18 I ICT TODAY
DATA CENTER OPTICAL FIBER CABLING
DECISIONS BASED ON SCALE
The basic function of network cabling is essentially the same for all data centers. However, the needs of end users
can vary significantly. Based on these needs and interactions, several different design philosophies emerge. These
differences are highlighted herein along with the resulting impact on the cabling architecture.
The vast majority of data communications connections are made using Ethernet. These connections are based
on the OSI model of Layer 1 that defines the connection to the host, media, and the recipient device. This is true
whether the data rate is 10 Mb/s or 400 Gb/s. While the connection interface specification typically resides
in IEEE, the cabling is defined by TIA-568 and ISO 11801.
By Mike Connaughton, RCDD, CDCD, Brooke Ford, Joost Grillaert Ph.D. and Michael Wang
