Intelligent Data Centres Issue 42 | Page 48

NO LONGER CAN
THOSE MANAGING DATA CENTRES RELY ON CABLE TESTING , BE IT
CERTIFICATION OR QUALIFICATION
OF THE CABLING .
END USER INSIGHT

NO LONGER CAN

THOSE MANAGING DATA CENTRES RELY ON CABLE TESTING , BE IT

CERTIFICATION OR QUALIFICATION

OF THE CABLING .

End of Row ( EOR ) layout addresses some of the cabling overload issues by placing switches at the end of each row , reducing the amount of centralised cabling , but congestion can still occur at the network rack depending on the size of the row . Proliferation of IoT devices can compound the cabling congestion . Testing capability beyond physical layer certification is a must .
Top of Rack ( ToR ) layout , while being the most modern , is not without its challenges . Many more switches are required , which adds complexity and cost . Problems can arise if a ToR switch becomes full and a NetOps admin connects a server to a switch in an adjacent rack in the interest of saving time instead of expanding the port capacity on the rack , leading to cabling having to be manually traced to determine which switch a server is connected to . The ability to get quick switch detail including slot / port / VLAN to understand connection path should be considered a requirement .
Can you outline a few usecases that show common types of cable and network challenges that data centre administrators face – as well as what tools / techniques can be used to solve them ?
Use-case 1 : A PoE device is not functioning properly
Being able to perform a PoE load test at the endpoint where the device connects can confirm if power is adequate when under load . The test equipment demands the power from the PSE , if power is insufficient at the endpoint , then the same test can be performed directly into the switch port to determine if that is the culprit . The test can be useful in determining if a switch port is the issue , the cabling is the issue or even if a low-quality patch cord inadvertently connected in the channel is an issue . Being able to also measure data centre resistance and resistance unbalance , in
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