DRAKA UC, First launch into Philippines with a resounding success!

Philippines

Draka UC, Prysmian Group’s Structured Cabling solutions have finally set foot in Philippines!

Alongside our newly appointed distributor, TAL Technologies, Prysmian Group held its first Draka UC launch in Manila, drawing an overwhelming crowd which consists of system installers, integrators and consultants.

Prysmian Group / Draka prides itself on the cutting edge technologies and the ability to provide end to end solutions to the market. The event was essential in introducing our brand and supply channel in the Philippine market so as to further establish our position as the World Number 1 Cable Brand.

“We are providing a higher value add to our business partners which is that our Multimedia Solutions comprises a full portfolio of Structured Cabling, Building Management Comms Cabling , Mobile Network etc to complement the entire communications cabling solution required in every construction” stated Dominic Goh, Sales Director for ASEAN MMS business.

“Even when required, we can incorporate in our Energy Cables business segment together in major construction project to provide an even bigger Prysmian Group products offer” added Dominic Goh.

Focusing on a 100 pax dedicated customers / business partners, attendees were familiarized with our capabilities and had first-hand experiences with the products on display.

A big thank you to our distributor in Philippines, TAL Technologies for their support in making this event a huge success! And we are looking forward to conducting the next dedicated Draka UC Product Seminar in Manila soon.
For enquiries on our Draka UC (Structured Cabling) and full Multimedia Cabling products, please visit www.DRAKAUC.com or contact TAL sales@tal-techpl.com

Source: Marketing MMS Asia

OM5 – what brings the new fiber class for optical LANs?

Those who are monitoring the developments at IEEE802.3 will not suffer from a lack of ideas about the transfer methods at the moment, as a large number of partly overlapping solutions are currently under development or already standard. Already now it’s foreseeable: not every solution is also a commercial success.

Users seem to have a “wait & see” strategy in this environment, because it would not be possible to explain why optical backbones still work at a 10G level, a technology of the year 2002. Here a new development can be created for aeration – wavelength multiplex via multimode glass fibers. What can be expected from this can be seen in the following article.

Do we have a backlog in optical network investments?

The copper data cable, which is often regarded as limited in its transmission potential, is currently highly popular: not only does it expand the entire building as an IT infrastructure in LAN installations, it simultaneously feeds the WLAN APs, and also links the distributed building technology into the network And, last but not least, is also used for power supply via PoE. Such LANs are now properly designed to 10G (Class EA), which is standardized with 10GBase-T since 2006.

However, the majority of the optical building and sports nets that are required to provide these horizontal structures are also only operated on 10G, which has been standardized with 10GBase-SR since 2002. This is not compatible with the logic of Ethernet LAN, because for a safe operation the backbones should be a “stage” faster than their access networks. That would be according to today’s state of technology 40GBase-SR4, standardized since 2010.

Transceivers for this method are now widely used, in the data center in EOR installations, or backbone consolidation, when four 10G transceivers are replaced by a 40G transceiver, but without increasing the line speed per fiber pair. This is economically meaningful, but technically an on-the-spot.

A hurdle may be the introduction of the 8-multimode fiber-based parallel optics with four parallel-guided 10Gb / s channels. Supporters of the classical 2-fiber topology lead the higher complexity and lack of experience to the long-term behavior of the required MPO connection technology. Also the limited link budget does not make a decision easier. The time is ripe for the 40G deployment, not only because of the network hierarchy, but also because 40G transceivers have now reached a “healthy” price level, which creates the prerequisite for these investments.

We cannot but accepting the limits of our technological possibilities. Today it is not possible to transmit serially 100G and more through a single pair of fibers, this is one source and pone receiver. In practice, we are always dealing with multi-lane methods in which several channels are cascaded. In addition to the variant of multiplying complete transmission paths (laser cable – plug – receiver), there is a solution for parallel routing of the optical channels into one fiber per direction. This so-called WDM (wavelength division multiplex) method has been used for over 15 years in the field of wide-area transmission technology for the requirements at 1550nm. A recent development is the WDM technology with few short wavelengths of 850nm-950nm, also called Shortwave-CWDM or SWDM.

WideBand multimode fibers for SWDM

Today, multimode fibers (MMFs) of the OM3 and OM4 classes are the preferred media for Ethernet and Fiber Channel applications operating at 850 nm with NRZ modulation. If the data rate is to be increased, the effective bandwidth is limited by the modal dispersion of the MMF and the low VCSEL bandwidth. To overcome this limitation, parallel fiber links operating at 10 and 25 Gbps line speed are used to multiply the capacitance. However, this approach requires an infrastructure based on multi-fiber connection technology (MPO). To continue the proven 2-fiber structures is a 100 Gbps solution and moreover, using a single MMF would be preferable. In this context, WDM techniques can be used. For comparison, an OM4-MMF provides a high modal bandwidth, but only a narrow wavelength range centered at 850 nm, limiting its WDM capabilities. The cost-effective operation of at least four WDM channels, each with 25 Gbps, requires high-bandwidth broadband MMFs over an extended wavelength range of 100nm. For backward compatibility, the 850nm wavelength was maintained, resulting in the operating window of 850 to 950nm (see FIG. 1). The performance of MMF in a system is related to the effective bandwidth, which is a function of the effective modal bandwidth (EMB) and chromatic dispersion.

Fig 1

In order to guarantee a constant effective bandwidth of 2,000 MHz * km, the EMB must be 4.700 MHz * km at 850 nm and must not be less than 2.700 MHz * km up to 950 nm (see FIG. 2). WideBand MMFs that meet these specifications are made by optimizing the core profile and tuning the alpha parameter in the GI core glass to shift the peak EMB to 880 nm.

Prototypes of such WideBand MMFs were measured at various wavelengths of 850 to 950 nm using a tunable titanium-sapphire laser. The resulting typical EMB is shown in FIG. 2, as are those of OM4-MMF for comparison. The curves show a peak EMB at 875nm optimized WideBand MMFs, while the standard MMF of the OM4 type has a narrow EMB distribution centered at 850nm. As a result, WideBand MMFs fulfill the EMB specification, while standard OM4-MMF fail at approx. 900nm.

Fig 2

To demonstrate the WDM capability of wide-band MMFs for existing and future system applications, BER tests were performed at 28 Gbps at 850 and 980 nm. The BER evaluation shows the required power reserve after 100m transmission. In addition, the BER was determined using a commercially available 40Gbps duplex transceiver that uses 2 WDM channels, each with 20Gbps at 850 and 900nm. Up to 300m of error-free transmission (BER <10-12) via wide-band MMF is thus possible, which corresponds to the double range of this transceiver. Four WDM channels with 25.8 Gbps from 850 to 950nm with a distance of 30nm and a capacity of 100G reached a distance of 200 m with error-free transmission.

The capacity can be further increased by implementing advanced modulation formats such as PAM-4. In the laboratory, a 180Gbps transmission over a WideBand MMF with four 45Gbps PAM-4 WDM signals was successfully realized, the BER of which had a range of over 300 m, while a maximum of 150 m was achieved with OM4-MMF. These results show the performance data of WideBand MMFs to realize 40, 100 or 200Gbps without the need for parallel fiber optic infrastructures.

Cost comparison

For 40GBase-x, the user now has a choice of options for network operation. Thanks to the standardized QSFP + housing format, depending on the transmission distance, the most cost-effective transceiver variant can be commissioned by plug & play. Currently a well-known pattern is confirmed:

• SM transceivers (40Gbase-LR4) cost between 200% and 400% more than MM transceivers (40GBase-SR4) of the same data rate.

• The price difference of two such transceivers is at least € 600, – and thus the multiple of the cost of the entire passive cabling (a link)

• Thus, an optical fiber backbone based on MMF is the economic solution, if technically feasible.

Some users are concerned that the SWDM technology in the transceiver leads to a lot of additional costs.

A short comparison (Fig. 3) shows that the essential cost elements hold the balance or even more favorable variants.

Fig 3

In this context, first commercially available SWDM transceivers are of particular interest. They extend not only the transceiver selection by a further variant, but already allow on the 40G and 100G power level the maintenance of the 2-MMF infrastructure with the proven LC plug.

Conclusion

There are already users whose planning horizon reaches up to 40GbE and beyond. The vast majority of applications are backbone switch-to-switch installations. OM3 with two fibers per line was already present in many cases and a system upgrade often took place step by step. It’s a strong advantage of the described WideBand MMF being fully backwards compatible with all previous MMFs from OM2 to OM3 up to OM4 and not imposing any other requirements to its connecting hardware than the conventional ones. This allows the WideBand MMF to efficiently migrate existing 10G networks to cost efficient 40G and 100G implementations and further up to 200G. At the same time, WideBand-MMF is recognized by IEEE802.3 as Next-Generation MMF and thus supported in case of upcoming network standards.

There is no alternative to MM fibers to those who cannot ignore the costs of LAN and DC network backbones. The new WideBand MMF technology provides a cost-effective transmission technology that is easier to handle due to the LC duplex infrastructure. It is a standardized MM fiber at IEC and TIA, defined as the OM5 cabling class in the forthcoming revision of ISO / IEC11801 and already available with first commercial products.

Credentials:

[1] A. Amezcua, D. Molin, M. Bigot-Astruc, P. Sillard; “Next-Generation Multimode Optical Fibers for Datacom and Telecom Networks”; IEEE Photonics Society Newsletter; Aug 2016

[2] J. Ingham: “Updated baseline for the 100 Gb/s MMF objective using two-wavelength PAM4 transmission”; IEEE P802.3cd; Sep 2016

Authors: Carsten Fehr, Tayfun Eren

 

Source: Technical MMS UK

Prysmian Group’s successful showcase at Data Centre World 2016

Prysmian Group recently participated in the Data Centre World Asia as a Gold Sponsor held at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore; showcasing our UCFUTURE Data Centre cabling solutions as part of the DRAKA UC portfolio.

Key products on display was the improved Cat 6a solutions comprising of our high density designs, Cat 8.2 channel link solution, and the revolutionary WideCap OM5 Fiber high density cables and solution.

Data Centre World, the world’s largest, most influential gathering of data centre expertise brings together the stakeholders of the industry. Visitors were eagerly visiting our booth for our products know-how, future business opportunities and ranges from datacenter specialists, system installers, owners and consultants alike.

Our Product Specialists were flown in for the Day 1 keynote presentation titled: Next-Generation Multimode Optical Fibers. Adrian Amezcua, Product Line Manager for Multimode Optical Fiber and Tayfun Eren, Product Manager for Fibre Optic Cables spoke about how next-generation multimode fibers can be optimized to support wavelength division multiplexing operation and mode division multiplexing to allow migration to higher bit rates and achieve higher capacity.

Our presence in this event reinforces our position as a dedicated player in the Data Centre industry, providing high technology structured cabling solutions into data centres.

“Prysmian Group is a reputed and trusted manufacturer in this industry and it is interesting to know that they have established structured cabling solutions for datacenters set up. As a principal contractor, we are keen to explore potential opportunities with Prysmian Group for future data centers projects.” – Mr Zahid Khan – Regional Projects Director, APAC, CBRE DCS

“In the past short years, we have seen how fast Prysmian Group has developed from a cable manufacturer to a full Structured Cabling Solutions player with good successes in the data centre sector, and is now a very well-recognized solution brand in this region. Hence, moving forward, we are eager to participate more closely with this MMS business unit on the opportunities ahead.” – Mr Benny Lum – Executive Director, LanTroVision

dcw-2016

 

Source:Marketing MMS Asia

Draka launches Slimflex space-saving Cat6a copper patch cables

Cables and systems specialist Draka, part of the Prysmian Group, has launched a small diameter Category 6a patch cable. The cable’s reduced diameter gives it flexibility and saves space in high density patching areas.

Called Slimflex, the 30AWG (American Wire Gauge) stranded copper cable occupies just 60% of the space required by standard 24AWG patch cords, which makes for easier system changes and additions. The cable’s smaller 4.5mm diameter saves space in racks and cabinets when compared to standard 6mm diameter patch cables.

Slimflex’s tighter bend radius also makes for easier cable routing and simplified cable management. It can also improve airflow to help maintain equipment performance and reliability.

The Slimflex patch cables have a white outer sheath and are available in lengths of 1m, 1.5m, 2m, 3m, 4m and 5m to suit the majority of patch applications. The low smoke zero halogen cables are flame retardant and comply with IEC 60332-1.

The cables are fitted with RJ45 connectors which feature Draka’s unique tangle-free boot design and 1.27micron gold plated phosphor bronze plug pins to ensure the best connection over multiple mating cycles.

Slimflex is suitable for a variety of applications including 10GBase-T Ethernet, data centre input/output consolidation and server virtualization, backbone aggregation, high density greenfield network racks and brownfield cable managers running out of space.

Lee Stokes, Product Manager for UC Connect, said: “Draka’s Slimflex, small diameter UC Connect patch cables deliver Category 6a performance, with a significantly tighter bend radius, for easier routing and enhanced cable management to facilitate moves, adds and changes in tight spaces”.

Source: Technical MMS UK

Draka UC Showcase at CommunicAsia 2016 concludes with a Big Bang!

This June, we welcomed business partners from around the region as Prysmian Group participated in CommunicAsia 2016 held at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 31May – 03 June.

Distributors and partners from our Multimedia Solutions business were taken on a “The Multimedia Experience” tour around the booth which showcased our new Cat 8.2 solutions, Multimedia Specials products and of course, our iconic DRAKA UC Structured Cabling Solutions which has seen remarkable growth in the region since its inaugural launch in 2013.

Year on year, our participation in the event enhances out foothold in the market and conglomerates our partners around ASIA to learn of our technology capabilities and updates; and at the same time, forge stronger bonds.

The booth had a constant flow of traffic and it was a huge success to us in terms of establishing ourselves as the World’s Largest Cable Brand. The event finishes off with a Customer Appreciation Dinner held at Carlton Hotel for up to 90 guests.

A big thank you to our regional partners, Fluke Networks and Psiber Data for their support, and the many business partners whom have visited our booth.

CMMA2016
 

Source:Marketing MMS Asia/em>

Going to Great Lengths

One of the biggest challenges for businesses implementing a converged cabling infrastructure is the need to connect remote devices to the network. Zoran Borcic, Datacom product manager at cabling and systems specialist Draka, outlines the latest developments in long reach twisted pair copper cabling.

IP is being used for an increasing number of applications. Data, voice, security and building automation and management systems can now all run over a common twisted pair cabling infrastructure. More recently IP is being used for industrial applications, where the focus is on monitoring, control and data collection and visualisation – so called Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition or SCADA applications.

This shift to a converged cabling infrastructure is rapidly increasing as more and more business applications running on IP networks are introduced and increasing numbers of companies are recognising the potential value a converged cable network can bring. It is a shift that will place significant new demands on network infrastructure.

Multimedia networking is another growing trend, particularly in hotels, airports lounges and passenger ships, with applications ranging from distance learning to desktop video conferencing, instant messaging, workgroup collaboration, multimedia kiosks, entertainment and imaging.

In offices WLAN, and Wifi are gaining ground. In practice WLAN is integrated into cabling structures in line with EN50173. With the new generation WLAN 802.11ac we have the first volume application for 10GBase-T in offices, which requires dense 10Gb/s network of Class EA or better preferably with Power over Ethernet plus (PoE+) compatibility with Next Gen PoE.

The advantage of running all of these different applications over the same cabling infrastructure eliminates the need to design and install separate networks. It also simplifies network management including initial deployment and eventual reconfiguration; improves network scalability to accommodate growth; improves reliability, and offers considerable cost savings.

The disadvantage of converged cabling is that downtime no longer means employees just lose access to emails. Instead security, building management systems and video conferencing and power to remote devices will all be affected, which is why it is important to install only the best performing cables and connectivity components including jacks and patch panels.

These trends have all been taken into account by CENELEC in the new edition of EN 50173 Information Technology: Generic Cabling Systems. This is now divided into six categories:

EN 50173-1: General requirements

EN 50173-2: Office buildings

EN 50173-3: Industrial areas

EN 50173-4: Home environments

EN 50173-5: Data centres

EN 50173-6: Distributed building services

The way that the standard has been put together means that if a designer or specifier is looking to define the design for structured cabling in offices, then all they need to do is to simply refer to EN 50173-2: for industrial areas it is EN 50173-3. All of the application specific standards are underpinned by EN 50173-1: General requirements, which contains a lot of the detailed and technical information common to premises.

One of the challenges of a implementing a converged cabling infrastructure is the need to reach remote IP devices, such as remote security cameras, external temperature sensors or external door locks to the network. With conventional twisted pair cabling the horizontal distance is limited to 100m from the panel to the device so the designers and installers generally have three options:

1. Use fibre optic cabling and an Ethernet media converter at both ends of the cable. Depending on the type of fibre and application, data transmission can be supported for distances in excess of 100m. While this solution is standard compliant, it can be expensive and critically it is not possible to power a device remotely using fibre.

2. Use XR transceivers is another solution for fibre optic systems. However, for xBase-T they are not available or applicable. They are also expensive.

3. Long reach copper cabling systems would appear to be the optimal solution because copper cabling is a convenient and cost effective solution, which enables power to be cost-effectively provided to a device via PoE. And, by avoiding the need for sub-distributors and media converters, this solution also has the advantage of reducing the amount of technical space needed for converged cabling.

Long reach copper cables

Cable and systems specialist Draka has introduced UC LR22 10Gbit U/FTP, a new compact cable which will help designers and installers power remote devices with ease. The shielded twisted pair cable is constructed from American Wire Gauge 22 copper core. It has an outside diameter of 8.2mm and is fabricated from low smoke halogen free (LSHF) materials and it has been optimised for PoE+/next gen PoE.

It meets all the requirements of the Ethernet standard IEEE 802.3 and ISO/IEC 11801 standards for 10GBase-T, PoE, PoE+ and a Class EA channel up to a length of 120m providing it has been installed with UC-Connect components and patch cables.

This unique cable allows the installed cable length to be longer while using the same installation practices as standard cabling solutions for peace of mind for installers and specifiers.

Because many applications supported by this extended cable are located outdoors, such as IP cameras, access controls and alike, the cable is also available in an outdoor version too.

Standard compliant solution

In the first edition of ISO/IEC11801 a larger planning reach for services in Classes A, B or C has been part of the cabling scheme. Its logic was based on the fact a higher performing cabling can run longer distances with less demanding applications. This appeared to be forgotten in later editions of the cabling standard, although it still holds true. And, with applications located on the perimeter of LAN coverage, this fact regains importance.

Since length is only an informative measurement value and not a pass or fail criteria, testing an installed link is easy. Meters always show ‘Pass’ or ‘I’ (Only Informative Value) whatever the length. Within the ISO/IEC and CENLEC standards there is no length restriction for the transmission classes. What really matters is the end-to-end performance of the link and the LR-cable ensures increased compliance thanks to its better reach capabilities.

Since some BMS devices run at limited data rates of 100Mb/s or even less, the LR cable offers even larger link extensions. Autonegotiation of speed levels, in which two connected Ethernet devices choose the highest transmission mode they both support, makes administration easy and allows runs to remote devices at distances up to 180m.

The LR cabling approach is fully standard compliant. It enables the cost-efficient use of existing LAN infrastructure for increasingly important building management systems. It can easily be embedded in existing LAN cabling systems where it works as well as installing a new installation from scratch.

Range Overview

range table

Source: Technical MMS UK

Draka Seminar held in Jakarta, Indonesia

IMG_5524

On 8 Mar 2016, Prysmian Group together with our newly appointed Distributor PT Piramida Data Teknologi, conducted a kick-off seminar in Jakarta to an overwhelming attendance consisting of participants from system installers and contractors background.

PT. Piramida Data Teknologi was appointed by Prysmian Group’s Multimedia Solutions Business in Jan 2016 as a new distributor for Draka UC structured cabling solutions in Indonesia.

The seminar focused to introduce our new generation of structured cabling solutions under the Draka Universal Cabling (UC) portfolio, and the accompanying products in the MMS portfolio.

We will like to extend our appreciation to PT. Piramida Data Teknologi, Psiber Data (who presented on cable test standards), and each participants in this successful seminar.

Source: Marketing MMS Asia

Cat 8 – The Need for Speed

The Need for Speed

The launch of a Cat 8.2 copper cable system is set to transform data centre infrastructures by providing a cost effective alternative to fibre optic solutions for both 25GBase-T and 40GBase-T installations as Lee Stokes, UC Connect Product Manager at Draka.

 

The digital universe is growing fast. Experts predict it will grow by 40% a year for the next decade as the number of people, businesses, and devices that are connected to the internet continues to increase. The growth in social media, the use of smartphones, the evolution in industrial sensors, the proliferation of CCTV and the growth of video on demand and cloud computing are all contributing to this data explosion.

 

As a result of this rapid growth in data, data centres and their cable infrastructures are coming under increasing pressure to maintain sufficient capacity to cope with increasing volumes of data without a degradation of service.

 

In response, cables and systems specialist Draka has launched the world’s first third party approved Cat 8.2 copper cabling system as part of the company’s Universal Cabling (UC) Connect System. This latest product will allow Draka to offer customers the choice of both 40Gbps copper and 40Gbps fibre optic cabling solutions under the UC Connect brand.

 

The Cat 8.2 copper cable system is targeted primarily at data centre applications, where it will provide data centre developers and operators a cost-effective alternative to fibre optic systems by giving them the opportunity to take advantage of the reduced cost of copper compatible switches. The new system will also be particularly useful for applications where cable installers are more familiar working with copper cabling for both end-of-row and top of rack architecture.

 
48P

In drawing up the cabling standards for both 25GBase-T and 40GBase-T, the standards bodies recognised that the majority of applications will be in data centres, where the preferred way of connecting servers to switches is over twisted pair cable. And, since 88% of all switch-to-server links are typically less than 30m, all three of the standards bodies (the TIA, ISO and IEEE) have deemed a maximum link-length of 30m allowable, a length far shorter than the link-lengths for other cable types.

 

The shorter link length is necessary for 25GBase-T and 40GBase-T copper cables because above 30m their performance drops to an unacceptable level as the result of attenuation. In fact, the standards define the 30m maximum length as comprising three sections of cable: a 26m length plus a 2m long patch cable at each end.

 

While the maximum cable reach is broadly similar in all the 25GBase-T and 40GBase-T standards there are, however, significant differences between standards regarding backwards compatibility of Cat 8 systems. North American standards body the TIA, for example, has broken with convention with a definition for Cat 8 that does not require the system to be backwards compatible with Cat7A or Cat7 systems while ensuring that it is backwards compatible with Cat 6A, Cat 6 systems and those with a lower specification.

 

The ISO standard for Cat 8.1 is similar to the TIA in that it too does not require installations to be compatible with Cat 7A or Cat 7 installations, while requiring them to be compatible with Cat 6A or less. By contrast, the ISO standard for Cat 8.2 cable installations does have a requirement that the installation is backwards compatible with Cat 7A, Cat 7, Cat 6A and all lesser products. Draka’s new system is ISO Cat 8.2 compliant, which means it is fully compatible with all system categories. It also has third party approval.

 
24P

Draka’s Cat 8.2 cable is available in both installation and patch cable versions. The installation cable has an outside diameter of 8.5mm and an installed bending radius of 68mm, while the more flexible patch cable is thinner with an outside diameter of 6.0 and a shorter installed bending radius of 48mm.

 

Both cable options incorporate four twisted cable pairs, screened using aluminium-laminated plastic foil; the overall cable assembly is then encased in a copper-braided tinned screen surrounded by a low smoke halogen-free sheath. Their robust construction ensures the cables have a data transmission performance of up to 2GHz, which is four times the bandwidth of Cat 6A cables and with significantly higher alien crosstalk requirements.

 

In addition to the launch of a Cat 8.2 cable, Draka has also launched a third party approved 40GBase-T connector. Most copper data cabling installations use RJ45 connectors. There are, however, currently no third party approved RJ45 connectors capable of handling 40GBase-T data volumes. So, to allow installers and developers to take advantage of its new Cat 8.2 system, Draka has developed a 4-chamber connector with a shielded quadrant design (similar to a Tera Connector).

 

pic 3

Draka’s new 4-chamber connector has third party approval from testing laboratory GHMT. It has been tested up to 4GHz of bandwidth. The benefit of this is that when it is installed the 4-chamber connector will enable each twisted pair to comfortably deliver 2GHz of bandwidth. The connector also has better than 88dB of screening attenuation (the same class as coaxial connectors), which is significantly better than the 50dB maximum of most RJ45 connectors.

 

In theory, the Cat 8.2 system and connector should allow data centre’s to take advantage of 25GBase-T and 40GBase-T systems immediately. In practice, however, the launch is so far ahead of the field that there are currently no switches and servers available to run 40GBase-T. Nor are servers likely to be available to run 40GBase-T until suitable RJ45 connectors have been developed, which could take another two years.

 

To give data centre developers and installers the opportunity to futureproof their data centres with the installation of a Cat 8.2 system now, Draka has also launched a hybrid patch lead fitted with a 4-chamber connector at one end and an RJ45 connector at the other. The lead will enable a patch to be made between the 4-chamber patch panel and the existing RJ45 server connection.

 
chord

This lead will allow data centre operators to run 10GBase-T over the Cat 8.2 system, from existing servers and switches until such times as the 40GBase-T servers and RJ45 connectors are available. Then, when the time comes, all an operator will have to do to upgrade a system from 10GBase-T to 40GBase-T is to swap the patch leads for a model fitted with new 40GBase-T compatible RJ45 connectors.

 

In addition to helping increase the data capacity of a data centre, Draka’s third party approved Cat 8.2 system is backed by 25-year performance warranty when installed as a complete UC Connect solution. And, because the system is fully backward compatible, its launch has also enabled Draka to offer a third party approved Cat 7A and Cat 7 solution, which can deliver 10Gbps of data at 90m for both data centre and LAN applications.

Source: Technical MMS UK

Draka Innovation Delivers High-Performance Cat.6 Data Cable with Slim Profile

Draka Innovation Delivers High-Performance Cat.6 Data Cable with Slim Profile

Prysmian Group –the world’s largest cable manufacturer – maintains its market leading position through a secure focus on research and innovation. Investment in R&D has led to the situation where Prysmian holds a range of patents for data cable in both copper and fibre while the global reach of the company allows it to capitalise on the best technologies and skills from around the world.

An example of the benefits of this resource is the revolutionary Draka UC400 Cat.6 U/UTP HD cable which meets the performance specifications for Category 6 cable, but within a dimension of 5.25mm.

Tayfun Eren, Technical Sales / Product Manager for Draka Multimedia Solutions, describes a revolutionary new product

What’s unique about the Draka Cat6 HD cable?

Category 6 cables deliver a 1Gbit data rate, the same as Category 5e cables, but with an increase in bandwidth from 100 MHz to 250 MHz.  However, the installation of existing Category 6 cables increases costs by around 20% because of their larger diameter. The cost increase is not due to the larger cable so much as the consequent increase in the size of conduits, cable trays etc.

Manufacturers have therefore been looking for ways to produce slimmer Cat.6 cables.  Initial products with a slimmer profile have been introduced, but they can only deliver the full Cat.6 performance over a limited length. Third party tests for the performance of Cat.6 cable test 90m lengths. Any cable that cannot produce optimum performance over 90m cannot be tested and therefore cannot be given the certified quality and performance warranties.

Prysmian Group, on the other hand, has developed the Cat.6 U/UTP HD cable. This product is just 5.25mm in diameter yet meets the full specification for Cat.6 over 90m. It has therefore been approved by 3P – a recognised third party independent tester. The Draka branded cable also delivers higher bandwidth (400 MHz) than any standard Cat.6 cable.

Because Draka Cat.6 U/UTP HD cable is comparable in size to Cat.5e cable there is no need to replace conduits, trays etc – hence there is very little price difference between the installation of Cat.5e and Cat.6 overall infrastructures.

 

What about POE?

Power-over-Ethernet (POE) technology is the capacity to transmit power and data through the same data cable.  Power transfer causes the cable to heat, due to the resistance effect. Heat degrades cable performance and as a result the cable may not be able to transmit data over the important 90m length.

Other cables on the market have achieved a slim profile by reducing the copper content. The reduced copper is the reason that they cannot typically meet the performance standard over 90m but it also causes problems for POE applications.  Reduced copper content increases the resistance and causes a greater heat build-up, increasing the degradation and performance of the cable.

In contrast, the development of the Draka Cat.6 HD cable does not rely on reduced copper content to achieve its performance or its reduced diameter. The result is a cable that not only meets Cat.6 performance specifications but also supports POE applications up to 60W. It also meets POE, POE+, 4-Pair POE standards.

As a contributor to the committees working on POE technology, Prysmian Group has invested in both the technical skills to develop the solution and in the facilities to prove its performance. In these rigorous testing facilities, Draka Cat.6 HD cable has been tested for worst-case scenarios such as when installed in a conduit and a tray. The company therefore has accurate performance data as outlined in Figure-1.

Cat6 HD POE

 

Source: Technical MMS UK

Prysmian Group – Dotcom Joint Seminar draws interest

Prysmian Group was invited by DotCom Engineering Sdn. Bhd., the largest security solution distributor in Malaysia, as keynote speakers for their seminar in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The event was attended by a total of 40 well-established M&E consultants, developers and M&E contractors. The theme of this event, hosted in 5-star Renaissance Hotel, was “Building Johor Bahru towards Smart City Through Smart Partnership with World Class Companies”.

Presentation by Mr Tony Chong ( Sales Manager, Telecom Malaysia) and Mr Giam Tee Woon (Technical Sales Support Manager ASEAN) created huge interest in Draka’s structured cabling solutions, “UCConnect®” and Draka Multimedia Solutions series. The participants were very impressed by Draka’s comprehensive range of high quality communication cables solutions and is especially appreciative of Draka’s life-saving fire resistant cables.

The event was a success with the flow of feedback and enquiries received post event. We thank DotCom for being our trusted partner in this seminar and look forward to the many more in time to come!

Source: Marketing MMS Asia