I would add to the recommendations already stated by Mark and John the
folllowing: Depending on the dimensions of the colo in question and the length of
the cabling runs you plan to install, take note of the distance limitations of
STP for DS1 signals and the in-house coaxial connections for DS3 signals and
higher, which are (were) governed by ANSI/Bellcore, the last time I looked.
Fiber, likewise, must be coordinated with network element interfaces (GBICs, ST,
etc.) and here again distance is a major consideration. The latter may become an
issue in large structures, or in the event that you plan to run media between
buildings, or if you plan to interconnect with service providers at the f-o level
(Layer1).
For your optical media and connection hardware (patch panels, raceways, etc.),
have a long hard talk with at least two reputable fiber optic cable suppliers
(e.g., Corning, CommScope, Sumitomo, etc.) and develop an understanding about the
limitations and advantages of the various s-m and m-m options you have available
to you, per the types of solutions you need to implement and the distances they
dictate. Incoming fiber from the street (dark fiber providers, included) will be
single-mode, primarily, but the preponderance of your in-house cabling between
switches, routers and servers, if fiber distances are indicated, will be
multi-mode, requiring a different patch bay selection.
Where distances permit (<100 meter channels) UTP should suffice for Ethernet
speeds up to 10Gb/sec now, with 10Gb/sec (10GBASE-T) ratified only recently (I'm
quite certain), but I suggest reading the following article from Cabling
Installation & Maintenance Magazine, just the same.
Note, Cat5e and vanilla Cat6 will not suffice (perhaps a Cat6A will, not sure at
this stage, but do your homework before purchasing anyone's Cat7) for 10GbE (it
may work, but your hardware vendors will not honor warranties when problems
arise), so be prepared to make some long range planning decisions in coming to
terms with a cabling plant that's going to last you a while. HTH.
Frank A. Coluccio
DTI Consulting Inc.
212-587-8150 Office
347-526-6788 Mobile
On Fri Sep 8 23:31 , John L Lee sent: