UNCOVERING THE LAYERS
This keeps patch cable lengths short , uniform and under control . Each Top-of- Rack switch then uses high speed uplinks to interconnect all distributed switches in the facility to one or more racks of aggregation switches . While this model indeed reduces cable management issues inherent in other designs , it increases the amount of switch hardware required and can complicate cable troubleshooting efforts as data must now pass through multiple cables and network hardware .
While this model indeed reduces cable management issues inherent in other designs , it increases the amount of switch hardware required and can complicate cable troubleshooting efforts as data must now pass through multiple cables and network hardware .
Can you tell us what some of the network connectivity challenges are within these different types of DCs and how AEM can help test and / or resolve those issues ?
Regardless of whether your DC cabling is run by in-house staff or a professional third-party cabling crew , mistakes do happen . Problems with existing cabling may go unnoticed for weeks , months or years for several reasons . For example , it ’ s possible that the cabling was never put into production until recently , or perhaps upgraded network hardware now requires the cabling to support higher transport speeds .
Another factor is buildout to support emerging technologies , such as those discussed earlier in this document and might include Single Pair Ethernet ( SPE ). Finally , cabling may need to transport power over twisted pair cabling for the first time . Regardless , the precise location of the cabling mistake will lead to far faster problem resolutions . It ’ s not uncommon for cabling to become bent , stretched or kinked beyond manufacturer specifications .
Enterprise-grade cable test equipment can often not only identify that there indeed is a performance problem – but can also pinpoint the precise location of where the fault has occurred on the cable . Knowing this can significantly reduce the amount of time required to fix this issue – as well as point to other cables in a bundle that may also have been damaged due to improper installation techniques .
Can you tell us more about the testing of the cabling within the data centre environment ?
When it comes to choosing the right test tool for your DC , there are a couple of factors to consider . Test tools can be purchased individually or as a broadbased multifunction test solution . While some may opt to purchase individual tools on an as-needed basis , understand that the cost of each tool will eventually surpass the cost of a multifunction tester purchased up front .
Additionally , multifunction testers leverage the same user interface making training an easier endeavour . Finally , understand that some multifunction test units are modular by design . This means that test functions can be upgraded over time and new test capabilities – both from a hardware and software perspective – can be upgraded to extend the usefulness of the tester over time .
Having the right toolset could save thousands of dollars from lost productivity from both the users themselves as well as those responsible for overseeing network infrastructure and DC support . www . intelligentdatacentres . com
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