Intelligent Cabling: The Genius Is Inside

“Oh no! The network is down again.”



“Can't figure out which cable has come unstuck”


“Umm, where does this patch cord go?”

Welcome to the world of an average system administrator who

faces a spaghetti mesh of cables, cables and more cables, running back and forth

in a wiring closet. Managing your constantly growing network the old fashioned

way is indeed becoming increasingly costly, risky, and in fact impossible.

The solution lies in intelligent cable management system (ICMS)

or simply intelligent cabling. In an intelligent network environment, the system

automatically detects items connected to the physical network, and correlates

them with a log of connectivity changes and record of device locations. The ICMS

is described as software-based systems where ports, patch panels and outlets are

managed via a computer interface. This makes the life of a network administrator

extremely simple and manageable.

“One of the major complaints of the IT manager is not

being able to accurately identify the unused network capacity,” says KK Shetty,

director Sales, Tyco Electronics. “Now this is easily resolved by intelligent

cabling, as the person can view the logical virtual view of the entire network

and an updated automated database to ascertain which way can the existing

network be expanded.”

Intelligent cabling guarantees documentation accuracy,

improves response time, serves as an online tool for troubleshooting, provide

mobility, improve the performance and service levels and provide added security

by identifying unauthorized changes and immediate notification of alarms.

In other words intelligent infrastructure management puts

the structure back in structured cabling.

The Gray Matter



Intelligent cabling is based on sensors, which are rooted in the structured

cabling system. The sensors monitor the status and associated connectivity on

every infrastructure port. These sensors push the information into a centralized

database, real time. This alignment to a comprehensive database and tools allows

network managers to detect and troubleshoot problems. Any change taking place is

recorded and the database collects and analyzes the information resulting in a

suitable action.

The intelligence is attributed to the strong software

built-in. The software is capable of isolating user problems and suggesting a

possible solution while alerting the manager of an undesirable incident.

Traditionally, if a cable was unplugged from a patch panel,

the administrator would have to refer to the logs or documentation prepared and

follows the logical view of the network to identify the problem and fix it.

But ICMS contradicts and lets the manager identify the

exact location of the cable in seconds and even instructs how to make the right

connection. It generates alerts and traps caused by unauthorized events; these

are forwarded to the appropriate individual or incident management system where

input from the physical layer IMCS system can be used to quickly analyze the

root cause of network problems.

The intelligent structured cabling is able to track

IP-based devices such that the network manager can access, control, and manage

them from one central location. This is more critical considering the today's

distributed computing environments and the acute need to troubleshoot them

remotely.

There is a scarcity of network management staff and,

therefore, remote access and management of devices is logical. “Remote

management is the biggest attraction of intelligent cabling solutions,” says

Dr Ispran Kandaswamy, VP and managing director, Asia Pacific, Systimax

Solutions. “The manager can have the convenience to be located anywhere in the

campus or off-site and still be able to view the entire data center without even

going to the actual site,” he adds.

Time for Intelligence



Here are some startling statstics:

• An estimated 70% of network outages and downtime are
  
  related to cabling issues.

• An estimated 40% of the data circuits in a network
  
  require a MAC or servicing annually, and an average MAC or service call
  
  takes about 90 minutes to complete.

• 80% of the time is spent identifying the problem and
  
  20% actually performing the repair.

  "Remote management is the biggest attraction of intelligent cabling solutions" -Dr Ispran Kandaswamy VP and managing director of Asia Pacific, Systimax Solutions

  "Although intelligent cabling systems are considered not so cheap, it goes a long way in showing good return on investments" -Dileep Kumar, enterprise product manager, ADC Krone

Imagine all this affecting a nerve center of a bank-the

implications could be severe in terms of money and time lost. As a result, one

can see sporadic mushrooming of intelligent cable deployments across the

country. Rajesh Kumar, country manager, Siemon points out the trendsetters in

the industry of early intelligent cabling adopters, “Cabling systems are

increasingly getting intelligent due to the establishment of the BPOs, call

centers, disaster recovery centers and data warehousing in India. Increasing

need for complex networks that deploy state-of-the art technologies to meet the

demands of these mission critical businesses aids the momentum of intelligent

cabling.”

On the high cost factor, Dileep Kumar, enterprise product

manager, ADC Krone believes it is of little significance. “Although

intelligent cabling systems are considered not so cheap, it goes a long way in

showing good return on investments. Intelligent cabling reduces the cost of

network ownership by solving issues like unplanned downtime, inefficient manual

moves, adds and changes, redundant ports, inaccurate records etc.”

There are some cheaper alternatives available as well that

do not promise real-time cable management system, but help the system

administrator in tackling the spaghetti mess nevertheless. One such option is

PatchSee (See box), an intelligent patch cord that helps in identifying both

ends of a patch cord without disconnecting. K Surender, country manager, Dax

Networks says, “I hope this is adopted widely by the industry instead of

traditional patch cords. I feel it's a must for all users especially for

mission critical areas. The additional investment is just 2%.”

The cabling vendors are unanimous in asserting the

increasing popularity of intelligent cabling. Indian IT sector have been early

adopters of intelligent cabling. Milind Tamhane, VP, Manufacturing,D-Link India

says, “There are bright signs of intelligent cabling gaining ground in India

as this solution is sought after by few specific customer categories that are

independent of geographic boundaries. We expect the presence of such companies

to increase in India.”

Tyco claims to be the market leader in intelligent cabling

installations, with over 200,000 ports installed so far. “Most of our clients

are from banks, telecom and ITeS verticals for both end-to-end and data

centers,” informs Shetty. Leading customers include GE, HSBC, Philips, iGate,

Hutch, Orange, AOL, Verizon and CTS. “Many of the customers have gone for

selective intelligent cabling along with regular cabling options. Handful of

companies have opted for end-to-end intelligent cabling to address security

management, ease of documentation, and to improve efficiency of LAN

installation.”

Among the rising trends, intelligent cabling is a sure

winner, one that guarantees a robust and reliable infrastructure. Although

expensive compared to a traditional cabling solution by over 70%, the customers

feel it's a small price to pay in exchange for an ensured peace of mind for a

long time.

Malovika Rao





malovikar@cybermedia.co.in