Hyperscale
Hyperscale data centres have an incredibly
scalable computing architecture which
can be managed like a single unit.
Hyperscale solutions allow CIOs to start
out modestly with lower investments and
react to growing demand. They can thus
immediately aggregate or extend their
networks smoothly without having to
interrupt operations.
Hyperscale capability is based in
particular on there being an available
mass of optical fibres. High count fibre
cables with more than 2000 or 4000
multi fibre cables are typically needed to
cover the connectivity requirement.
Fibre Vs. copper
That being said, copper is still a good
option for horizontal links (10G) and with
the new Cat. 8, it will be able to provide
40G for 30 metres. So, it remains cheaper
and sufficient for small distances.
Density and modularity
With internal data centre traffic
expected to grow by 80% over the
next three years, there is a real risk
of networks becoming bandwidth
bottlenecks. By moving from traditional
low-density cabling to high-density
structured cable solutions, CIOs
can implement physical network
infrastructure in a far more flexible
manner. These systems enable data
centres to easily migrate to 25, 40 and
100 Gb/s networks and solve some
critical network challenges.
Automation
Automation benefits servers, storage
and switches, but the cabling that
interconnects it all largely remains
a cumbersome, manual, error-prone
management mess.
For this reason, over the last several years,
Automated Infrastructure Management
(AIM) has become a strategic investment
for optimising resource usage and cabling
documentation in data centres.
AIM eliminates stranded capacity,
facilitates end-to-end analysis and
agile infrastructure management and
aids predictive analysis and dynamic
infrastructure. Not only this, these
solutions improve the efficiency of
operation and administration and can
result in reduction of downtime by 30%
to 50%. ◊
No one asks for a slower network and
while it is 10GbE that is being deployed, all
new implementations are factoring in the
need to include easy 40G and even 100G
migration as a part of their future. And for
this, higher value cabling systems such
as fibre is the way forward. Fibre systems
facilitate the set-up of high-density
cabling systems for data networks with
parallel-optical connection technology.
Consequently, data centres can introduce
10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) or even 40 and
100 GbE as a bandwidth to connect the
fastest servers and switches to each other.
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