14. April 2023

5 Min read

    Contents

      Written by Reinhard Burkert

      Product Manager Smart Networks

      Thousands of cables

      Cable ducts form the backbone of the data centers – they usually take the form of yellow plastic constructions or a plain wire mesh. They guide bundles of cables from meet-me and cross-connect stations to the rack rows and back.

      The number of cables grows with each new rack series and gigabit generation. The volumes of data that data centers store and process inevitably require more and more cables. At the same time, the number of fibers per cable is growing, and thus their diameter. Hyperscale data centers now work with cables containing up to 6,912 fibers. And development is by no means over.

      The greatest benefit of the cable ducts lies in organizing these mounds of fiber optic cables across the entire data center.

      Provided: someone keeps track of everything!

      With hundreds or thousands of cables, you can lose track pretty quickly. That’s understandable. We know from various studies that over the course of a data center’s operational life, some network resources are quickly forgotten.

      Managing the increasing number of cables in data centers is becoming a full-time job. Poor management has expensive consequences. Examples:

      • The cable ducts guide the sensitive fiber optic cables around corners and obstacles in a controlled manner. They ensure that the minimum bending radius of the cables is maintained at all times. As soon as the cable ducts have reached their maximum filling level, controlled cable guiding is no longer possible. There is a risk of performance losses and connection failures.
      • Overfilled cable ducts can restrict the airflow. The cooling system needs to work more. Power consumption increases.
      • Technicians are unable to identify individual cables immediately. It takes time to find the right connection. Jobs are delayed.

      The value of documentation

      Accurate and complete documentation of cabling in real time has become indispensable. Those responsible should be familiar with each individual cable duct and know its current route, occupancy, and load. Just as accurately and up to date as they document ports, patch cords, servers, and switches. Compliance, governance, and operational reliability simply demand it.

      It is obvious to also document and manage the cable ducts for copper and fiber optic cables. The basis is a digital copy of the infrastructure, which always knows the current status of the channels, occupancy, and routes. This makes it easier to identify problems, tampering, and errors.

      The benefits of software

      Software such as inteliPhy net, the DCIM solution from R&M, should be capable of even more than recording and visualizing the status of the infrastructure. With Release 4.1, R&M has expanded the multifunctional inteliPhy net for cable duct management.

      • The route of each cable is precisely documented. This makes it easy to identify the cables in the ducts, and in the case of an error, it is immediately clear which cables are affected.
      • inteliPhy net represents the used and available capacity of the cable ducts. The software independently proposes cable routes based on the available capacity. Particularly in the application of copper cabling and Power over Ethernet (PoE), it is important to detect potential cable heating and to choose routes accordingly.
      • inteliPhy net can continuously monitor the situation in the cable ducts so that those responsible are warned of potential problems in good time.

      The potential of inteliPhy net

      inteliPhy net has established itself as a universal and deliberately simple software for Data Center Infrastructure Management. It covers operational requirements from the connector to the campus. With inteliPhy net, a small amount of basic data is all it takes to visualize a computer room with all the layout and infrastructure details and combine it with geographical information.

      Self-explanatory tools help data centers document network infrastructures, utilize resources, avert hazards, plan maintenance work, create reports, complete audits, control costs, etc.

      R&M has designed inteliPhy net in an open way from the outset and expanded it on a continuous basis in order to support simple network monitoring and infrastructure management in the data center. Users can connect modules at any time and use them immediately. With Release 4.1, inteliPhy net now also offers a complete digital view of the cable ducts and the working basis for the cable management strategy.

      Read in this blog about what else inteliPhy net can do, such as IT asset tracking.

      Download inteliPhy net here and test it.

      You can find all the information about the efficient R&M raceway system here.