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