Can category 7A cabling offer future-proofed support for 40GbE speeds?

It has been proposed in some corners that Category 7A cabling offers future-proofed support for 40GbE speeds. However, Category 7A is only specified to a frequency of 1GHz and PHY industry experts have shown that higher bandwidth, in the range of 1.5-2GHz, will be required to support 40GBASE-T transmission. To date, the work of standards bodies indicates that a higher bandwidth solution than Category 7A cabling is needed in support of 40GBASE-T.

Also, Category 7A supports three different types of connectors that are not interoperable or backwards compatible with the RJ-45 connector. Their use in data centres will require the use of hybrid patch cords and equipment cords making operations more difficult, error prone and slowing down MACs (moves, adds, changes) in data centres.

The IEEE has made it clear that it requires a low-bulk, high-density cabling solution for 40GBASE-T, given the limited real estate in data centres.

Due to these factors, the wider cabling industry has agreed that Category 8 is the path forward for supporting 40GBASE-T. At the recent meeting of ISO/IEC working group 3 in Ixtapa, Mexico, the committee advanced its development of Class I and Class II channels both specified to 1600 MHz, with 2000 MHz for further study.  The committee also agreed to harmonise 40GBASE-T naming conventions around Category 8 with some variation for different constructions (e.g. Category 8.1 for F/UTP components supporting Class I, and Category 8.2 for S/FTP components supporting Class II).

Evolution or extinction With the requirements placed on data centres increasing rapidly, the ability to flexibly adapt to future demands is crucial for data centre managers. Often this can be achieved by deploying higher bandwidth solutions in one part of the data centre, provided that these systems are backwards compatible with existing infrastructure.

Organisations that do not future-proof their data centres today, will face the need for wholesale upgrades in 3-5 years that may generate significant down-time. For this reason, data centre operators should be careful not to reduce their initial CapEx at the cost of greater OpEx during the total lifetime of their infrastructure. Purchasing better quality equipment can also reduce the need for on-going maintenance and technical support during a data centre’s lifetime. Similarly, media diversity can also play a crucial role in ensuring reliability in data centres.

40GBASE-T: Raising the value of intelligence
As the bandwidth of each individual link in the data centre rises, so does the cost of a connection failure. The huge volumes of data that will soon be running across individual cabling will mean that the failure of even one connection can have a significant impact upon a data centre’s overall performance. Unfortunately the rapid increase in network complexity in recent years has produced many more potential points of degradation and failure in data centres – from a patchcord being accidentally unplugged to a software false alarm halting all network traffic. It is essential then that enterprises have the tools in place to proactively track and monitor data centre activity. Businesses are rapidly waking up to the reality that the less efficient methods used in the past for maintaining their networks and tracing faults are no longer adequate.

The answer lies in “Intelligent Infrastructure solutions” – systems that provide the missing link between network management tools and the traditionally passive structured cabling infrastructures that connect network devices together. Intelligence provides better, real-time monitoring of the physical network layer, helping IT professionals and network managers to ensure the security of their network by quickly eliminating blind spots, detecting and locating network breaches, and  constantly keeping track of all moves, adds or changes within the network.

As the data rates of individual links in data centres increase, IT managers also need to “sweat the assets” they have, as the individual connections are becoming more valuable. To this end, Intelligence inside the data centre also improves operational efficiencies across the board, providing visibility into what resources are available, what data speeds can be supported and, if maintenance is needed, what ports are available and what systems can easily be moved.

The combination of 40GbE data rates with the optimisation possible through Intelligent Infrastructure is a potent one. It will allow data centre operators and enterprise IT directors to ensure minimal risk and maximum performance from their IT systems well into the future.

Towards this end, it’s crucial that planning for the future starts today.

As Director – Data Centres for the CommScope Enterprise Solutions Division in Asia Pacific, James Young provides leadership to a broad based technical team providing engineering and technical support for SYSTIMAX® network infrastructure solutions in the region. The teams’ responsibilities include pre- and post-sales activities, BusinessPartner training and auditing of SYSTIMAX installations in support of the warranty program.

James has been involved in sales, marketing and operational roles for communication solutions working with Tyco Electronics/AMP, Anixter, Canadian Pacific and TTS in Canada. James has gained extensive experience in the sale of OEM products, network solutions and value-added services through direct and indirect channel sales environments. His sales experience includes electronic transmission components, telephony systems, network systems, LAN infrastructure products and fibre transmission system products.

Prior to joining CommScope in Canada, he was responsible for the promotion of network infrastructure products for Tyco Electronics in Eastern Canada. James has also garnered substantial experience in OEM and Channel marketing as well as network operations as Assistant Director of CP’s computers and communications group. James graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario and is a Registered Communication Distribution Designer (RCDD).

Visit www.commscope.com.