Solution to EDA wiring of non-standard equipment in data centers

Another explanation of EDA in the communication industry (telecommunications) is enterprise data architecture. EDA provides an overall view of enterprise-level data architecture and divides the framework and levels according to the characteristics of telecommunications enterprises. EDA is the abbreviation of Electronic Design Automation , which was developed from the concepts of computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided testing (CAT) and computer-aided engineering ( CAE ) in the mid-1960s.

With the rapid growth of data information communication volume, the construction scale of data center computer rooms will be unprecedented. In many large data center computer rooms, in order to support efficient data processing, more non-standard server equipment or storage devices are usually used. The so-called non-standard equipment refers to the transmission equipment whose peripheral installation size does not meet the standard network cabinet specifications . In layman's terms, non-standard equipment cannot be installed in the 19-inch standard network cabinet in the computer room. Non-standard equipment usually comes with its own frame and is directly placed on the movable floor of the computer room. According to the usual data center wiring standards, the EDA area (equipment wiring area) is divided into the equipment cabinet, but for non-standard transmission equipment whose entire cabinet is a device, it is obviously impossible to wire in the conventional way. There is no space for wiring in the non-standard equipment. So, in the actual wiring project, how can we operate to achieve the characteristics of flexibility, high density, reliability, and ease of use of non-standard equipment EDA area wiring without violating the relevant standards of structured data center wiring?

In recent years, the wiring technology has been changing with each passing day, which is completely different from that a few years ago. The case of non-standard equipment wiring shown in Figure 1 is believed to be unacceptable to most current users. In the field of wiring, various manufacturers have shown further professional division of labor. In solving the wiring problem of non-standard minicomputer equipment EDA, Germany's Rosenberger and France's Cabrophi Company have cooperated and pioneered the concept of integrated bridge wiring. The bridge above the non-standard minicomputer equipment or the bridge under the floor can conveniently integrate the wiring rack and the bridge into one. As shown in Figure 2 below:

Figure 1

Figure 2

This innovatively designed patch panel product was named Hybrid-Patch optical-copper hybrid modular patch panel by Rosenberger of Germany, which fully reflects the characteristics of patch panels such as flexibility, high density, reliability and ease of use, especially for solving EDA patching of non-standard equipment in data centers.

1. Flexibility

The equipment end in the data center can usually be configured with both optical network cards and copper network cards, and there is no fixed value for the number of ports of different devices and specific applications. This requires that the wiring products should also be flexibly configured according to specific requirements. Hybrid-Patch adopts a modular structure and can be divided into different modules . Each module can be installed with a corresponding number of modules as needed. If no module is installed temporarily, it can be blocked with a blind hole cover. The commonly used modules on this patch panel can be divided into three types. One is the RJ45 module, each RJ45 module can install 12 RJ45 modules, and the other is the LC type fiber optic module. Each LC module can install 24-core fiber optic wiring. For applications with particularly high density requirements, MPO modules can be provided. Each MPO module can install 96-core fiber optic wiring. Different or the same modules can be installed on the Hybrid-Patch patch panel at the same time. Each patch panel can accommodate up to 3 of the above modules. This featured product is based on the overall concept of DIY and implemented throughout the design process, fully guaranteeing the flexible configuration requirements of non-standard equipment. A Hybrid-Patch solves the wiring requirements of both optical fiber and copper cables.

Figure 3

2. High density

One of the most obvious features of computer room wiring compared with ordinary wiring applications is high density. The overall height space of the Hybrid-Patch optical-copper hybrid modular patch panel is a standard 1HU. As the name suggests, the product can be configured with optical fiber products and copper cable products. The height of 1HU itself already includes the horizontal cable organizer. Compared with the traditional design, this part of the design is equivalent to doubling the density. In addition, all ports on the patch panel are configured with RJ45 copper cable ports, which can reach 36 ports. Compared with the traditional 24-port copper cable patch panel without horizontal cable organizer, it is equivalent to a 3-fold increase in density. If all LC interfaces are used , the maximum number of cores can reach 72. If the EDA optical fiber wiring density is particularly high, the MPO optical fiber interface can be used on the Hybrid-Patch. The total height of a patch panel can reach up to 288 cores, and such a density only occupies the height space of 1HU. The density reference comparison table is as follows:

3. High reliability

In the overall data center wiring solution, Hybrid-Patch can be seamlessly connected with other wiring product solutions, especially suitable for use with the pre-connected optical cables recommended in data center wiring , which makes the overall performance and reliability of the products matched with Hybrid-Patch rise to a higher level. In addition, the Hybrid-Patch product is specially designed with an installation and maintenance lock, which can be kept by maintenance personnel and only handled by authorized maintenance personnel during installation and maintenance in the machine room. This detailed design reflects the safety and reliability of product management and maintenance during the life cycle. In terms of product details, the consideration of reliability requirements during design is fully reflected. Arc-shaped down-line devices are designed on both sides of the patch panel. The bending radius of the down-line device is designed according to the standard requirements of the bending radius of the jumper . It mainly protects the safety of the down-line of the optical cable, and will not cause the bending radius to be too small due to the pressure on the bottom optical cable when the high-density down-line is applied on both sides.

IV. Ease of use

No matter how excellent the performance parameters of a product are, ease of use and practicality are also very important factors for users. From the Hybrid-Patch, we can see that many details can reflect the practical and easy-to-use characteristics. In addition to the integrated horizontal cable organizer function on the patch panel, there is a rotating maintenance label panel on the front surface baffle . The label panel can be conveniently and clearly marked. This is not an easy thing to do for high-density wiring products, but it is an important thing for subsequent maintenance and management. The Hybrid-Patch adopts a rotatable label panel design, which better takes into account the requirements of high density and easy management for wiring products. For non-standard equipment, because the Hybrid-Patch is installed on the bridge above the cabinet or under the raised floor, EDA wiring does not occupy any space in the equipment cabinet and does not require additional wiring space. It is integrated with the bridge, reflecting the principles of practicality and ease of use of wiring.

The advancement of core equipment in data centers is to trade technology for space. As equipment performance is further improved, the space occupied is getting smaller and smaller. As network equipment technology advances, cabling technology also needs to develop synchronously. With the more refined division of labor, the field of cabling is also quietly changing. Cabling companies represented by Germany's Rosenberger are constantly improving professional product solutions suitable for data center computer rooms. The principle of product development is to meet and exceed existing industry standards. The launch of Hybrid-Patch is one of Rosenberger's specialized product lines for data center computer rooms.