data center management

design
D
ata-center design and cabling-infrastructure architecture have evolved over the years as needs and technologies have changed. In the past, the data-center manager relied on experience, as well as on what solutions previously worked and, more importantly, what did not work. Planning today’s data center, however, requires a more rigorous approach due to the faster pace at which the data center is changing.
In recent history, we used stacks of servers and large tape carousels; today, we see blade servers and RAID (redundant array of independent disks) systems. Your cabling infrastructure must be capable of servicing these ever-changing needs in the data center.
Fortunately, industry guidance has arrived, now that the new standard for data centers is available. The ANSI/TIA/EIA-942 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers lists requirements and provides recommendations for data center design and construction. TIA-942 includes guidance relative to many areas, including grounding/bonding, pathways and spaces, and redundancy.
TIA-568-B, meanwhile, only addresses structured wiring. As the commercial building standard ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1-2001 Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard has done for commercial LANs, the new data center standard provides a great tool for planning and designing the key components that make up a data center.
Using the TIA-942 standard as a guide, we see that the enterprise data center is divided into functional areas, including a main distribution area (MDA), zone distribution area(s) (ZDA), and equipment distribution area(s) (EDA).
The TIA-942 standard includes significantly more detail than will be described in this article; the standard is available for purchase from Global Engineering Documents (http://global.ihs.com/). Because most of the optical cabling within a data center is located within access flooring, we will focus on that section.
What solution to use?
The most efficient optical infrastructure is one in which all components are preterminated in the factory. All connectors are installed and tested in the factory and packaged such that components are not damaged during installation. The installer unpacks the components, pulls the preconnectorized cable assembly into place,