Networks Europe Sept-Oct 2016 | Page 22

22 PRE-TERMINATED CABLING HD Flex 2.0 split tray with 2x 6-port cassette A unified solution As data centres merge and consolidate, and where new services need to be deployed quickly and projects managed on time and on budget, arrangements where product specification, process and materials are unified across multiple data centre sites (nationally, regionally or around the globe) are essential. Data centre owners can then control quality and enable consistent builds and high performance results throughout the real estate. HD Flex 2.0 12-port cassette "The immense growth in the  rate of data transmission, has in some instances, outpaced the standards organisation’s ability to formalise specifications for higher speed cables and components" Figure 2 * Ethernet Alliance Growth of transmission speeds The immense growth in the rate of data transmission, driven recently from cloud and webscale operations (including Google, Amazon, Microsoft) has, in some instances, outpaced the standards organisation’s ability to formalise specifications for higher speed cables and components. This has created a complex landscape of alternative infrastructure solutions. The leapfrog effect, has meant some DC owners are implementing high-performance infrastructure based on new to market technologies, rather than taking advantage of the standards committees ratified upgrades now available to installed backbone systems. The latest high bandwidth infrastructure solutions provide a range of innovations that allow data centre operators a clear migration pathway that permits upgrading to the prevailing technology, while offering a scalable solution that expands with the customers’ requirement. Extending current lifecycles on inventory improves ROI and lowers capital expense. The latest development from the TIA Standards has created a new speed path for two fibre Multi-mode (MM) LC connectivity to support at least 10x the bandwidth previously thought capable for that connector type, expanding it from 1G/10G/40G up to at least 100G. This again expands the options available to the operator to finetune the infrastructure design. Pathway to 100G and beyond While traditional high-density fibre enclosures support the port counts required, their design typically results in hard to manage clusters of cables, making installation, servicing and MACs difficult. This impacts service tasks often resulting in disruption to adjacent circuit, which can lead to costly www.networkseuropemagazine.com