online seminars, 4 per day, that included expertise and perspectives from more than 20 industry professionals. Titled “Emerging Applications In Data Center And Enterprise Networks,” the educational event is available for on-demand participation until early November. It can be found at virtual.cablinginstall.com.

Network connectivity has never been more critical to an organization’s operations than it is today. From boardrooms to courtrooms and from learning centers to data centers, connectivity requirements related to remote working, data streaming, building management and other applications are essential for business continuity. With this two-day online learning opportunity, we aimed to provide the in-depth substance that information and communications technology (ICT) professionals need to address today’s challenges and embrace tomorrow’s opportunities.

Day one, focusing on data centers, covered topics including fiber-optic cabling installation, termination, and management; the role and impact of edge facilities; meeting the demands of high-density cabling environments; and managing pathway systems. On day two we turned our attention to enterprise networks, discussing the capabilities of smart buildings—from the fiber-optic and wireless infrastructure that makes them work, to hands-on matters of troubleshooting and connectivity, and a look into technological developments related to Single-Pair Ethernet.

Seminar content

Following are descriptions of each presentation delivered during the event.

Infrastructure Best Practices for Edge Data Centers: Constructed to serve the low-latency demands of content consumers, edge data centers reside close in proximity to the users they serve and are smaller in scale than most other data centers. Essential to the delivery of cloud-based services, an edge data center has unique requirements for the computing and networking equipment within it. This roundtable discussion details several aspects of outfitting and managing an edge data center, including the critical role that edge will play in the rollout and proliferation of 5G. Including presentations delivered by experts at Belden, CommScope and Eaton, this roundtable explains the criticality of edge facilities to the future of communications.

Installing, Terminating, and Managing Cabling in the Data Center: Fiber-optic cabling infrastructure is the lifeblood of the data center, supporting the network’s speed and distance requirements. Installing and maintaining this fiber-optic infrastructure can be an efficient or inefficient process, with inefficiencies certain to produce hardships sooner or later. This roundtable discussion, featuring expertise from America Ilsintech, Brother Mobile Solutions, and US CONEC, describes techniques and technologies that maximize efficiencies associated with installing, terminating, and administering fiber-optic cabling systems in data centers.

High-Density Networking Demands and Solutions: In any data center, real estate is at a premium. As a result, cabling and networking connections are packed as densely as possible. Often this density presents challenges in areas that include the installation and commissioning of cabling, to the physical and logical management of connected equipment, and the provision of sufficient power to each device. This roundtable discussion includes an in-depth look at some of the challenges inherent in high-density environments, as well as some practical approaches to addressing those challenges. The roundtable includes information from technical experts at Chatsworth Products Inc., Fluke Networks, and Sunbird DCIM.

Bringing Order to Pathway Chaos in the Data Center and Beyond: The planning, construction, and use of cabling pathways in a data center require forward thinking and a future-oriented approach. Changes, additions, or upgrades to the pathways can require service disruption, which is not an option in many facilities. The adoption of microduct-based pathways has avoided pain while providing flexibility for several data center operators, and this roundtable discussion focuses on the capabilities of a microduct-based system. Featuring examples of how microduct and microfiber have been integrated into data center networks, this discussion with technical experts from Dura-Line also describes how these types of pathway systems can span outdoor as well as indoor environments, facilitating end-to-end fiber connectivity.

The BICSI Data Center Design Standard: This one-hour educational session delivered by BICSI training delivery specialist John McCain focused on ICT practices for data center environments. This session is an opportunity to expand your knowledge and deepen your understanding of industry best practices. This scenario-based overview of the BICSI Data Center Design Standard discusses how it can be a helpful guide to decision-making during the design process.

Smart Building Systems: The physical-layer communications infrastructure system is the foundation upon which smart-building capabilities are built. The ability for building devices and systems to communicate with each other and/or with a centralized network requires ubiquitous connectivity. Wireless communication is essential in many of these environments, and the backhaul that feeds wireless endpoints must be robust and flexible. This roundtable discussion, featuring technical expertise from Corning, Oberon, and Senko, explains the function and importance of wireless systems in a smart building, as well as the benefits of using a fiber-cabling-based backhaul system for connecting wireless and many other network nodes in these environments.

Ethernet as a Smart Building Enabling Technology: When multiple building systems converge and communicate using a single network platform, Ethernet demonstrates the depths of its capabilities as an enabling technology. Ethernet facilitates connectivity among devices at defined speeds, the provision of direct-current power to networked devices, the ability to transmit multiple types of information via data packets, and much more. This roundtable discussion highlights Ethernet as an enabling technology for smart building facilities and other connected enterprise environments. It features an examination of smart building technologies in action, as well as practical, hands-on discussions of Power over Ethernet and system-verification techniques. This discussion features a technical expert from Cisco, which will be representing The Ethernet Alliance, along with contributors from CommScope, EtherWAN, and Softing.

Single-Pair Ethernet: One Protocol to Rule Them All: Technical developments in the field of single-pair cabling are unfolding rapidly, as this technology is poised to serve connectivity requirements in facilities such as intelligent buildings, automated factories, energy distribution, agricultural and mining operations, and others. Single-pair cabling and Single-pair Ethernet represent the future of many intelligent enterprise environments, and this roundtable discussion takes a comprehensive look at the technology. Featuring the technical expertise of Panduit, the discussion tackles single-pair topics including standards development, cable and connector components, remote-power delivery, and practical deployment approaches.

Expert insights

Ronna Davis focuses on strategy and technology for enterprise venue and campus environments for CommScope. During the session titled “Ethernet as a Smart Building Enabling Technology,” she delivered a presentation that characterized Ethernet as a superhighway for an intelligent space. In an interview days before she delivered that presentation, Davis commented, “I like the term Ethernet Superhighway because Ethernet is a great enabler—like a community organizer of sorts. We’re taking all this great information from a number of different devices and getting it onto the internet, or onto that highway. When we think about highway systems, they have access—onramps, offramps, exits, different numbers of lanes depending on the amount of traffic. A highway is a conveyance for people. Ethernet is a conveyance for information.”

I asked Davis why an enterprise would or should undertake the effort and spend the resources required to converge network applications. She responded, “We look at technology 3 to 5 years out, examining what we can do to help our customers and help them move in that direction. But we always have to ask ourselves its true value. With convergence, you can follow a line from a number of macro trends. Sustainability is one example. Sustainability is impacting all of us; we’re all having to make decisions around that. Certainly convergence helps many to achieve sustainability by enabling intelligent buildings. Additionally, consider operational efficiency. Without converged networks, you can end up building multiple networks that are similar in many ways, but are siloed—often unintentionally siloed. I find a number of customers managing ad-hoc networks, which got added after the fact and were not fully planned out.

“At times there are good business reasons to keep networks separate, ranging from security to intra-organizational process, to budgets and others. There are many reasons why some keep networks separate. But at some point they do have to converge. Where you decide to converge that information are business-level decisions made by organizations independently. But avoiding duplicate systems and avoiding unnecessary layers are reasons to consider convergence. Even if there are valid reasons to keep networks separate, there are valid ways to do that without overbuilding or having those ad-hoc networks.”

Each of the sessions qualifies for a continuing education credit (CEC) toward renewal of BICSI’s professional credentials. Attendees have the opportunity to send messages directly to any of the presenters’ organizations, to inquire about the material presented or any other topics of interest. The sessions can be viewed at virtual.cablinginstall.com.

Patrick McLaughlin is our chief editor.

Sponsors offer resource materials

Eighteen companies sponsored our learning event, and the virtual.cablinginstall.com page hosts a resource page for each of them. By registering, anyone who is interested can view and/or download the combination of technical, educational, and promotional materials from each sponsor. Visitors also have the opportunity to request a one-on-one meeting with a representative of any sponsor company.

The sponsors are listed here alphabetically.

America Ilsintech

Belden

BICSI

Brother Mobile Solutions

Chatsworth Products

CommScope

Corning

Dura-Line

Eaton

EtherWAN

Fluke Networks

Oberon

Panduit

Phenix Fiber Optics

Senko Advanced Components

Softing

Sunbird DCIM

US Conec

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