Cabling Installation & Maintenance articles from December 2007

Cabling Installation & Maintenance archives from December 2007

Lessons in IP voice.(Editorial)(Survey)
December 1, 2007... Over the past few weeks, we at Cabling Installation & Maintenance surveyed some of our subscribers who are owners/ managers of structured cabling systems. Perhaps some of you reading this today remember taking our survey in November. The survey...

Keeping industrial cabling high and dry: the "must-have" characteristics for interconnect devices and cabling that need to survive and thrive in wet conditions.(design)
December 1, 2007... You're on a fishing vacation at the coast, but since you haven't caught a minnow to show for it, you head for the local fish market. As you pull into the parking lot and open the car door, there's an unmistakable aroma of a seafood business in...

Grounding and bonding questions answered: an online seminar yielded numerous real-life questions; an industry expert provides answers.(installation)
December 1, 2007... On September 27, Cabling Installation & Maintenance hosted an online seminar on the topic of grounding and bonding communications cabling systems. The seminar was sponsored, and technical presentations were delivered, by Panduit Corp....

When humidity drops, will ESD increase? Forthcoming standards may lower humidity floors in data centers, making some wonder if electrostatic discharge will result.(technology)(electrostatic discharge )
December 1, 2007... The complex whole that is a data center comprises multiple systems and technologies. Several recent articles in this publication have described the data center as an ecosystem, in which technological and mechanical systems are interdependent...

Green grid's lofty goals for efficient data centers: cabling and networking vendors participate in the group that has its sights set high.(data center)
December 1, 2007... The pervasive challenge of thermal management within data centers is a many-headed beast, and in recent years, the most frightening and dangerous head has been the energy consumption required by data-center thermal management. The cycle is...

Access control systems keep pace with convergence: slow-to-evolve access control systems are finally becoming network devices with protocols, smarts, and standards.(security)
December 1, 2007... For several years, the security and information-technology (IT) industries have been pushing toward each other as a result of Internet Protocol (IP) convergence, made especially evident by the advent and uptake of IP video surveillance...

Data center fiber devices aim for paced growth.(INDUSTRY spotlight)(CABLExpress Corp. introduced fiber-optic enclosures, modules, MTP fiber trunks, connectors)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... As part of its new customized data center solutions program, CABLExpress (www.cablexpress.com) has introduced fiber-optic enclosures, modules, MTP fiber trunks, connectors, and harnesses designed to provide high-density connections in the...

10-Gig Ethernet companies rally to prove technology's marketplace readiness.(INDUSTRY spotlight)
December 1, 2007... Nearly 40 10-Gigabit Ethernet companies converged on the University of New Hampshire's InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL; www.iol.unh.edu) earlier this fall to build what is thought to be the largest multi-vendor unified data and storage...

Blade technologies target midsize data centers.(INDUSTRY spotlight)(Hewlett-Packard Co. introduces data centers)
December 1, 2007... Aiming for what it calls the "Global 500,000" of midsize companies, Hewlett Packard (www.hp.com) has introduced a new line of data center products, solutions and services designed to help businesses accelerate growth and reduce operating costs....

Leviton reorganizes after passing of CEO.(INDUSTRY spotlight)(Donald Hendler and Stephen Sokolow appointed at Leviton Manufacturing Company Inc.)
December 1, 2007... Donald Hendler and Stephen Sokolow have been named CEO and chairman of the board respectively for Leviton Manufacturing Company (leviton.com), following the recent passing of former CEO Harold Leviton. The Little Neck, NY electrical and...

Rybinski re-elected to lead TR-42.7 subcommittee.(INDUSTRY spotlight)(Valerie Rybinski appointed as global sales engineer at Siemon )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Valerie Rybinski, global sales engineer for Siemon (www.siemon.com), has been elected to a second two-year term as head of the Telcommunications Industry Association (TIA; www.tiaonline.org) TR 24.7 Copper Cabling Systems Subcommittee. TR-42.7...

Tampa, FL--BICSI (www.bicsi.org) members have chosen five officers to serve two-year terms on the board of directors.(Short runs ...)(Brian Hansen, Jerry Bowman and Brian Ensign appointed )(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... TAMPA, FL--BICSI (www.bicsi.org) members have chosen five officers to serve two-year terms on the board of directors. Brian Hansen, RCDD/NTS specialist, and a specification engineer for Leviton Voice & Data Division (www.levitonvoicedata.com),...

Mountain View, CA--Brocade, Dune Networks, International Engineering Consortium (IEC), LSI Corp., Marvell Semiconductors, Mellanox Technologies, Plastic Optical Fiber Trade Organization (POFTO), SMC Networks, and Woven Systems have joined the Ethernet Alliance (www.ethernetalliance.org).(Short runs ...)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--Brocade, Dune Networks, International Engineering Consortium (IEC), LSI Corp., Marvell Semiconductors, Mellanox Technologies, Plastic Optical Fiber Trade Organization (POFTO), SMC Networks, and Woven Systems have joined the...

Oriskany, NY--The U.S. Department of Commerce, together with Congressman Michael Arcuri (D-NY), recently presented the "Exporter of the Year" award to Fiber Instruments Sales (FIS; www.fiberinstrumentsales.com).(Short runs ...)
December 1, 2007... ORISKANY, NY--The U.S. Department of Commerce, together with Congressman Michael Arcuri (D-NY), recently presented the "Exporter of the Year" award to Fiber Instruments Sales (FIS; www.fiberinstrumentsales.com). FIS was chosen for the award...

Arlington, VA--Telecommunications Industry Association (www.tiaonline.org) CTO Dan Bart recently received a distinguished leadership and service award from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).(Short runs ...)
December 1, 2007... ARLINGTON, VA--Telecommunications Industry Association (www.tiaonline.org) CTO Dan Bart recently received a distinguished leadership and service award from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The Howard Coonley Medal recognizes an...

Cork, Ireland--Cork Airport has become the first in Ireland to install a structured cabling infrastructure to underpin all airport systems, ranging from flight information system to CCTV networks.(Short runs ...)(closed circuit television)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... CORK, IRELAND--Cork Airport has become the first in Ireland to install a structured cabling infrastructure to underpin all airport systems, ranging from flight information system to CCTV networks. The project is designed to ensure that the...

Arlington, VA--The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA; www.tiaonline.org) recently added four members to its leadership team.(Short runs ...)(Ed Mikoski)(Suzanne Ugast)(Carolyn Holmes)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... ARLINGTON, VA--The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA; www.tiaonline.org) recently added four members to its leadership team. Ed Mikoski, vice-president of standards and business development, will be responsible for coordinating the...

Modular patch panels.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)(Acton Systems)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... VERSA series patch panels feature detachable modules that allow for front access to cable in areas with limited rear access. Combined with Press-fit technology, which requires no solder or lead on the printed circuit board, VERSA meets Rolls...

Modular fiber panel.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The TrueNet modular switch panel, a high-density fiber management solution, consumes half the space of the company's traditional TFP solution but with twice the density. This new solution is most suitable for storage area networks or with...

V-groove splice, ADSS fiber cable.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)(AFL Telecommunications Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... SpliceConnect is a mechanical splice that provides an alternative to mating fibers. Using V-groove technology, this splice maintains physical contact between the fibers. An assembly tool is used to ensure the fibers are mated correctly,...

900-[micro]m fiber cables.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)(Belden Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... A new series of indoor/outdoor tight buffer distribution cables has been added to the company's IBDN FiberExpress line of fiber-optic cabling solutions. These 900-[micro]m, tight-buffered cables comply with the ICEA S-104696 industry standard...

New Cat 6A, fiber cables.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)(Berk-Tek Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... This new LANmark-10G2 Category 6A UTP cable features what the company says is the world's smallest round outside diameter (.300" nominal). Engineered using a patent-pending design that incorporates four twisted pairs cabled with three...

Passive cooling cabinet.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)(Chatsworth Products Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... When employing side-to-side airflow, network switches located in a hot aisle/ cold aisle layout run the risk of re-consuming hot exhaust air, causing elevated equipment intake temperatures, which ultimately results in equipment failure. The...

'Smart' conduit boxes.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... A new line of the company's Smart conduit bodies--the Smart LB--is designed to eliminate time-consuming installation of pull boxes and long radius sweeps when installing voice and data cabling. Smart LBs are UL/CSA-listed for electrical and...

Protective fiber coating.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... BendBright, billed as the first true bend-insensitive fiber, now features ColorLock, a proprietary vibrant coating designed to further protect the fiber. Proven in severe tests, according to the company, BendBright expands micro-bending...

Signal reference grid.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)(Erico International Corp.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Customized, pre-fabricated ERITECH Signal Reference Grids (SRGs) are designed to provide a low-impedance network of conductors to create an equipotential plane for sensitive electronic and raised floor environments recommended in IEEE 1100....

Tight space enclosure.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The server side "WE" wall-mount cabinet is designed for server mounting when space is at a premium, and was built in response to customer requests for a wall mount that would allow for side-mounting a server. The UL-listed cabinet has mesh...

Ground pedestal clamps.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... Today's data centers require an increasing amount of air flow under the raised floor, thus requiring longer pedestal lengths. At the same time, more and heavier equipment is being installed on these floors, which has led to a longer raised...

Cable management via arrowhead design.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The CableTek management system is designed to provide support for cable bundles and individual cables in standard 19-inch data racks, and to simplify moves, adds and changes (MACs). Its arrowhead finger design allows for simplified insertion...

Pre-terminated MPO module.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... These pre-terminated fiber-optic MPO cassette modules are designed as a plug-and-play system that requires no field termination or splicing. They are available in LC and SC configurations, and support options for 10-Gig, 50/125-[micro]m, and...

One-cycle ratchet tool.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... In a smooth, one-cycle full ratchet motion, OmniSeal Pro XL tools compress F-type, RCA, RG-11, BNC and mini connectors onto coaxial cable for a permanent connection. Because of its universal design, the OmniSeal Pro XL eliminates the need to...

Backup protects data, equipment, and personnel.(Product Focus: power protection)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... This battery backup with flashlight helps protect your equipment and data while safeguarding personal security. The detachable flashlight turns on immediately when the power goes off, and the battery backup keeps connected equipment on,...

Coax-based protection for wireless applications.(Product Focus: power protection)(Phoenix Contact Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The CN-LAMBDA/4-5.9-BB is the latest addition to the company's COAXTRAB CN series. This surge protection device provides safeguards against discharge surge currents up to 60 kA. The adapter can either be connected in...

Category 5, Power over Ethernet lightning protection.(Product Focus: power protection)(HyperLink Technologies)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The company's Shielded CAT5 Lightning Protector is built to provide lightning and surge protection for Category 5 data applications. Compatible with 10/100Base-T devices with Power-over-Ethernet (POE) capability, this device is designed to...

DIN rail-mount device targets lightning-induced transients.(Product Focus: power protection)(MCG Surge Protection)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The DLP-25 series is designed to protect critical control circuits from lightning-induced transients. The DLP-25 uses a compact aluminum DIN rail-mount enclosure (a DIN rail bracket is provided for mounting to any flat surface). Light Duty...

Small footprint UPS.(Product Focus: power protection)(Tripp Lite)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... SmartOnline 3-phase UPS systems feature what the company claims is the smallest footprint in its class. Power and battery components are combined into a compact module designed to save floor space. The UPS features on-line, double-conversion...

Protection for 66-style connecting blocks.(Product Focus: power protection)(Siemon)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The Pico protector module provides overvoltage and "sneak current" protections on 66-style blocks when used as a secondary protection system. Featuring high-speed, solid-state technology for voltage protection, and fuses for current protection,...

Double conversion, three-phase UPS.(Product Focus: power protection)(Staco Energy Products Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Up to eight TreStar P online, double-conversion, three-phase UPSes for critical loads can be installed in parallel for redundancy or additional capacity. These models are designed to protect sensitive loads, such as data centers, computer...

3x media converters.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The MC-1500LC-MM/-SM Gigabit triple-speed media converters (10/100/1000TX; 1000Base-SX/LX-SFP) are designed to offer fiber advantages for mission-critical networks. The converters can reduce network downtime and increase quality of service...

All-in-one fiber termination.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The GoKIT Economy is an all-inclusive field installation kit designed for maximum fiber termination capability at a low cost. The kit terminates up to one-hundred 2.5-mm SC, ST, F or LC multimode connectors while providing a portable work...

Cat 6A, tight-buffered cables.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The redesigned GigaLAN 10 Category 6A cable features a reduced outside diameter of 0.295 inches, which offers enhanced flexibility and installation ease into conduit, allowing increased conduit and tray capacity. The reduced outside diameter...

Pre-terminated cabling system.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... Clarity SNAP pre-terminated copper cabling system, according to the company, combines Clarity connectivity with a modular design that increases the ease and flexibility of installation and maintenance while reducing installation times. Clarity...

Raised floor cable routing.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The Underfloor Cable Routing System is a modular wire basket pathway designed to route and manage data and power cabling beneath raised floors. Pre-assembled mounting brackets and drop-in wire basket sections are designed to eliminate the need...

Desktop label maker.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The RHINO 6500 desktop label printer features PC connectivity with the ability to download labels with graphics and logos. The Auto-cutter allows for batch printing of labels without user intervention. Hot Keys instantly format wire wraps,...

Pre-terminated copper trunking assemblies.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... These pre-terminated copper trunking assemblies are available in all three of the company's 10GBase-T solutions, including 10G 6A F/UTP, 10G 6A UTP and Category 7 TERA, as well as System 6 UTP for support of gigabit applications. Configurable...

Speedy overhead tray.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... Mega Snake, according to company claims, is the world's fastest to install overhead high-capacity cable tray. Its integrated accessory/mounting rail is designed to simplify installations and reduce project labor costs compared to typical wire...

Remote site, secure power managers.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... The RSM-8R4 Remote Site Manager lets you securely access remote servers, routers, firewalls, DSLAMs, telco craft ports and other network equipment to change configuration parameters, connect users to restricted ports, collect buffered data, and...

Fire-resistant panels.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... A "green" solution for energy consumption savings and reducing the carbon footprint of data centers, HotLok Blanking Panels are lightweight, fire-resistant plastic units for 1U and 2U openings. Available with an optional Upsite temperature...

Angled-jack faceplate.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... To combat common pitfalls of standard faceplates, the Integrity II faceplate employs jacks mounted at a 90[degrees] downward angle. This feature allows cables to be run down instead of out, at a much lower risk to damage caused by snags or...

Shielded jack.(BICSI Winter Conference New Products: a sampling of the products that will be featured by exhibitors at the BICSI Winter Conference in Orlando, FL, January 14-17, 2008)
December 1, 2007... This Category 6A shielded jack features patented contact set technology to achieve 6A performance. Die cast shielding is designed to provide durability. Integral strain and pair relief for the cable cores help ensure secure terminations. No...