Intelligent Data Centres Issue 18 | Page 30

EDITOR’S QUESTION are therefore making sound cabling investments to significantly reduce the possibility of data centre downtime. Today, no one asks for a slower network and while it is 25 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) that is being deployed, all new implementations are factoring in the need to include easy 100G and even 200G migration as a part of their future. And for this, higher value cabling systems such as fibre are the way forward. Fibre systems facilitate the setup of high-density cabling systems for data networks with parallel-optical connection technology. Consequently, data centres can introduce 25 GbE or even 100 and 200 GbE as a bandwidth to connect the fastest servers and switches to each other. 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. NABIL KHALIL, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF R&M MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY AND AFRICA nternal data centre traffic is expected to I grow by 80% over the next three years. As a result, there is a real risk of networks becoming bandwidth bottlenecks. As a standard practice, organisations must now move away from traditional low-density cabling to high-density modular structured cable solutions. By doing so, they can implement physical network infrastructure in a far more manageable and flexible manner. Furthermore, these systems enable data centres to easily migrate to 25, 100 and 200 Gb/s networks and solve some of the most critical network challenges. A data centre is an ever-expanding, interdependent, difficult-to-understand infrastructure that, once installed, is there to stay. Data centre managers must address constant demand for new services and booming data growth. When planning the installation or upgrade of network cabling, it is vital to remember that while the cost of cabling typically only accounts for 4–5% of the total expense of the data centre, reports have shown that 65% of system outages are related to cabling, and patching mistakes cause 28% of downtime in data centres. They DATA CENTRE MANAGERS MUST ADDRESS CONSTANT DEMAND FOR NEW SERVICES AND BOOMING DATA GROWTH. In terms of design, the traditional hierarchical network topology with core, aggregation and access level can no longer cope with today’s needs, resulting in congestion along traffic routes. To ensure data and applications are available in real time at all times, latencies have to be considerably reduced, calling for single-mode or multi-mode fibre and new kinds of network architecture. A spine-leaf architecture can be adapted to continuously changing needs and reduces latency. A network mesh with crisscrossing cabling guarantees that switches at access level are no longer more than a hop away from each other. Between ever increasing fibre densities, complicated fanout connections and meshed leaf-spine architectures, knowing the true state of the network cabling at any time has been extremely difficult. Changing network topologies therefore also warrant the use of Automated Infrastructure Management (AIM) solutions. Using a single, current, consistent database eliminates stranded capacity and facilitates end-to-end analysis, agile infrastructure management, predictive analysis, capacity utilisation and efficiency of operation and administration, and can bring 30–50% reduction in downtime. 30 Issue 18 www.intelligentdatacentres.com