ISO/IEC 11801 Cat.

6A
&
Green IT in DC

Hans-Jürgen Niethammer
Director of Global Marketing Solutions and Communications
 Table of Content

• ISO/IEC Cat. 6A
– Clarification
– Why ISO/IEC Cat. 6A

• Green IT
– Power consumption
– Cooling
– Design
– Smart DC Cabling
 The Real Cat. 6A
ISO vs. EN vs. TIA
or
Where does the chaos coming from ?
 Category 6A is available since years
• How can this misinterpretation happen ?
– Different naming by standard bodies
– Resulting in unprecise usage of the terms in the market place
– Class EA Channel-Solutions are upgraded
 Category 6A is available since years
• Same problem already existed with Cat. 6
• But with Cat. 6A it is even worse: different definitions for CHW !!!!!!!

3 db
 Development process cabling standards

1. IEEE spezifies a new network applikation or ISO/IEC a new cabling class

2. First definition is the channel

3. Then comes the Permanent Link (Channel-Up)

4. Last but not least: components

 Let‘s have a look at Cat. 6A ?
1. IEEE spezifies the application IEEE 802.3an (10 GigaBit Ethernet)
 Let‘s have a look at Cat. 6A
1. The cabling standards follow
– Febr. 2008: ISO/IEC 11801, Amendment 1 spezifies Channel Class EA
– April 2008: TIA spezifies Cat. 6A complete (Channel, Link and Components)
– September 2009: ISO/IEC 11801, Amendment 2 spezifies PL Class EA and Cat. 6A comp.

2. ISO/IEC and TIA follow different targets

– TIA wanted to have a quick Cat. 6A. Why ?
– No Cat. 7 in TIA
– Cat. 6 UTP just 37 m max. for 10GBE
– Primary aim: Protection of UTP market with available Cat. 6A definition

– ISO/IEC has choosen a more generic approach

– Target: More stringent definitions allowing system headroom
– Therefore: Extrapolation of Class EA up to 500 MHz
– Modelling task group worked on component requirements
 Cat. 6A : ISO vs. TIA
PS NEXT Cat6A/ClassEA PL
50

45

40
PS Next in db

TIA PL
35
ISO PL

30

2,6 db
25

20
100 1000
Frequenz in MHZ

PS NEXT Class EA Channel

40

3 db
35
PS Next in db

30
ISO Channel
TIA Channel
25

1,6 db
20

15
1 db
100 1000
Frequenz in MHZ
 New Standard-Definitions
• only copper cabling definitions shown
• EN 50173 follows ISO definitions
• green = ratified september 2009
• red = not yet ratified
Standard- Configuration Standard for Standard for Standard for Standard for
body Cat6 (250 MHz) Cat6A (500 MHz) Cat7 (600 MHz) Cat7A (1000 MHz)

Channel 11801 2nd Ed. 11801 2nd Ed. Am. 1 11801 2nd Ed. 11801 2nd Ed. Am. 1
ISO/IEC Permanent Link 11801 2nd Ed. 11801 2nd Ed. Am. 2 11801 2nd Ed. 11801 2nd Ed. Am. 2
Component 11801 2nd Ed. 11801 2nd Ed. Am. 2 11801 2nd Ed. 11801 2nd Ed. Am. 2

Channel EN 50173-1:2002 EN 50173-1:2002 Am. 1 EN 50173-1:2002 EN 50173-1:2002 Am. 1

CENELEC Permanent Link EN 50173-1:2002 EN 50173-1:2002 Am. 2 EN 50173-1:2002 EN 50173-1:2002 Am. 2
Component EN 50173-1:2002 EN 50173-1:2002 Am. 2 EN 50173-1:2002 EN 50173-1:2002 Am. 2
#
Channel EIA/TIA-568-B.1 EIA/TIA-568-B.2 Add 10 N/A N/A
EIA/TIA Permanent Link EIA/TIA-568-B.1 EIA/TIA-568-B.2 Add 10 N/A N/A
Component EIA/TIA-568-B.1 EIA/TIA-568-B.2 Add 10 N/A N/A
 Cat. 6A ≠ Cat. 6A ≠ Class EA

Strongest
Cat. 6A
Definition

Weakest
Cat. 6A
definition

Different naming
 Be careful and ask !!!

Statement Manufacturer: Our Product/System is Cat6A !

– What Cat. 6A ? Component, PL or Channel ?

– TIA or ISO/EN ?
– Only an ISO/EN component compliant product
– is global Cat. 6A
– allows global Class EA PL
– has good margins for 10GBE
– allows 100 % Mix & Match
ISO/IEC Cat. 6A

Why ?
Product Example: AMP-TWIST 6AS
• AMP-TWIST 6AS is part of the
AMP NETCONNECT XGA Copper
solution and is fully compliant to
ISO/IEC 11801 Amd. 2
Cat. 6A/Class EA
The Advantages of IEC Cat . 6A
 System Solution versus Mix & Match
ƒManufacturer „A“ and „B“ •Result:
belong to the top 10 A working PL does not
Both offer Cat.6A products guarantee a working channel !!!
since 2006

0.1

5.7 4.3

System Solution
0.0
Mix &
Match
With courtesy of Fluke Networks

With courtesy of Fluke Networks

 Re-Embedded Testing

• Standardized test procedure for component compatibility

• ISO/IEC compliant Cat. 6A RJ45 Jacks must work with a wide range of plugs
 Mix & Match
• International standards specify components in addition to channels and
link in order to guarantee 100% compatibility for end users
• Disadvantage of system solutions:

• 30 - 50 % of the links are spare -> no cords installed

• Patch cords are required to activate spare links resp. to repair
• Purchasing department normally buys the cheapest cords.
Who guarantees for the channel performance ?
• What happens if system supplier changes the cord specs over the years ?
Who guarantees for the channel performance ?

• Category 6A components guarantee Class EA channel performance

with all Cat. 6A patch cords
 ISO/IEC Cat. 6A Conclusion

• ISO/IEC Cat. 6A is the global definition

• TIA will harmonize

• IEEE applications will always refer to ISO/IEC 11801

• Headroom to application
– End user: 100 % uptime
– End user: Mix & Match
– Installer: safety margin for complex installation environments
 What happens to Cat. 6 ?
• Cat. 6 was standardized 2002 for future applications (1000Baset-T -> Cat. 5e)

• Cat. 6 gained significant market share

• But Cat. 6 has limited performance regarding 10GBase-T

• Several options (list is not necessarily complete)

– Market will clearly separate using Cat. 5e for GBE and

Cat. 6A for 10GBE
– Market sees advantage in using Cat. 6 versus Cat. 5e
(Cat. 6 does 10GBE on 37 m)
– In DC it will be Cat. 6A
– …….
Green IT in Data Centers
 Demand and capacity are colliding

Source: Gartner 2007

 Operational cost is increasingly core

Source: SUN Microsystems IDC

 Green IT: Green Data Center
Basic rules:
‰ All parts in a data center are contributors
‰ Many of them have an interaction
‰ A change to one of them affects the others

There are three ways:

‰ Less power consumption
‰ Better efficiency owing to improved:
‰ Airflow

‰ Efficiency of hardware

‰ Design of the data center

‰ Re-usable technology
 Less Power Consumption

‰ Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)

‰ IEEE 802.3az

‰ High density copper switches

‰ New connector technology

‰ Fiber optic for 10 Gb/s

 Energy Efficient Ethernet
• 1000Base-T
– Problem: Idle time
– Solution: Low Power Idle
(saves 60-80% of power)

• IEEE 802.3az: Sept. 2010

• 10 GBase-T
– A power concern
 High-Density Copper Switches
• Consolidation of Core and
Aggregation layer
MRJ21
• Lower CapEx & OpEx

• Higher density
• Less space needed
• Space for future growth Foundry BigIron
Up to 1536 GBE
Ports
• Reduced power consumption

• Requires HD connectors
Force10 E1200
Up to 1260 GBE
ports / chassis
 Advantage MRJ21

Foundry BigIron RX4, RX8, RX16 Slot Chassis

RJ45 MRJ21
Ports 96 192
192 384
384 768
Power 8.3 Amps 12.1 Amps
Consumption 14 Amps 22.8 Amps
29 Amps 46.6 Amps

Double the ports without doubling the power!

Power Consumption: Fiber vs. Copper (10Gig)
Fiber Copper

~2W Power Consumption ~8-15W

Cooling Requirements

Transceiver Size

$ Data Center Area $$$$

 Low Loss TE MPOptimateTM 0,35 db
max

ENI MD ZD LDP EO

EQP

Distributor
in accordance
with ISO/IEC 11801 Network Main Zone distribution Equipment
access distribution cabling subsystem cabling
cabling cabling
subsystem subsystem

Generic cabling system

Allows consolidated passive design -> less electronics

 IEEE 802.3ab: 40/100 GBE uses MPO

• 40/100 GBaseSR
– 100 m with OM3 fiber
(no definition for OM1/OM2)
– 125 m with OM4 fiber

• Parallel optics (MPO !!!)

– 40Gig: 4 x bidirectional 10Gb/s (8 fibers)
– 100Gig: 10 x bidirectional 10Gb/s (20 fibers)

• Link Budget 1,9 dB !!!

 Cooling

“Upwards of 60 percent of
datacenter capacity can be
wasted due to poorly designed
layouts and cooling.”

Source: SUN Microsystems

Cooling Concepts
 Best Practices for Cooling
• Do not mix cold and hot
• Optimize inefficient cooling systems
• Use efficient ColdRow/HotRow design
• Encapsulated cold row where required
• Clean up your raised floor
– Airflow impact
– „Above the Rack“-Design

• Use flexible cooling fans

– 25% less speed means 50% less power

• Use outside temperatur where appropriate

• Increase DC operating temperature
– 1° C means 3-5 % less cooling power

• Improve/support airflow
– By using smart DC cabling
 Green IT using smart DC cabling

‰ Improve airflow & save energy

‰ Reduced operational costs

‰ Using only environmental friendly materials

(RoHS compliant)

‰ Use re-useable solutions

‰ cost saving

‰ preserves natural resources

 Smart DC Cabling: Proper Airflow
Proper airflow due to
Blind Panels block proper cable management
hot air from entering
cold row

Prevent hot air entrance by Prevent blocked airflow caused

by overloaded raised floor by
-Over-The-Rack design using Over-The-Rack design
-Cable Grommets
 Example: AMP Hi-D Zero U Platform

Reduced cost of Optimized

operation (MAC‘s) Airflow

AMP Hi-D
is smart &
Protection means 100% uptime
saves money Space saving up to 40%
(RoI)
 Smart High Density Cabling
‰ High density MRJ21 copper cabling
‰ Enables up to 45% power reduction
‰ See MRJ21 switches
‰ Smaller cable than six 4-pair cables
‰ Better airflow = Better cooling = Less power

‰ High density MPOptimate fiber cabling

‰ Optical ports draw less power than copper ports
‰ Consolidated design reduces electronics

‰ Optimized for Over-The-Rack Design

‰ Better airflow in raised floor
 MRJ21/MPO „Over the Rack“
• „Thin“ MRJ21/MPO cable
• „Over the Rack-design optimizes airflow
 Smart “Green” Cabling

‰ Lead-Free, RoHS product set

‰ Re-usable products
‰ Modular Copper and Optical Fiber
‰ Pre-Terminated Communications cabling
 AMP NETCONNECT Smart DC Solutions
‰ Much more than bringing a Byte from A to B
 Questions ?

• www.ampnetconnect.eu
• www.category6a.eu
• hjniethammer@tycoelectronics.com