Design of the Physical Layer
Critical Choices for Today's Data Centres
The Siemon Company:The partner of choice for your Global Data Centers
Alberto Zucchinali RCDD
Senior Technical Manager
EMEA DC Solutions & Services Manager
5 main topics
• Impact of high speed copper on DC design
• Next generation optical cabling (40/100G)
• Pre-terminated solutions
• Density vs. Management ?
• Space design and DC architecture
Why 10G & more ?
• Server performance boost
• More applications on a single server
• Virtualization (up to 15 virtual server on one)
• 2, 3, 4 Gigabit connection per server
• Unified networking (iSCSI, NAS, FCoE....)
• 10GBASE-T costs less (about -60%) and consumes much less power than 1000BASE-T on a per-Gbps per-port basis
At Least Six Different Server Access Speeds Forecast to Coexist over the Next Five Years
Source: Dell’Oro Group Controller and Adapter 5-Year Forecast Report
25GBASE-T
• “it was not a surprise that the motion to form a 25GBASE-T Study Group was approved without objection”
• “both 25GBASE-T and 40GBASE-T are planned for operation over category 8 cabling and directly connected link segments at up to 30m.” Valerie Maguire, BSEE,
Director of Standards & TechnologyThe Siemon Company
Impact of 10G on space design
• Alien Crosstalk, cable diameter and separation - a smaller size could be dangerous for performances - does shielding help ?
• Shielded cabling is 100 times “stronger” to interference than UTP
• Superior protection against high frequency environmental noise
• Eliminates alien crosstalk
Next generation optical cabling (40/100G)
• Higher density with MTP/MPO
Next generation optical cabling (40/100G)
• Plug & Play, Parallel Optics and MPO / MTP
• Low loss components for 40/100G ?
(*) under dev. - target
Next generation optical cabling (40/100G)
Next generation optical cabling (40/100G)
• Module to Module Configuration (Duplex transmission)
Next generation optical cabling (40/100G)
• MTP® Adapter to LC Trunk
• Future Migration Path for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s (parallel optics)
Next generation optical cabling (40/100G)
• Future Migration Path for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s (parallel optics)
Optical budget for high speed applications
OM4 @40/100G : longer distance than OM3 (150m Vs. 100m), but lower channel lossAssumes total connector loss of 1.0dB
Low loss components can help
• LC BladePatch fibre jumpers: 0.15 dB (typ 0.1 dB)
• Plug and play MTP to LC or SC modules: 0.35 dB (typ 0.25 dB)
• MTP-MTP pass-through adapter plates and MTP fibre jumpers: 0.2 dB
Application Distance
(m)
Max Channel
Loss /
Connector
Loss
Fibre Atten.
(3.0dB/
km)
# of
MTP-LC
cass.
Std Loss
(0.65dB)
# of
MTP-LC
cass.
Low Loss
(0.35dB)
# of
MTP
adapters
Std Loss
(0.4 dB)
# of
MTP
adapters
Low Loss
(0.2 dB)
10Gb OM3
@850nm300 2.6dB / N/A 0.9dB 2 4
40/ 100Gb OM3
@850nm100 1.9dB/1.5dB 0.3dB 4 8
10Gb OM4
@850nm400 2.9dB / N/A 1.2dB 2 4
40/ 100Gb OM4
@850nm150 1.5dB/1.0dB 0.4dB 2 5
Pre-terminated solutions
• Abandoned cable = disordered pathways
• Valuable airspace
• Pathway space waste
• Cable “rat’s nests” create air dams
• Think of trunking cables
• Use re-openable ties
Pre-terminated solutions
• Each leg is labeled for proper outlet orientation
• High quality Plug & Play category ≥6A copper & ≥ OM3 FO cable
• Factory terminated and tested for high performance
• Unique identification number for administrative purposes
• Shielded outlets are automatically grounded upon insertion into panels.
Density vs. Management ?
• Leaving some room for termination and handling is important
• Some solutions could help keep my spaces tight
Flexibility in Rack Density ManagementFiber Bladepatch
• Automatic duplex latching system, pull the boot to remove
• Razor core fibre (OM3/OM4 & OS2)
• Polarity can be changed:
– Removal of top cover
– Rotation of LC sections
– Identification path to show changes to polarity
LightStack™
• LightStack Ultra High Density system is an end-to-end fiber solution for data centers
• Up to 144 fibers (LC interface) and 864 fibers (MTP interface) within 1U
• The LightStack system consists of:
– Enclosures
– Plug & Play Modules
– Adapter plates
– MTP Trunks
– Hybrid MTP to LC Trunks.
Copper/Fiber Combination Panel
• High density panel accommodates copper and fiber• 4 plug and play modules or• 24 copper ports• Shielded copper applications
• Z-MAX, MAX or TERA compatible• Fixed panel design with rear cable management
for copper
Copper/Fiber Combination Panel
Intelligent Infrastructure Management
• The bridge between physical and logical layers
• Controls the physical layer in real time
– Who is connected to what ?
– Who will have to be connected to what ?
– How many ports are still available in my rack ?
– Was my work order executed in the correct way ?
– Where is that hacker ?
– Who made that change ?
– How can I have a truly complete network management ?
Siemon EagleEye Connect
Space design
• What about cabinets with a separated patch zone ?
• Passives and actives have different priorities
• What are the best ideas to keep them sharing the same space.
Space design
• Vertical patching (copper and fiber)
• Vertical cable management
• Horizontal cable management
• Pre-terminated trunking cables, plug-and-play fiber
• Power distribution support
• Thermal management features.
Space design
4x760mm cabsTotal available space:
4x45=180U 3x12= 36U 2x4= 8U
______________224U
5x600mm cabsTotal available space:
5x45 = 225U
4U 45U 12U 45U 12U 45U 12U 45U 4U
Space design
Before..... ...and after !!
DC architecture
• A zoned approach based on true structured cabling:
– Server switching is shared among multiple cabs
– Alternative to Top-of-Rack
– Reduces the number of actives Day1 either in the Access, in the Aggregation and in the Core Layer
– Pay for switch ports as you grow
EN 50600-2-4:2015Information technology Data centre facilities and infrastructures -Telecommunications Cabling Infrastructure
Case study
• 5-6kW /server cab
• 39 server cabs
• 14 servers/cab
• 2 network port/server
Power & Switch Port Utilization
DC architectureA zoned approach will save you money !!
Grow Vertically or Horizontally?
6 m
1 allocated pair of shared PDUs and shared cabling every 2 cabs
Stranded Power Decreased with Shared PDUs
Wrap up
• A proper DC design should include:
– An optimized architecture
– Mid-to-long term view for infrastructure
– Latest / next generation technologies
– A careful budget / ROI estimation
THANKS FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION !!
Alberto Zucchinali RCDD
Senior Technical Manager
EMEA DC Solutions & Services Manager
