With the exponential growth of data flow, data center space and efficiency have become important factors for enterprises. All hardware and cabling designs must be modular and scalable, utilizing space and accounting for cooling and energy consumption. Gone are the days of using point-to-point cabling and connecting devices directly to each other, leading to cabling clutter and increasing cabling costs for every hardware refresh. In today's high-density data centers, a well-designed structured cabling system can increase uptime, scalability, and return on investment while reducing your technology footprint and operating expenses.
A structured cabling system uses the Main Distribution Area (MDA) where all connections run. The TIA-942 standard defines an MDA as the central distribution point for a structured cabling system in a data center.
This is the area consolidated into the main cross-connect and switches and routers, using MDA to replicate all active ports in the passive area, meaning active equipment cannot be affected or interfered with.
Data center performance is important. Optical power budget, cabling system loss, and channel distance are directly related to each other. Exceeding the optical loss budget will result in channel errors, resulting in downtime.
The best way to avoid this is to use a product line that allows you to reap the benefits of a structured cabling system without breaking your optical loss budget, which will allow error-free operation and longer cable run distances.
Data center repeatability is important, with moves, adds and changes (MACs) occurring daily in most data centers. These MACs often require a change in the location of the physical cabling. When two fiber optic connectors are mated in a patch panel or equipment, the stress on the fiber mating can exceed 40,000 PSI.
This practice of repeated plugging and unplugging under intense stress can cause poorly made cables to fail after a few uses, ensuring your cabling product will meet your specifications on the 100th plug-in as it did on the first need.
