This document is categorized as a type 2 technical report, which specifies the use of generic balanced cabling for customer premises, as specified in ISO/IEC 11801, ISO/IEC 15018, ISO/IEC 24702, and ISO/IEC 24764, for remote powering of terminal equipment.  This report covers the transmission and electrical parameters needed to support remote power over balanced cabling.  It also provides requirements and guidelines that will enable the support of a wide variety of extra low voltage (ELV) limited power source (LPS) applications using remote power, and also touches on the impact of installation scenarios.

ISO/IEC TR 29125 Edition 1.0: “Telecommunications Cabling Requirements for Remote Powering of Terminal Equipment” was developed by subcommittee 25: Interconnection of information technology equipment, of ISO/IEC joint technical committee 1: Information technology.  ISO/IEC TR 29125 Edition 1.0 was published September 2010. 

ISO/IEC TR 29125 Edition 1.0 Contents

• Conformance
• Cabling Selection and Performance
• Installation Conditions
• Transmission Requirements
• Remote Power Delivery Over Balanced Cabling
• Connecting Hardware
• Annex on Mitigation Considerations for Installed Cabling

This full standard is available for purchase on the IEC Webstore here.

Posted on the public area of the newly formed IEEE 802.3 Next Generation BASE-T study group is an interesting contribution by Dan Dove of Applied Micro Circuits Corporation proposing three distinct cabling reach topologies for different applications in the data center.  What’s notable about this presentation is that a global leader in the Ethernet chip development industry is clearly expressing an opinion on the controversial topic of shielded versus UTP cabling.

In his contribution, Mr. Dove proposes using shielded cables for support of Top-of-Rack (server to switch) applications because the media’s reduced echo and near-end crosstalk loss, reduced transmit power requirements, and virtually zero alien crosstalk support signal transmission with a simplified electromagnetic immunity (EMI) chip design.  Mr. Dove also questions the use of UTP cables to support the structured cabling End-of-Row topology (server to switch, switch to switch, and switch to core switch) connections because transmission over UTP media requires a more complex EMI chip design, introduces challenges related to additional return loss and near-end crosstalk loss, needs higher transmit power, and requires attention to the disruptive effects of alien crosstalk.

Points associated with shielded cabling:

• Simplifies EMI design
• Reduces Echo/NEXT challenges of multiple connectors
• Reduces TX power requirement
• Virtually eliminates ANEXT

Points associated with UTP:

• More complex EMI design
• Requires Echo/NEXT challenges of multiple connectors
• Increases TX power requirement
• Requires attention to ANEXT

Is this finally the tipping point for shielded cabling?

You can find Mr. Dove’s contribution here on IEEE802.org to explore this issue further.

Enhanced laboratory test measurement methods can more accurately characterize the transmission performance of  category 6A and higher-rated channels, permanent links, and components.

ANSI/TIA-1183 “Measurement Methods and Test Fixtures for Balun-Less Measurements of Balanced Components and Systems” was developed by the TIA TR-42.7  Copper Cabling Subcommittee and published in August, 2012.  This Standard is intended to be used as an independent testing reference and describes methods and fixtures that support laboratory measurement of all differential mode, mixed mode, and common mode transmission parameters up to 1 GHz.   The primary benefit of using the test methods and fixtures described in this Standard is the elimination of balun transformers traditionally used for impedance matching between the device under test (DUT) and the measurement equipment.

Removing the balun transformers from the test set-up allows the collection of transmission measurements up to the frequency band of the network analyzer and expands the allowable measurement modes (i.e. differential mode, mixed mode, and common mode).   This measurement flexibility enables testing of mixed mode parameters such as balance (e.g. TCL and TCTL) and cross-modal crosstalk coupling without reconfiguration of the DUT or the measurement setup.

ANSI/TIA-1183  Content

• Test configurations
• Fixtures and setup
• Port terminations
• Reference loads for calibration and termination
• Calibration
• Example test fixture assemblies
• Informative Annexes addressing Derivation of Mixed Mode Parameters from Four Port S Parameter Measurements,  Impedance Transformation Calculations, Cabling Standards and Termination Impedances for Differential Cabling Systems, Port Identification and Nomenclature, and De-embedding Balunless Test Fixtures for Measuring 16-Port Differential Devices

Example Balun-Less Test Fixture with Rigid SMA Coaxial Connectors

IEEE 802.3bm “Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Operation Over Fiber Optic Cables” is currently under development by the IEEE P802.3bm 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Fiber Optic Task Force and is anticipated to publish in February, 2015.  This project will specify the following new Ethernet protocols:

• 100 Gb/s transmission using a four-lane electrical interface (8 fibers total) for operation over multimode optical fiber cabling
• 100 Gb/s transmission using four-wavelength CWDM or PCM4 (2 fibers total)  or 4 x 25 Gb/s serial (8 fibers total) for operation over singlemode optical fiber cabling
• 100 Gb/s four-lane electrical interface between host ICs and optical modules for use in electrical backplanes
• 40 Gb/s transmission (2 fibers total) over extended reach (> 10 km) singlemode fiber optic cabling

The rapid growth of server, network, and internet traffic is driving the need for higher data rates, higher density, and lower cost optical fiber Ethernet solutions, especially in the data center space. The 100 Gb/s optical fiber Ethernet applications specified in IEEE 802.3ba include a ten-lane electrical interface (20 fibers total) for operation over multimode optical fiber cabling (100GBASE-SR10) and a 4 x 25 Gb/s wavelength division multiplexed solution (2 fibers total) for operation over singlemode optical fiber cabling (100GBASE-LR4).  Advances in technology now allow the specification of new 100 Gb/s Physical Layer types with reduced lane count and complexity to reduce cost.   In addition, this new project adds two new Ethernet applications that had not been previously specified for 100 Gb/s Ethernet operation over electrical backplanes and 40 Gb/s Ethernet operation over extended reach (> 10 km) singlemode fiber optic cabling.

The IEEE 802.3 Next Generation 100 Gb/s Optical Ethernet Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/100GNGOPTX/public/jul11/CFI_01_0711.pdf

The IEEE 802.3 Extended reach 40 Gb/s Optical Ethernet Call-For-Interest Consensus Presenation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/100GNGOPTX/public/CFI_extended40Gb/40G_ER_CFI.pdf

The current focus of the IEEE 802.3bm 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s Fiber Optic Task Force is the development of a draft for Task Force review.

The Project Authorization Request (PAR), approved on May 10, 2013, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bm/P802.3bm_May2013.pdf

The project objectives, adopted on November 15, 2012, (refer to: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bm/P8023bm_Objectives_1112.pdf) are as follows:

• Support full duplex operation only
• Preserve the 802.3 / Ethernet frame format utilizing the 802.3 MAC
• Preserve minimum and maximum Frame Size of current 802.3 standard
• Support a BER better than or equal to 10^-12 at the MAC/PLS service interface
• Provide appropriate support for OTN
• Define re-timed 4-lane 100G PMA to PMA electrical interfaces for chip to chip and chip to module applications
• Define a 40 Gb/s PHY for operation over at least 40 km of SMF
• Define a 100 Gb/s PHY for operation up to at least 500 m of SMF
• Define a 100 Gb/s PHY for operation up to at least 100 m of MMF
• Define a 100 Gb/s PHY for operation up to at least 20 m of MMF
• Specify optional Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s operation over fiber optic cables

IEEE 802.3bk “Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for Extended Ethernet Passive Optical Networks” is currently under development by the IEEE P802.3bk Extended EPON Task Force and is anticipated to publish in August, 2014.  This project will add at least one new physical layer specification, possibly optical power budget extenders, and management parameters necessary for Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPON) to support extended optical loss budgets and higher density and longer reach applications, while optimizing costs of ownership for broadband service providers.

The IEEE 802.3 Extended EPON Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/EXTND_EPON/public/1107/CFI_02_0711.pdf

The current focus of the IEEE 802.3bk Extended EPON Task Force is resolution of comments received during Sponsor ballot review of their draft.

The Project Authorization Request (PAR), approved on March 29, 2012 with changes from October 29, 2012, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bk/P802_3bk_PAR_291012.pdf

The project objectives, adopted on November 10, 2011, (refer to:  http://www.ieee802.org/3/bk/ExEPON_Objectives_approved.pdf) are as follows:

• Support subscriber access networks using point-to-multipoint topologies on SM optical fiber
• EPON PHY(s) to have a BER better than or equal to 10^-12 at the MAC/PLS service interface
• Provide physical layer specifications:
• for 1G-EPON supporting a downstream channel insertion loss of 29 dB, compatible with PR(X)30 upstream channel insertion loss
• for 1G-EPON supporting a split ratio of at least 1:64 at a distance of at least 20 km
• for 10G-EPON, supporting a split ratio of at least 1:64 at a distance of at least 20 km
• Changes to be confined to the PMD layer; PCS and MPCP are to be reused as is
• Maintain coexistence among 1G-EPON and 10G-EPON (i.e. support the same loss budget classes for 1G-EPON and 10G-EPON)

The cover story of the latest edition of Processor magazine features an exciting story on Category 7A entitled “What About Category 7A Copper Cabling?”  In the article, you’ll learn how Siemon TERA remains today’s highest performing twisted-pair cabling system despite TIA’s new Category 8 nomenclature.

View the digital edition of Processor Magazine.

After debating the issue for three meetings cycles, the TIA TR-42.7 Copper Cabling Subcommittee adopted “category 8” as the name of their next generation balanced twisted-pair cabling system that is currently under development to support 40Gb/s transmission in a 2-connector channel over some distance up to at least 30 meters.  The issue of what to call this new system was a subject close to the hearts of many subcommittee members and both proponents and opponents of the new name argued tenaciously for their positions. However, the real question is just how much confusion the name category 8 is going to cause for the industry.

Traditionally, cabling categories are supersets of each other – meaning that a higher category of cabling meets or exceeds all of the electrical and mechanical requirements of a lower category of cabling and is also backwards compatible with the lower performing category.  While TIA specifies cabling systems up to category 6A performance, TIA chose not to adopt category 7 or 7_A as published by ISO/IEC.  TIA has now decided to call their next generation cabling system “category 8” to avoid confusion with published ISO/IEC category 7 and category 7_A standards, which are indeed supersets of each other and of category 6A.  While it’s true that the currently proposed category 8 specifications tentatively describe transmission performance up to 2 GHz whereas ISO/IEC specifies category 7_A requirements up to 1 GHz, the performance limits proposed for category 8 today do not meet or exceed category 7_A requirements up to 1 GHz.

So, herein lays the conundrum: category 8 is expected to have a different deployed channel topology and will not be a performance superset of category 7_A.  In fact, for every transmission parameter except return loss, ISO/IEC category 7_A channel and permanent link limits are more severe than those proposed by TR-42.7 for category 8 up to 1 GHz.  In the case of internal crosstalk parameters, the differences are significant: with category 7_A beating out category 8 performance by more than 20 dB!

So what about bandwidth of specification?  While category 7_A is currently specified to 1 GHz, new work items, such as the nearly finalized IEC 61076-3-104, 3rd edition standard for category 7_A connectors, are extending category 7_A performance characterization out to 2 GHz.  The situation of having two cabling specifications specified to 2GHz, with category 8 having much lower performance than category 7_A, is really going to create confusion.

What to name next generation cabling systems is not just a TIA issue; ISO/IEC also faced the same challenge with their new project to define two new grades of cabling (shielded and fully-shielded) to support 40 Gbit/s data transmission.  ISO/IEC recently adopted class I to describe cabling constructed from shielded modular RJ-45 style category 8.1 components and class II to describe cabling constructed from fully-shielded category 8.2 components.

Until the processing capabilities of a 40 Gb/s Ethernet (40GBASE-T) application are finalized, it’s too early to guarantee 40GBASE-T application support distance for any media. However, fully-shielded category 7_A solutions, such as Siemon’s TERA™, remain the highest performing twisted-pair cabling system commercially available today.  Not only do these solutions provide higher EMI/RFI immunity and more flexible cable sharing capabilities than RJ-45 style solutions, but ISO/IEC is actively working on a project to characterize the capability of existing category 7_A cabling to support 40 Gbit/s data transmission.

A New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) was agreed to be initiated by ISO/IEC JTC1 SC25 WG3 in February, 2013 at the Working Group’s Ixtapa, Mexico meeting.  The NWIP will include the development of 2 new cabling systems.  These systems will be based on the work currently being done in the development of the technical report entitled “ISO/IEC 11801-99-1 Guidance for balanced cabling in support of at least 40 GBit/s data transmission”. 

It was agreed to name the two new systems Class I and Class II.  The new Classes will be included in the 3^rd edition of ISO/IEC 11801.  The Working Group has not yet decided exactly how to incorporate the new Classes into the 11801 series.  This will be discussed in more detail at the next meeting in September 2013.

To support the new systems, the components need to be named and specified.  The Working Group has decided that Category 8.1 components will be specified to support channel Class I.  Category 8.1 components shall be backwards compatible and interoperable with Category 6A components.  Category 8.2 components will be specified to support channel Class II.  These components will be an extension of Category 7A components.

The next meeting of ISO/IEC JTC1 SC25 WG3 will occur the week of September 30, 2013, in Sweden.  Brian Celella actively participates in the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25/WG 3 Working Group and we will keep you advised when significant milestones are reached.

IEEE 802.3bj “IEEE Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for 100 Gb/s Operation Over Backplanes and Copper Cables” is currently under development by the IEEE P802.3bj 100 Gb/s Backplane and Copper Cable Task Force and is anticipated to publish in August, 2014.  Rapid growth of server, network, and internet traffic is driving the need for higher data rates over backplanes and and there is a market need for a lower cost, lower power, and higher density solution for twinaxial copper cables than 100GBASE-CR10.  This project will  specify 4 lane Physical Layer (PHY) specifications and management parameters for 100 Gb/s operation on backplanes and twinaxial copper cables and optional Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) for 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s operation over backplanes and copper cables.

Three new Physical Layer implementations will be defined as follows:

100GBASE-CR4: IEEE 802.3 Physical Layer specification for 100 Gb/s using 100GBASE-R encoding and Clause 91 RS-FEC over four lanes of shielded balanced copper cabling, with reach up to at least 5 m

100GBASE-KP4: IEEE 802.3 Physical Layer specification for 100 Gb/s using 100GBASE-R encoding, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and 4-level pulse amplitude modulation over four lanes of an electrical back-plane, with a total insertion loss up to 33 dB at 7 GHz

100GBASE-KR4: IEEE 802.3 Physical Layer specification for 100 Gb/s using 100GBASE-R encoding, Clause 91 RS-FEC, and 2-level pulse amplitude modulation over four lanes of an electrical back-plane, with a total insertion loss up to 35 dB at 12.9 GHz

The IEEE 802.3 100 Gb/s Backplane and Copper Cable Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/100GCU/public/nov10/index.html

The current focus of the IEEE P802.3bj 100 Gb/s Backplane and Copper Cable Task Force  is resolution of comments received during Working Group ballot review of their draft.

The Project Authorization Request (PAR), approved on September 10, 2011, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bj/P802.3bj_1212.pdf

The project objectives, adopted approved in July 2011 with changes through July, 2012, (refer to:  http://www.ieee802.org/3/bj/objectives_0712.pdf) are as follows:

• Support full-duplex operation only
• Preserve the 802.3 / Ethernet frame format utilizing the 802.3 MA
• Support a BER of better than or equal to 10-¹² at the MAC/PLS service interface
• Define a 4 lane PHY for operation over a printed circuit board backplane with a total channel insertion loss of <= 35 dB at 12.9 GHz
• Define a 4 lane PHY for operation over a printed circuit board backplane with a total channel insertion loss of <= 33 dB at 7.0 GHz
• Define a 4-lane 100 Gb/s PHY for operation over links consistent with copper twin-axial cables with lengths up to at least 5m
• To define optional Energy-Efficient Ethernet operation for 100G Backplane and Twinaxial cable PHYs specified in P802.3bj
• To define optional Energy-Efficient Ethernet operation for 100GBASE-CR10
• To define optional Energy-Efficient Ethernet operation for 40GBASE-CR4 and 40GBASE-KR4

A whitepaper from the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association’s (CCCA) data center committee is a guide for data center professionals and IT managers. The whitepaper examines the many factors to consider when evaluating top of rack (ToR) and structured cabling configurations, including the impact of those configurations on total management; scalability and upgrades; interoperability; equipment, maintenance and cabling costs; port utilization; power consumption and cooling requirements.

The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association’s (CCCA) newly formed data center committee has developed a whitepaper that is a guide for data center professionals and IT managers.

The whitepaper, Navigating the Pros & Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center, examines the many factors to consider when evaluating top of rack (ToR) and structured cabling configurations. Topics include the impact of those configurations on total management; scalability and upgrades; interoperability; equipment, maintenance and cabling costs; port utilization; power consumption and cooling requirements.

This whitepaper is the first of many planned contributions from the data center committee. “The pace at which data center hardware and space configuration changes is daunting. CCCA recognized both a need and an opportunity to help guide data center cabling decisions by providing the latest studies, options and expert views from the industry’s leading cable and connectivity manufacturers,” states Executive Director Frank Peri. “As with our other working groups, the goal of the CCCA data center committee is to add our voice to the development of industry codes, standards and other important resources.”

The Data Center committee plans an active and ongoing global communications program using a variety of venues. “The global data center environment is dynamic and challenging for those designing the cabling network,” adds Bob Carlson of the Siemon Company and Chair of the new committee. “Cabling systems design and topology choices have a significant impact on server and port utilization, operating efficiencies and even energy consumption. The new committee strives to provide information and insights that are relevant globally to assist design professionals and end users to make well-informed cabling decisions.”

CCCA is comprised of leading manufacturers, distributors and material suppliers who are committed to serve as a major resource for well-researched, fact-based information on the technologies and issues vital to the structured cabling industry. For information updates on data center and other timely industry topics, visit the association’s website at http://www.cccassoc.org, sign up for the quarterly newsletter, check the Communications Cable & Connectivity LinkedIn group, and CCCA’s YouTube page.

“40Gb/s throughput claims from cabling manufacturers are not the same as 40GBASE-T application support claims”

What is the status of the 40GBASE-T Standard?  40GBASE-T is currently under development by the IEEE 802.3bq 40GBASE-T Task Force (http://www.ieee802.org/3/bq/index.html) formed in March of 2013.  The target publication date, as noted on the group’s Project Authorization Request, is February of 2016.  The Task Force has active liaisons with TIA and ISO/IEC to ensure that cabling requirements under development will support the application.

What is the difference between a 40Gb/s throughput and a 40GBASE-T application support claim?  Since the processing capabilities of 40GBASE-T PHY (i.e. the chip technology that delivers the Ethernet bit stream) aren’t yet defined, it’s impossible to guarantee 40GBASE-T application support for any media – including Siemon’s TERA® category 7_A cabling.  Many cabling experts, including Siemon, have performed 40Gb/s throughput analysis using hypothetical PHY capabilities to explore technical feasibility and justify the initiation of a higher speed Ethernet project.   However, this research can be misinterpreted as a statement about the ability of a system to specifically support the 40GBASE-T application. For example, Nexans, in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania, theoretically demonstrated 40Gb/s throughput over 100 meters back in 2009. More recently, TE has released a white paper also claiming theoretical support of 40Gb/s.  While valuable for research purposes, these papers are not the same as making a 40GBASE-T application support claim because the assumptions used to make a 40Gb/s throughput statements have been based on analysis using noise cancellation levels that are far better than a real-world commercially viable PHY chipset can achieve.  In other words, statements that refer to a system’s ability to support “40Gb/s throughput” have no relevance on future compatibility with 40GBASE-T network equipment, simply because these claims and models are de-coupled from technical requirements that are yet to be specified by IEEE 802.3bq.

Are any manufacturers making a 40GBASE-T application support claim?  If the ratified 40GBASE-T Standard specifies compatibility with category 7_A or class F_A cabling, Siemon will provide retroactive and future 40GBASE-T applications assurance for all Siemon TERA category 7_A cabling systems that meet the length and topology constraints specified by that Standard. For example, if the IEEE 802.3bq Standard specifies compatibility with category 7_A or class F_A cabling having up to two connections and lengths up to 30m, we will provide 40GBASE-T applications assurance for installed Siemon TERA category 7_A cabling channels that fall within those implementation requirements.  No manufacturer is making an unconditional 40GBASE-T application support claim at this time.

When will Siemon provide a 40GBASE-T application support claim? Siemon will provide a 40GBASE-T applications support claim for specific cabling system types, lengths and topologies when Standards requirements that clearly define the cabling characteristics, baud rate, and other digital signal processing capabilities of the 40GBASE-T PHY are finalized.

Will category 8 cabling support 40GBASE-T?  When published, TIA and ISO/IEC category 8 cabling will support 40GBASE-T.  However, category 8 cabling requirements are currently in a high state of flux and claims of meeting draft category 8 performance specifications are not meaningful at this early stage of development.  For example, a recent “technical feasibility” demonstration by CommScope presented to IEEE 802.3bq showing a pre-market category 8 system meeting TIA draft 0.6 requirements does not meet the revised requirements of TIA draft 0.8.  Siemon cautions that a demonstration of performance to a draft category 8 cabling specification is not the same as a 40GBASE-T application support claim.

Portland, OR.  During last week’s TIA meetings, the TR-42.7 Copper Cabling Subcommittee accepted the concept of adding ISO/IEC Class II cabling performance criteria into its pending ANSI/TIA‑568‑C.2-1 category 8 project.  The Subcommittee also agreed to create a task group, which will be co-chaired Brian Celella of Siemon and Frank Straka of Panduit, to work on developing this criteria.

Here are answers to some common questions concerning this exciting new initiative.

What is ISO/IEC Class II cabling?  Class II is the name of the new ISO/IEC grade of cabling that will be constructed from fully-shielded ISO/IEC category 8.2 cords, cables, and connecting hardware.   Both class II and category 8.2 specifications are targeted to support the 40GBASE-T application over a distance of at least 30m and are under development by the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25/WG 3 Working Group.  Category 8.2 components will be an extension and superset of existing category 7_A components.

What connector interface will support this new TIA cabling?  The connecting hardware interface to support this new level of cabling has not yet been specified by TIA.  However, it is the opinion of the cabling experts at Siemon that the 8-position RJ-45 modular interface does not exhibit sufficient performance margin to support new requirements based upon ISO/IEC class II cabling.  Fully-shielded balanced twisted-pair connecting hardware characterized to 2 GHz, such as the IEC 61076-3-104 (e.g. Siemon TERA®) interface that is already standardized by ISO/IEC, would be ideal to support this new TIA level of cabling.

What are the implications of this new TIA initiative?  By accepting the concept of adding class II performance criteria and creating a task group to work on these limits, TIA is demonstrating that North American standards development organizations are ready to embrace fully-shielded cabling systems.  This is a strong and positive step towards global harmonization of the full suite of available IT network structured cabling solutions.

IEEE 802.3bp “Standard for Ethernet Amendment: Physical Layer Specifications and Management Parameters for 1 Gb/s Operation over Fewer than Three Twisted Pair Copper Cable” is currently under development by the IEEE P802.3bp Reduced Twisted Pair Gigabit Ethernet PHY Task Force and is anticipated to publish in May, 2015.  This project will add one new Physical Layer (PHY) specification for 1 Gb/s transmission over three or fewer balanced copper twisted-pairs.

This project is being driven by automotive, industrial controls and automation, transportation (aircraft, railway and heavy trucks), and other, such as carbon footprint sensitive, applications that will benefit by a reduction in the number of wire pairs and magnetics used for 1 Gb/s Ethernet transmission.

The current focus of the IEEE 802.3bp Reduced Twisted Pair Gigabit Ethernet PHY Task Force is the development of a draft for Task Force review.

The IEEE 802.3 Reduced Twisted Pair Gigabit Ethernet PHY Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/RTPGE/public/mar12/CFI_01_0312.pdf

The Project Authorization Request (PAR), approved on December 5, 2012, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bp/P802.3bp.pdf

The project objectives, adopted on November 15, 2012, (refer to: http://www.ieee802.org/3/bp/Objectives.pdf) are as follows:

• Preserve the IEEE 802.3/Ethernet frame format at the MAC client service interface
• Preserve minimum and maximum frame size of the current IEEE 802.3 standard
• Support full duplex operation only
• Support a speed of 1 Gb/s at the MAC/PLS service interface
• Maintain a bit error ratio (BER) of less than or equal to 10^-10 at the MAC/PLS service interface
• Support 1 Gb/s operation in automotive & industrial environments (e.g. EMC, temperature)
• Define optional Energy-Efficient Ethernet
• Define the performance characteristics of an automotive link segment  and a PHY to support point-to-point operation over this link segment with less than three twisted pairs supporting up to four inline connectors using balanced copper cabling for at least 15m for the automotive link segment
• Define the performance characteristics of optional link segment(s) for the above PHY for industrial controls and/or automation, transportation (aircraft, railway, bus and heavy trucks) applications with a goal of at least 40m reach
• Define optional startup procedure which enables the time from power_on=FALSE to valid data to be less than 100ms

A new Study Group was formed by the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group in March, 2013 to investigate developing a Physical Layer (PHY) specification for 400 Gb/s transmission over high speed interconnect assemblies.  A call-for-interest (CFI) presentation profiled how ever increasing data traffic attributable to more internet users, higher bandwidth content, new applications, and other advances is driving the need for more and faster servers and core network devices in the data center.  Industry experts predict that the necessary capacity in 2015 will be 10x that required in 2010 and the necessary capacity in 2020 will be 100x that required in 2010.  A cost-effective 400 Gb/s Ethernet interconnect solution is a path forward to being able to support this predicted increased processing capacity.

Additional supporting information on the anticipated future bandwidth requirements for core networking and computing applications can be found in the IEEE 802.3 Industry Connections Ethernet Bandwidth Assessment report (refer to: http://www.ieee802.org/3/ad_hoc/bwa/BWA_Report.pdf).

The current focus of the 400 Gb/s Ethernet Study Group is to develop a Project Authorization Request (PAR), 5 Criteria, and Objectives for review and approval by the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Working Group so that a project Task Force can be formed.

The IEEE 802.3 400 Gigabit Ethernet Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/400GSG/public/mar13/index.html

The current draft Project Authorization Request (PAR), which has not be adopted by the Study Group, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/400GSG/project_docs/dambrosia_400_01a_0713.pdf

The current draft objectives, which have been adopted by the Study Group but not approved by the IEEE 802.3 Working Group, (refer to: http://www.ieee802.org/3/400GSG/project_docs/objectives_13_0724.pdf) are as follows:

• Support a MAC data rate of 400 Gb/s
• Support full-duplex operation only
• Preserve the Ethernet frame format utilizing the Ethernet MAC
• Preserve minimum and maximum Frame Size of current Ethernet standard
• Provide appropriate support for OTN
• Specify optional Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) capability for 400Gb/s PHYs

IEEE 802.3bn “IEEE Standard for Ethernet Amendment: EPON Protocol over Coax (EPoC)” is currently under development by the IEEE P802.3bn EPON Protocol over Coax (EPoC) Study Group and is anticipated to publish in August, 2014.  This project will add a new Physical Layer (PHY) specification  for operating the EPON protocol over point-to-multipoint RF distribution plants comprised of either amplified or passive coaxial media in subscriber access network applications.

In November, 2011, a call-for-interest (CFI) presentation noted that it  is common practice for optical fiber cabling providing subscriber network services to be pulled just to the edge of the neighborhood, street, curb, or basement.  Pulling new or additional optical fiber cabling can be expensive and a significant number of subscribers are already served by existing coaxial networks that are owned by the customer, carrier, or service provider/operator.  EPoC bridges the gap between the two existing media types and facilitates migration to a unified Ethernet-based architecture.  IPTV, video telephony, and high speed internet and gaming are example applications that are driving the need for Ethernet in the subscriber network access space.

The current focus of the IEEE P802.3bn EPON Protocol over Coax (EPoC) Task Force is the development of a draft for Task Force review.

The EPON Protocol over a Coax (EPoC) PHY Call-For-Interest Consensus Presentation can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/epoc/public/nov11/CFI_01_1111.pdf

The Project Authorization Request (PAR), approved on July 18, 2012, can be found here: http://www.ieee802.org/3/epoc/P802_3bn_PAR_180712.pdf

The project objectives, adopted on May 16, 2012, (refer to: http://www.ieee802.org/3/epoc/EPoC_objectives_draft_0516.pdf) are as follows:

• Specify a PHY to support subscriber access networks capable of supporting burst mode and continuous mode operation using the EPON protocol and operating on point-to-multipoint RF distribution plants comprised of either amplified or passive coaxial media
• Maintain compatibility with 1G‐EPON and 10G‐EPON, as currently defined in IEEE Std. 802.3 with minimal augmentation to MPCP and/or OAM if needed to support the new PHY
• Define required plant configurations and conditions within an overall coaxial network operating model
• Provide a physical layer specification that is capable of:
• A baseline data rate of 1 Gb/s at the MAC/PLS service interface when transmitting in 120 MHz, or less, of assigned spectrum under defined baseline plant conditions;
• A data rate lower than the baseline data rate when transmitting in less than 120 MHz of assigned spectrum or under poorer than defined plant conditions;
• A data rate higher than the 1Gb/s baseline data rate and up to 10 Gb/s when transmitting in assigned spectrum and in channel conditions that permit
• PHY to support symmetric and asymmetric data rate operation

Siemon, a leading global network infrastructure specialist, is pleased to announce that John Siemon, CTO and vice president of global operations, was recently named one of the recipients of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 2013 Leadership and Service Awards, which recognizes individuals for their significant contributions to national and international standardization activities, as well as ongoing commitment to their industry, their nation and the enhancement of the global voluntary consensus standards system.

Left to Right: James Pauley Chairman, ANSI Board of directors; John Siemon, CTO & VP Global Operations, The Siemon Company; Florence Otieno, Sr. Manager, International Standards, Telecommunications Industry Association; Herb Congdon, Associate VP, Technology & Standards, Telecommunications Industry Association

As the voice of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, ANSI oversees the creation, promulgation and use of thousands of norms and guidelines that directly impact businesses in nearly every sector. ANSI is also actively engaged in accrediting programs that assess conformance to standards, including globally-recognized cross-sector programs such as the ISO 9000 (quality) and ISO 14000 (environmental) management systems-both of which Siemon is proud to be certified.

As part of their 2013 Leadership and Service Awards, ANSI awarded John Siemon with the Astin-Polk International Standards Medal, which honors distinguished service in promoting trade and understanding among nations through the advancement, development or administration of international standardization, measurements or certification. The award was well deserved-as Siemon’s CTO, John oversees the company’s technology roadmap, intellectual property, and global membership and participation on standards bodies and trade organizations such as ANSI, ISO, IEC, CENELEC, IEEE, TIA, Ethernet Alliance, BICSI, US Green Building Council, CCCA and SDOs in a number of other countries.

Since joining the Siemon Company in 1985, John has also held a number of leadership positions, including Chairman of the TIA TR42.1 subcommittee responsible for commercial IT cabling; Chairman of BICSI’s Technical Information and Methods Committee; current Chairman of the US Advisory Group on Interconnection of Information Technology Equipment (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25); and Project Leader and Editor for U.S. and international standards publications covering multiple generations of twisted-pair and optical fiber infrastructure used for voice and data connections throughout the world. He has also been featured in several global industry trade publications.

John Siemon was responsible for establishing the Siemon Company’s Development Engineering and R&D Laboratory. Since taking responsibility for Siemon’s Operations in 2002, John has expanded the company’s global supply chain capabilities with new manufacturing and logistics locations around the world. He is also the current Executive Vice President of the Yale Science and Engineering Association and holds more than 50 U.S. patents in the field of telecommunications cabling.

ANSI will honor John Siemon and the other 17 distinguished award recipients during an October 2 ceremony held in conjunction with World Standards Week 2013 in Washington, DC.

Data Center and IT professionals: This infographic from Siemon examines the impact of top of rack (ToR) and structured cabling configurations on total management; scalability and upgrades; interoperability; equipment, maintenance and cabling costs; port utilization; power consumption and cooling requirements.  Structured cabling offers clear advantages.

The infographic is based on an actual 39 cabinet data center and the findings of a recent white paper by the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) (“Navigating the Pros and Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center” - download PDF).

Data Center Planning Resources:

• Read white paper “Navigating the Pros and Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center” (download PDF) by the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA)
• Learn about Siemon Data Centers Solutions (website).  Siemon has focused its cabling expertise into a global data center service team, capable of guiding you through the process of selecting, designing and deploying the business-critical cabling infrastructure upon which your entire data center will rely.

With four new ISO/IEC and TIA cabling projects under development, it is more confusing than ever to cross reference the two groups’ cabling and component specifications.  This short primer should help.

In ISO/IEC Standards, structured cabling components (e.g. cables, connecting hardware, and patch cords) are characterized by a performance “category” and are mated to form a permanent link or channel that is described by a performance “class”.  In TIA Standards, components and cabling are both characterized by a performance “category”.  ISO/IEC and TIA equivalent grades of cabling, arranged in order of increasingly more stringent transmission performance, are shown below.

Note that ISO/IEC class I/category 8.1 and TIA category 8 will not be electrical supersets of ISO/IEC class F_A/category 7_A.

Siemon recommends that two or more category 6A or higher rated shielded channels, deployed as part of an overall zone cabling configuration, are provided to every 802.11ac access point connection for three very important reasons:

1.  TSB-162-A, “Telecommunications Cabling Guidelines for Wireless Access Points”, expressly provides the following recommendation and note:

Cabling for wireless access points should be balanced twisted-pair, category 6A or higher, as specified in ANSI/TIA-568-C.2, or two-fiber multimode optical fiber cable, OM3 or higher, as specified in ANSI/TIA-568-C.3.

NOTE – The use of category 6A (or higher) twisted-pair and OM3 (or higher) optical fiber cabling is recommended to support higher data rates and, in the case of twisted-pair cabling, lower temperature rise when remote power is applied.

2.  As highlighted in the TIA note, temperature rise resulting from Type 2 PoE used to power 802.11ac access points should be considered.  Shielded cabling, which has superior heat dissipation properties compared to UTP cabling, significantly reduces or eliminates concerns of excessive temperature build-up in cable bundles, especially for cable bundles installed in hot environments.  The use of solid equipment cords, which exhibit better thermal stability and lower insertion loss than stranded conductor cords, is recommended for access point connections for this same reason.

3.  Deploying a minimum of two category 6A shielded channels will support link aggregation of not only today’s 1.3 Gb/s 802.11ac implementations, but also future 2.6 Gb/s and higher data rate implementations.  A zone cabling approach utilizing floor or ceiling enclosures containing consolidation points with spare port capacity, which are positioned in a grid pattern throughout the building space, allows for rapid reconfiguration of wireless coverage areas and provides redundant and future-proof access point connections.

 Refer to the following white papers for more information:

• Killer App Alert!  IEEE 802.11ac 5 GHz Wireless Update and Structured Cabling Implications

• Advantages of Using Siemon Shielded Cabling Systems To Power Remote Network Devices

This Standard will specify requirements and recommendations for Automated Infrastructure Management (AIM) systems used to manage complex cabling installations.

Siemon MapIT G2 Master Control Panel

These systems can contribute to operational efficiency and deliver benefits related to cabling infrastructure and connected device administration, facilitation of IT and other management processes and systems (e.g. intelligent building systems), asset tracking and management, and event notifications and alerts that assist with physical network security.  AIM systems, such as Siemon’s MapIT® G2 solution, are commonly referred to as, “intelligent patching systems”.

Draft “ISO/IEC 18598: Automated Infrastructure Management (AIM) Systems – Requirements, Data Exchange and Applications” is under development by the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25 Interconnection of Information Technology Equipment Subcommittee and anticipated to publish by the end of 2014.

The purpose of this Standard is to specify the requirements and recommendations for AIM system features /functions, describe the customer benefits provided by AIM systems, and specify the framework that AIM systems may use to exchange data with other software applications, which will allow better integration between 3rd party software products.

 ISO/IEC 18598 Content

• Conformance
• Automated Infrastructure Management (AIM) systems
• AIM solutions: Business Benefits
• AIM solutions: Data Exchange Framework
• Annexes addressing Hierarchy Rules, Field Descriptions, and Implementation Requirements and Recommendations