CCNA 1 and 2 Companion Guide, Revised (Cisco Networking Academy Program) part 99 pps

Finish Phase 949 Link and Channel Testing Two methods are used when testing: the channel test and the link test. The channel test goes truly end-to-end from the workstation or telephone to the device in the telecom- munications room (TR). The channel test measures all of the cable and patch cords, including the line cord from the jack to the user equipment and the patch cord from the patch panel to the communications equipment. Alternatively, the link test tests only the cable from the wall back to the patch panel. There are two types of link tests, the basic link test and the permanent link test. The basic link test allows no connec- tors, but the point of measurement starts near the field tester and ends near the field tester remote unit at the other end of the link. The permanent link test excludes the cable portions of the field test units, but includes the mated connection where the cable is connected to the adapter cable at each end (see Figure A-48). Figure A-48 Permanent Link Test The permanent link test also allows for a consolidation point, which is desirable for open-office cabling installations and is therefore more practical. The only accepted test is the permanent link test. The channel test officially has been eliminated by TIA/EIA-568-B.1. Certification Tips How test results are interpreted is just as important as detecting problems. The best way to learn how to interpret test results is to use test equipment on known good wires and circuits. This will give the installer a knowledge base of how to properly use test equipment and how the test results should appear when the circuits are functioning properly. To gain experience with troubleshooting and problem identification, create cables with specific problems. Observe how testers react to these problems. Practice identifying these problems based on the results of testers by randomly choosing cables. It will be worth spending the time now to be efficient because the installer will want to be able to quickly determine what is wrong and fix it. appen_a.fm Page 949 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM 950 Appendix A: Structured Cabling Professional Certification Documentation Many cable certification tools include the capability to export results in a database for- mat. This can be used in a personal computer to produce high-quality documents (see Figure A-49). Figure A-49 Cable Certification Documentation Installation software, generally provided with sophisticated certification testers, enable the contractor to present the test result to the customer in an orderly and presentable manner. The software eliminates the need for entering the results by hand into a spreadsheet. Software packages store test results as either pass or fail. When deficiencies are found and corrected, items are retested and presented to the customer. Customers generally want both an electronic copy of the test results, as well as a paper copy. Documentation must be accessible to be useful. Electronic delivery ensures that the results are always available to those who might need them. In addition, a paper set of both the as-built documents and the certification results should be provided to the cus- tomer, as well as retained in the installer’s permanent records. When a cabling system undergoes certification testing, the test results should be collected to create the as-built documents. Certification documentation can become important to an installer if there is a question about the quality or accuracy of the wiring job. It shows that on a certain date, the wires existed in a particular order and could carry signals at a particular quality. Changes over time that affect the cable’s capability to move signals can be illustrated by comparing current tests to previous ones. Because of unexpected obstacles, change orders, and last-minute equipment upgrades, there is a possibility that the network wiring system documentation that was used to construct a facility wiring system is not representative of the system that actually was constructed. Anytime someone is asked to make a modification to the wiring system, it appen_a.fm Page 950 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM Finish Phase 951 is imperative to know what really is going on in the system. Otherwise, making changes could have unpredictable effects. As-built documents can help avoid this kind of trouble. Always create change documents before actually making any changes. Cutting Over Cutting over is the term used when transferring existing services to a new cable system or when installing new equipment on a newly installed cable system. Cutover Guidelines Good cutovers require careful planning, organization, and meticulous attention to detail. When cutting over, follow these guidelines to ensure success: ■ Keep detailed records of the installation. Such records will verify that all cables have been installed and that they were installed in the correct location. ■ Test every cable that is installed. ■ Develop accurate cut sheets, charts of circuits and the cable or circuit on which they operate. The installation supervisor normally develops cut sheets with infor- mation received by the customer. ■ Schedule the cutover when it inconveniences the customer the least. Because cutovers usually require taking some systems offline, they often are scheduled late at night or on weekends. Removing Abandoned Cable When the National Electrical Code, edition 2002, is used, all abandoned cables must be removed when certain criteria defined within the code is met. Currently, this is a decision that is made by the customer and the cable installation contractor regarding whether the cost involved in removing cables is justified. The customer and the con- tractor must be sure to adhere to local code. Always check with the local authority and discuss the details with the customer before beginning the retrofit. Before removing any abandoned cable, verify that no live circuits are on the cable. This is accomplished by checking with the customer and then verifying with either a multi- meter or a telephone test set. Care must be taken not to damage ceiling tiles or dropped ceiling-support members when removing abandoned cable. appen_a.fm Page 951 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM 952 Appendix A: Structured Cabling The Cabling Business The cabling business requires its share of attention, as does the business side of any other enterprise. Before cables can be installed, there must be a bid. Before there can be a bid, there must be a request for a proposal and walkthroughs to determine the pre- cise scope of the work. Documentation both to describe the project and to show how it was actually built might be required. Licenses might be required to perform the work, as well as perhaps union membership. All projects must be performed in a timely manner, with minimal waste of time or materials. This is usually a job for project planning, using program-management applications. Topics or particular importance in the cabling business filed are these: ■ Site survey ■ Labor situations ■ Contract revision and signing ■ Project planning ■ Final documentation As with most jobs, a cable installer’s appearance and demeanor can have an affect on how he is perceived by customers, bosses, and fellow employees. The choices that a cable installer makes on the job can affect whether he is promoted or even terminated. As an employee of a company, the cable installer represents that company on a job. His appearance and conduct reflects on the company. Therefore, you should always maintain a professional appearance and demeanor. When working on a job, follow these guidelines: ■ Respect the job site. Be careful not to cause damage or discard trash. Clean up all messes immediately if they affect another person, or clean them up at the end of the day. ■ Come to the job site wearing clean, neat work clothes. ■ Show up to a job at the agreed upon time. Punctuality is important. ■ Be considerate of noise. If working on a retrofit project where business still is being conducted, avoid playing music, whistling, singing, or shouting. ■ Treat customers, building occupants, co-workers, and bosses with respect. Site Survey The site survey, or project walk-through, is one of the most important events before preparing a cost estimate for the project. It gives the contractor the opportunity to see any issues that might impact the installation. Drawings and specifications supplied by the customer might not indicate problems or complications. appen_a.fm Page 952 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM The Cabling Business 953 It is advisable to create a sketch of the project while conducting the walk-through. The sketch will be useful for identifying problem areas when it becomes time to actually perform the estimate. A number of key questions should be asked on a site survey: ■ Are there plenum ceiling areas? ■ Is there a staging and storage area for materials? ■ Are special work hours required? ■ Are there special safety requirements? (This is particularly relevant in factory environments.) ■ Which walls are firewalls? ■ Is there asbestos in the building? ■ Will the customer supply spare ceiling tiles in the event of breakage? ■ Are there special labor issues to be considered? Requirements Documents The blueprints, which are scaled drawings, provide distance information required for determining the length of cable runs (see Figure A-50). Blueprints also should show service outlet locations and TRs. They will not always show available paths or routing information. Routing information generally is gathered through the site survey. Most structured wiring systems define a minimum of two four-pair cables per location, while many customers specify more. This information should be duplicated in the specifica- tions for the project. Figure A-50 Typical Building Blueprints appen_a.fm Page 953 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM 954 Appendix A: Structured Cabling Counting outlet locations and measuring cable distances on a blueprint are referred to as doing take-offs. Doing take-offs requires a great degree of accuracy because this gives the material requirements for the bid. Automated measuring devices are available to help minimize the chance for error. Installation Icons and Symbols Standard icons and symbols are used on blueprints and schematics to identify cable runs, different types of raceways, and information about outlets and jacks (see Figure A-51). They provide a uniform method of graphically identifying requirements on a blueprint. Figure A-51 Cabling Installation Icons Drawing Types Construction blueprints follow a standardized format. Drawings are grouped accord- ing to category. Drawings are labeled with a prefix that associates the drawings with the category. For example, all drawings that have to do with the electrical system are grouped together and have the prefix E for electrical. Architectural sections begin with A, plumbing begins with P, and so on. Telephone and data usually are grouped together and are represented on the T drawings, as follows: ■ T0—Campus or site plans: exterior pathways and interbuilding backbones ■ T1—Layout of complete building per floor: serving zone boundaries, backbone, and horizontal pathways appen_a.fm Page 954 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM The Cabling Business 955 ■ T2—Serving zone drawings: drop locations and cable labels ■ T3—Communication equipment rooms: plan views of racks and elevations of walls ■ T4—Typical detail drawings: faceplate labeling, fire-stops, and safety features ■ T5—Schedules (cabling and equipment spreadsheets) for cutovers There may be additional drawings, such as furniture plans. Furniture plans are found in either the A drawings or in a miscellaneous category. Drawings that the estimator will require include the following: ■ A site plan, to get an overview of the project ■ Floor plans ■ T drawings (telephone) ■ E drawings (electrical), for reference ■ Furniture plans to help determine outlet placement ■ A drawings (architectural), for assistance with available pathways Design documents provide a narrative describing the project. This might include a description of the functionality of the cabling system to be installed. It might include a statement such as “the system must support 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet on twisted pair).” Design documents also usually include trade jargon and acronyms unique to an indus- try or the system to be installed. The estimator should have a good understanding of all terms in the design document. Glossaries of terms and acronyms are available. The Building Industry Consultants Service International (BICSI) website includes a glossary of such terms and acronyms. Design documents specify the requirements of the system and the types of materials to be used. Information on the number of cables required per information outlet or jack is supplied in the design document. Design documents also describe testing specifica- tions and labeling specifications and formats. Schematic Diagrams Schematic drawings are not to scale. They are used to depict connectivity—that is, the way things are connected. A typical schematic shows the main TR or main cross-connect (MC) and the intermediate cross-connect (IC). It shows the type and size of cables between these points. It generally does not detail the actual terminations at these locations, and it does not show individual cable runs to information outlets or jacks. It shows cable runs to specific pieces of equipment, such as servers or other major components that are used in the project. appen_a.fm Page 955 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM 956 Appendix A: Structured Cabling Labor Situations Every cable-installation company must deal with labor issues. Some of these issues can cause problems with unions. The installation company must be aware of the rules and regulations that cover things such as unions and licensing. Unions Some projects require the use of union labor. Unions are organizations that represent workers. Although the use of union labor is more common on new-construction projects, it is not limited to new construction. The use of union labor might be part of the con- tract. If the customer clearly states that union labor must be used, the contractor must use union labor. Other labor situations dictate the job classification and the work that is allowed. In a union environment, supervisors normally are not allowed to perform installation work of any kind. Likewise, cable installers are not allowed to install raceway. Sometimes, cable installers can install raceway up to a certain size or a certain length; an electrician must install anything beyond that. These rules are defined by a union agreement and often are determined by an agreement between unions of different trades. Contractor’s Licenses Not all countries or even all states require contractors to be licensed. In the United States, contractor license rules vary from state to state. Some states require the con- tractor show that he is licensed by displaying the license number on all advertising, business cards, and letterhead. Contractors that operate without a license in a place where a license is required can be fined for doing so. They also can lose certain rights, such as the right to file a lien if the customer does not pay for services rendered. The requirements for a contractor to become licensed include technical knowledge, business knowledge, and knowledge of the labor laws of the state. It is the contractor’s responsibility to know whether he must be licensed in a particular state or country. Contract Revision and Signing When all the negotiations are complete, the contract must be revised to reflect the changes that both parties agreed to. Both parties still must review the contract in detail. Contract negotiation is a verbal event in which both parties must ensure that their intentions accurately are represented in the written document. Changes to the contract that occur as the project progresses often are addressed in amendments to the contract. Amendments are agreed to by both parties and signed by both parties. appen_a.fm Page 956 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM The Cabling Business 957 Responsible and authorized parties from the customer’s organization and the contractor’s organization must sign the contract before it is a valid agreement. When both parties have signed the contract, the commitment is made. No materials should be ordered and no work should commence before the contract is signed. Common documents such as change orders can be created in advance as a template and simply filled in with the correct information. These templates can be taken along to the project site and filled out during the initial meeting or at the different walkthroughs. Any changes to a project after it has been started should be made by written change order only. No changes to the original plan should be started by verbal instructions only; the contractor should have change order forms. The project manager should have these forms on the job site. Change orders that result in extra work should include the cost of the extra labor and materials, whenever possible. If this is not possible, the change order should include a statement that the customer agrees to pay for extra work. Project Planning The planning phase of a project actually begins after a project is awarded and before a formal contract is signed. Bidding and estimating information is assembled, special requirements are noted, resource allocations are made, and a final review of the RFP takes place to make sure that all the components will be addressed. The following are all steps that should be taken in this planning phase: Step 1 The first step in planning a cabling project is selecting the project manager or supervisor. Step 2 Crews must be selected based on the size of the project, number of hours for completion, skills required, and time allowed for completion. Step 3 Subcontractors must be identified and scheduled. Step 4 Material delivery schedules must be made. Step 5 Provisions for waste disposal must be made. Suppliers The estimator normally selects suppliers on the basis of cost, delivery, and service. The estimator uses the following questions to determine the total cost of material: ■ Does the supplier’s pricing include shipping? ■ Does the supplier have a history of delivering goods at the time promised? ■ What is the supplier’s policy on returned goods? ■ Can the supplier provide cut sheets and engineering drawings in a timely manner? ■ Can the supplier provide technical advice and support? appen_a.fm Page 957 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM 958 Appendix A: Structured Cabling Ordering Materials After the contract is signed, written purchase orders should be used to order materials from suppliers. Purchase orders should include the description of the material, the manufacturer’s part number, quantity, price, delivery date, and delivery location. Generally, the lowest-cost supplier that can provide the specified cable and equipment in the quantities that are required is the supplier to select. Shipping costs must be con- sidered when evaluating the lowest cost. Supplier pricing should include a guarantee that the pricing will be firm for a specified period of time. Generally, suppliers guarantee pricing for at least 30 days. The supervisor or lead contractor must take care that no unapproved substitutions are made in an effort to reduce cost. Final Documentation Providing as-built drawings to the customer is one of the most important parts of completing a cabling project. The drawings show cable routes, termination points, and cable types as they actually were installed. In most cases, some cables are not installed as originally planned because obstructions or problems were encountered. Typical changes include adding or deleting cable runs or outlets, or routing cables by a different path. The as-built drawings give the customer a diagram of the work that actually was performed (see Figure A-52). Figure A-52 As-Built Drawings Building A West 1cm = 10ft 1in = 10m Legend Notes Special Systems Floor Plan Sunset Key Map Copyright Cisco Systems May be reprinted only for Cisco Academt ED McCarty - 2000 - 2002 appen_a.fm Page 958 Tuesday, May 20, 2003 4:54 PM . by both parties and signed by both parties. appen_a.fm Page 956 Tuesday, May 20 , 20 03 4:54 PM The Cabling Business 957 Responsible and authorized parties from the customer’s organization and the. Icons and Symbols Standard icons and symbols are used on blueprints and schematics to identify cable runs, different types of raceways, and information about outlets and jacks (see Figure A- 51) diagram of the work that actually was performed (see Figure A- 52) . Figure A- 52 As-Built Drawings Building A West 1cm = 10 ft 1in = 10 m Legend Notes Special Systems Floor Plan Sunset Key Map Copyright