Optimization and Speed: Two Critical Standards Enabling Next Generation

Networks

Stephanie Montgomery, TIA Brett Lane, Panduit

Structure of TIA Standards

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A family of Standards • ANSI/TIA-942-A Telecommunications Infrastructure

Standard for Data Centers (US, publish in Aug 2012) • ISO/IEC 24764 Information Technology – Generic

Cabling for Data Centre Premises (2010, international). Addendum 1 published in 2012

• ANSI/BICSI-002 Data Center Design and Implementation Best Practices (2011, international)

• 2011 ASHRAE Environmental Guidelines for Datacom Equipment

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ISO/IEC Standards Structure

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TIA-942

• ANSI/TIA-942 was the first standard developed by an accredited standards organization that specifically addressed physical data center infrastructure

• Beyond Telecomm encompassing facility needs

TIA-942

• Specifications for data center telecommunications pathways and spaces

• Recommendations on media and distance restrictions for applications over structured cabling system

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TIA-942 Addendum 1 • ANSI/TIA-942 Addendum 1 - Data Center Coaxial

Cabling Specifications and Application Distances (March 2008)

• Additional requirements for 75 ohm coaxial cable connectors and testing of coaxial cabling used for T-3, E-1, and E-3 circuits

• Permits longer horizontal cabling distances originating from the MDA for coaxial cabling

• Amended maximum circuit distances for E-1, T-1, E-3, and T-3 circuits in data centers

TIA-942 Addendum 2 • ANSI/TIA-942 Addendum 2 - Additional Guidelines for Data

Centers (Published February 2010) • Harmonized with 2008 ASHRAE Environmental Guidelines for

Datacom Equipment – Expanding the Recommended Environmental Envelope, to reduce energy consumption in data centers

• Added three-tier lighting scheme to reduce energy consumption

• Changed recommended horizontal and backbone cabling type for balanced twisted pair from Category 6 and Category 6A to Category 6A only

• Recommendation that data centers should be a MICE M1I1C1E1 environment

TIA-942-A

• ANSI/TIA-942 Revision A (Published Aug 2012)

• Major modification to TIA-942 to incorporate new technologies and data center practices

TIA-942-A Revisions – Reorg

• Harmonized with the TIA-568-C series including the topology, terms, and environmental classifications

• Moved grounding & bonding content to ANSI/TIA-607-B • Moved administration and labeling content to ANSI/TIA-606-B • Most content regarding cabinets/racks and

power/telecommunications separation moved to ANSI/TIA-569-C

• Outside plant pathways content moved to ANSI/TIA-758-B

TIA-942-A Revisions - Cabling

• Removed 100 meter length limitation for optical fiber horizontal cabling. Horizontal cabling distances for optical fiber are based on individual application requirements

• Only category 6 or category 6A, with cat 6A recommended

• Recognized multimode optical fiber cable for horizontal and backbone cabling

• Recognized optical fiber connectors are LC for one or

two fibers and MPO for more than two optical fibers.

TIA-942-A Revisions - Other • Intermediate Distribution Area (IDA) added to the

data center topology to support larger data centers

• Allowances for active components in the Zone Distribution Area (ZD) were removed

• Added recommendations for energy efficiency • Harmonized some terms with ISO/IEC 24764 data

center standard

TIA-942-A Addendum 1

• ANSI/TIA-942-A-1, Published March 2013 • Provided examples of data center fabric

topologies, a new switch topology that replaced the classical 3-tier architecture used in data centers

• Data center fabric topologies covered include fat-tree, full-mesh, inter-connected meshes, centralized switch, virtual switch

Traditional switch architecture

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Full-Mesh

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Fat-Tree

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Fat-Tree with Port Extenders

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TIA-942 Revision B

• Adds MPO-16 and MPO-32 connectors (for 200G and 400G) • Adds category 8 as an allowed cable type. • Changes recommendation for category 6A balanced

twisted pair cable to category 6A or higher • Adds wideband multimode fiber (WBMMF) as recognized

cable type • Recognizes for data centers, broadband coaxial cables

and F-connectors as specified in ANSI/TIA-568-C.4

TIA-942 Revision B

• Recommended maximum cable lengths for direct attach cabling in EDAs has been reduced from 10 m (33 ft) to 7 m (23 ft). Direct attach cabling between rows is not recommended

• Recommendation that cabinets be at 1200 mm (48”) deep and to consider cabinets wider than 600 mm (24”) wide.

• Recommendation to consider using preterminated cabling. • Recommendation to consider needs for proper labeling,

cable routing, cable management, and ability to insert and remove cords without disrupting existing or adjacent connections.

TIA-942 Revision B • Adds recommendation to install optical fiber cords

and cables with adequate armoring of sufficiently thick jacket in pathways that can create microbends, such as wire basket trays.

• Reduces quantity of convenience outlets required on computer room walls.

• Accommodation for use outside US, for example, local fire protection codes may be used instead of NFPA 75.

• Power for air conditioning systems and controls in computer rooms and entrance rooms should be redundant.

TIA-942 Revision B • Adds normative references to

– ANSI/TIA-5017 regarding physical security – ANSI/TIA-862-B regarding requirements for cabling

for intelligent building systems – TIA TSB 162-A for guidelines regarding cabling for

wireless access points in data centers – TIA TSB-5018 for guidelines regarding cabling for

distributed antenna systems in data centers. • References the revised temperature and

humidity guidelines in ANSI/TIA-569-D-1 adopted from current ASHRAE guidelines

TIA-492AAAE

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