In this issue . . . n Verdict is positive for High Court n 10G Ethernet Update n Penrith Panthers Score with ADC KRONE Australia Vol1 No.3 2006 New Networks 2 ❙ NEW NETWORKS A Word from Bob Fitzgerald W e’ve been working hard really over the past 6 months with our channel partners to find ways of better serving our customers. We are pleased with the results and we believe that we are now much more responsive to our customers needs and easier to deal with. One visible result will be a better point of sales presence throughout our Distributor’s branches. Also, the new structure of our sales team means that we can now offer a higher level of service to our channel partners through a focused effort. I’m pleased to report that the newly developed Australian Category 6 Leadframe jack solutions have been readily accepted by the UK market, opening up a new export opportunity. The volume of this award-winning product continues to grow as it becomes the market’s desired technology, replacing traditional printed circuit board based products. Whilst we continue to expand globally, we remain committed to the Australian and New Zealand markets. Our Berkeley Vale development and manufacturing facility is the operations flagship for the Australia/NZ region and significant in Asia Pacific. Being a local manufacturer enables us to be highly responsive and able to meet specific customer needs like no other vendor. A great recent example was when a major Australian telecommunications carrier required a configured cross-connect product for a major network project. Our engineers were able to turn around the solution in a very short time with a brand new product meeting the stringent “carrier class” quality that our customer demanded. We are always striving to achieve improved customer service, ensuring that there are no delivery issues or stock problems for our customers. I’m pleased to say that last month we had zero shipping errors in a record shipping month, well done to our Warehouse and Customer Service teams. ADC KRONE has continued to thrive over the last quarter and I look forward to strong growth and performance for the rest of the year. Sincerely Bob Fitzgerald VP & Regional Director Asia Pacific Region ADC KRONE News 8 TrueNet ® CopperTen ™ solutions Customer Stories 4 Verdict is positive for High Court network 9 Penrith Panthers Score with ADC KRONE 14 Fisher & Paykel’s new cabling solution for global HQ Technical Articles 3 The Converged Enterprise 7 10 Gigabit Ethernet update 12 Optical Fibre Testing for Enterprise Installations Editor: Sarah Bishop Art Direction: Nora Collins Website: adckrone.com/au Copyright © 2006 ADC Communications (Australia) Pty. Limited Contents NEW NETWORKS ❙ 3 ST R U C TU R E D C A BLIN G W I R E LESS AC C ESS The Converged Enterprise What it means to your business Y our business runs on information. From voice to data, Gigabit links to video, and wired to wireless services, the variety of communications options is growing along with complexity, redundancy, and cost. What is the best way to deal with the need for ever increasing bandwidth? You need to create a Converged Enterprise network. WHAT IS CONVERGENCE? Telecommunications Service Providers are already recognising the value of convergence in their business models. By bundling voice, data, and video into a “triple play” of services, they are realising economies of scale and simplifying operations for themselves and their customers. Businesses can also realise the full benefits of convergence: savings, simplification, and flexibility. The fully converged enterprise integrates wired and wireless services to support voice, data, and video from the data centre all the way to both desktops and mobile users. NEW APPLICATIONS DEMAND A CONVERGED ENTERPRISE A truly converged enterprise network will transport any content, across any medium, anywhere in the world, at any time. Converged networks supply the solution for high- bandwidth applications that need mobility, and mobile applications that need higher bandwidth. New applications which require a converged enterprise network include: • Mobile users and wireless applications • Smart building services • Data storage and security • Video applications and 3D modelling • Centralised communications management • RFID (radio frequency ID) tracking of material • IP- based factory floor and more…… COST CONTROL AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE The benefits of enterprise convergence can be immediate and substantial. Converged organisations gain economies of scale and expand available bandwidth while lowering cost. Converged infrastructure will be more secure, more manageable, and flexible enough to handle changes in technology, business climate, and corporate goals. Most importantly, convergence will be a powerful competitive tool, enabling an organisation to synchronise tactics with strategy and expedite communications both within and beyond the organisation. UNCOMPLICATING CONVERGENCE With decades of experience in voice, data, video, wireline, and wireless communications, ADC KRONE is where Enterprises and Service Providers turn for converged products and services. Over 80% of the voice, video, and data traffic in North America is transported over ADC KRONE network infrastructure products. Please contact my ADC KRONE team to explore the ways you can use convergence to your advantage in your business. n ADC KRONE is here to help you build your New Network in New Ways. Networking Thoughts from: Bob Switz, ADC President and CEO 4 ❙ NEW NETWORKS VERDICT IS POSITIVE FOR High Court Network A ustralia’s High Court installs ADC KRONE fibre and copper cabling to enable most advanced courtrooms in Australia. The High Court of Australia is the highest court in the Australian judicial system. It was established in 1901 to interpret and apply the law of Australia, to decide cases of special federal significance and to hear appeals, by special leave, from Federal, State and Territory courts. The seat of the High Court is in Canberra, where it is located in its own building within the Parliamentary Triangle. The 40-metre tall High Court building is one of Australia’s National Buildings and also one of Canberra’s major tourist attractions. The building houses three courtrooms, Justices’ chambers, and the Court’s main registry, library, and corporate services facilities. The High Court frequently hears applications for special leave to appeal by video link with Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. This method of hearing, introduced in 1989 to save litigants the cost of flying their counsel to Canberra, is becoming more and more popular. CHALLENGE In early 2004, the High Court decided to replace its 1980s analogue video and audio systems with a new, state-of-the-art digital video, audio and data network. Dubbed the “Black Box Project”, the new fibre optic network would involve more than 3,000 fibre terminations and result in the most advanced courtrooms in Australia and possibly the world. The High Court building had not been designed with network cabling in mind. Courtrooms are located on one side of the building with computer and court monitoring rooms 50 metres away on the other side. There was no allowance within the building for cabling reticulation apart from telephone cabling that was embedded in concrete. By Norm Kennedy, ACT Sales Manager NEW NETWORKS ❙ 5 VERDICT IS POSITIVE FOR High Court Network Therefore, to install the cabling, pathways would have to be designed and created, courtroom carpets would need to be removed and judges’ benches would have to be modified. It was essential to the High Court that the cabling they installed would provide support for current and future video, data and audio applications to avoid such upheaval in the future. For this unique project, the High Court relied upon a team of IT specialists including Intravision, a communications company specialising in data, voice, fibre, MATV, CCTV and broadband technologies. GOALS The Black Box Project was incredibly large and complex so the High Court’s goals were stated clearly at the outset: 1. To successfully install the necessary hardware and systems to create a digital video, audio and data network; 2. To achieve effective recording of court sittings; 3. To implement effective video and video- conferencing services; 4. To ensure the technology remains invisible within the courtrooms; 5. To minimise the impact on clients during the project. It was important to the High Court that the infrastructure be future-proof to avoid having to upgrade again too soon. It was also essential to protect the investment so that cables and other equipment could not be damaged accidentally. For Intravision, achieving the High Court’s goals meant they would need to: 1. Completely refurbish the court reporting monitoring and transcription rooms; 2. Install a structured cabling system connecting the courts and court reporting areas; 3. Install all equipment in court reporting, computer room, courtrooms and court rack areas while keeping all technology invisible; 4. Implement control and management systems. This Page: Top: Video Switching Room. Left: Heath Mackey, High Court and Grant Bawden, Intravision examine the under- floor cabling. Far Left: Control and Video Link Cupboard. 6 ❙ NEW NETWORKS “We had our work cut out for us on this project, as we would be working in a heritage- listed building,” explains Grant Bawden, technical services manager, Intravision. “This required innovative design and meant that we needed to be flexible in how we physically planned the network. We also needed to use the latest video, audio and data products.” SOLUTION One year prior to the Black Box project, the High Court had reviewed its existing cabling system. The previous system used a variety of different cabling products. A combination of the components and the installation practices used meant the network experienced a number of performance issues. To solve those issues, the High Court installed ADC KRONE’s Category 6 copper cabling. The benefits were immediate and all issues were resolved once the network had migrated to the ADC KRONE cabling. So, when it came time to choose a cabling system for the Black Box project, the High Court’s decision was clear. They chose ADC KRONE’s new 50µm multimode fibre because it offers three times the bandwidth of standard 62.5µm fibre and supports the maximum bandwidth for the entire 50 metres separating the courtrooms and computer rooms. It would also allow the High Court to extend the existing ADC KRONE 20-year system warranty to cover the new system. This would guarantee the system’s performance well into the future when higher demands are placed upon it. “Having one complete system from one vendor, supported by Intravision, provides the High Court with confidence that the complete court monitoring system will perform when the biggest decisions in the country are made,” says Grant. INSTALLATION Due to the size and scope of the project, Intravision experienced a number of challenges during the installation process. Chiefly, the building’s design allowed limited access for cabling, the building documentation was not exhaustive, and there were extensive areas of solid concrete. “We based our outputs on a logical rather than firm technical design,” explains Grant. “We needed to give significant thought to developing cable routes to overcome the building’s physical limitations.” RESULTS As expected, the Black Box Project has delivered the most advanced infrastructure for court reporting and video conferencing in the world. “Replacing 1980s audio and video analogue technology with current digital audio, video and data technologies – in a heritage listed building – while hiding the installation, was a very difficult task,” says Grant. “We achieved the ideal outcome thanks to the skills of the team involved and to the superior quality of the solutions chosen. The ADC KRONE products delivered the functionality and performance we were looking for and we managed to meet and exceed the original project goals.” The project subsequently was submitted for and won a National Electrical and Communications (NECA) 2005 Excellence Award. n “We needed to give significant thought to developing cable routes to overcome the building’s physical limitations.” Norm Kennedy, ADC KRONE with Tony Martin and Heath Mackey from the High Court. NEW NETWORKS ❙ 7 YES, the IEEE approved the 10GBE standard in June 2006. NO, this is not the final Augmented Cat 6 standard that we will all use for installation. YES, there is a separate Augmented Cat 6 standards being developed by the TIA in America and by the ISO based in Europe. NO, the ISO and TIA standards are not ratified or published as yet. YES, both should be approved and published early to mid 2007. NO, these ISO and TIA standards cannot be called up in tender documents yet. YES, both TIA and ISO passmarks are higher than those required by the IEEE 802.3an standard for 10GBE. NO, the ISO and TIA drafts do not have the same passmark values for all parameters. YES, there are attempts to achieve harmony on a single set of global passmark values. NO, they may not achieve harmony and there may always be 2 different passmarks. YES, the ISO is trying to provide more headroom than the TIA to “future-proof” installations for the “next” application jump. NO, there is no “next” application jump on the horizon at present and these jumps usually require new cabling. YES, both ISO and TIA standards have UTP and STP solutions for 10 GBE requirements. NO, a shielded solution is not the only one capable of meeting 10GBE requirements. YES, you should use the Random Lay Principle especially for the first 15 metres from FD terminations. NO, neat straight lines of cables in small bundles are not suitable for 10GBE cabling because they do not minimise Alien Cross- talk. YES, the ADC KRONE solution will meet the published IEEE 802.3an requirements for 10GBE transmission. NO, ADC KRONE will not provide warranties to the ISO or TIA Augmented Cat 6 cabling standards until they are published. Beware of those who do. n By Peter Meijer, JP BE MSc.,RCDD, Technical Manager, Enterprise AU/NZ. 10 Gigabit Ethernet update Some quick YES/NO comments on 10GBE. “Random lay in the bundle and tray, for Cat 6 cable and Cat 6a.” © Peter Meijer. 8 ❙ NEW NETWORKS A s the worldwide leader in telecommunications infrastructure, ADC KRONE has a knack for making the impossible, possible. This proved to be the case when ADC KRONE introduced the industry’s first augmented Category 6 cable. This astounding breakthrough, now a complete end- to-end cabling system appropriately named CopperTen, delivers an easier to install and more cost-effective solution than shielded and fibre optic cabling systems. CopperTen is an integral part of ADC KRONE’s TrueNet ® Structured Cabling System. It was the world’s first UTP Structured Cabling System to enable 10 Gigabit Ethernet over a full 100 metres. Installed in high-performance networks worldwide, the system’s patent-pending design minimises alien crosstalk and insertion loss and meets the performance requirements of IEEE 802.3an, ISO/IEC 11801 ed.2.1 and TIA 568-B.2- 10 draft standards. CopperTen Patch Panel This 1RU 24-port patch panel is designed to optimise performance. The modular design features outlets that are offset to counter the negative effects of alien crosstalk; critical for 10 Gigabit Ethernet performance. The panel also features a unique fully-moulded plastic design that further reduces alien crosstalk when compared with traditional metal frame panels. CopperTen Module The 20-pair CopperTen module is the world’s highest performing cross-connect module. It is designed to suit five incoming and five outgoing 4-pair Category 6a cables. The Module utilises a disconnect feature making it ideal for Patch-by- Exception installations and can also be patched as a traditional cross-connect. The cable manager at the rear of the module ensures that cables are held in place securely without the need for Velcro ties. CopperTen 4-pair Cable The highest performing UTP 4-pair cable in the world, CopperTen cable offers maximum headroom for current and future technologies. ADC KRONE’s uniquely designed oblique elliptical offset filler reduces alien crosstalk. CopperTen Modular Outlet The CopperTen modular outlet features LSA- PLUS ® silver-plated 45° angled contacts for the most secure and reliable connection available. The outlets clip directly into Clipsal and HPM faceplates. CopperTen Patch Cord The CopperTen patch cord also uses the oblique elliptical offset filler, designed to minimise alien crosstalk. Copper conductors in the cable pairs are stranded for superior flexibility and compacted to a near-round shape for optimum signal strength. The patch cords have a snagless plug design with integrated strain relief and are UL 1863 listed. n TrueNet ® CopperTen ™ Solutions Speed, Performance and Reliability. By Glen Johnston, Product Manager, Structured Cabling, Asia Pacific NEW NETWORKS ❙ 9 R ugby league is one of Australia’s most popular sporting competitions. It began in Australia in 1908 with the New South Wales Rugby League, which included eight teams. Now consisting of 15 teams (14 from Australia and one from New Zealand), the National Rugby League (NRL) is the country’s premier rugby league competition. At the foot of the Blue Mountains, 60 kilometres away from Sydney, lies the city of Penrith. The Penrith District Rugby League Club joined the elite division of the rugby league competition in 1967 under the nickname of “The Panthers”. Panthers’ home ground is owned by the Department of Lands, entrusted to Penrith City Council. With capacity for approximately 21,000 spectators in two stands, two terraces and two hills, the stadium includes lighting that meets television broadcast standards. In 2004 the Panthers was the most watched rugby league team on free-to-air television. STADIUM GROWTH INCLUDES INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE In 2005, work began on revamping the Western Stand and playing surface of CUA Stadium Penrith, thanks to $10 million in funding from the Federal Government. The improvements include new spectator and media facilities. As part of the stadium’s growth, the communication infrastructure required upgrading to meet the increasing demand for bandwidth- hungry voice and data applications. In particular, the additions to the stadium would include a media centre to accommodate radio and television broadcasters as well as print journalists. This new media centre would need to be fitted with an integrated voice and data cabling infrastructure that could cope with heavy media demands on match days. The infrastructure also needed to make it easy for broadcasters to move between media offices without complex patching. A corporate facility – which would also require a reliable cabling infrastructure – was included in the stadium plans. Also included was a requirement for coaches to be able to communicate with change rooms and the substitutes bench without resorting to two-way radio. By Alex Price, NSW Sales Manager PENRITH PANTHERS SCORE with Adc Krone CUA Stadium Penrith chooses ADC KRONE solution for new media centre and communications network. 10 ❙ NEW NETWORKS For such a complex project, the Penrith District Rugby League Club enlisted the help of telecommunications and data networks installer Stowe Australia. PREPARATION FOR FUTURE GROWTH “The stadium upgrade provided a perfect opportunity to install the most advanced structured cabling network possible to cater for the stadium’s communications needs,” explains Bryan Shiagetz, Stowe Australia’s project manager. “We needed to bring the stadium into the 21 st century and prepare it for future growth, particularly with regard to the media centre.” With this overall aim in mind, Stowe Australia began looking for the perfect solution. “We knew that Category 6 cable would be required to provide enough bandwidth for the media centre,” says Bryan. “We also needed to make sure that the infrastructure could be added to easily – but most importantly the network would need to be extremely reliable and easy to use. We envisaged a scenario where the media’s support staff could interpret the network and take care of their own patching needs. And of course we needed to find a solution that would fit within our client’s budget.” SEARCH FOR A STRUCTURED CABLING SOLUTION Stowe Australia spent six weeks considering a number of structured cabling solutions, including those offered by Pandiut, Leviton and Clipsal, Stowe Australia settled on ADC KRONE’s TrueNet ® Structured Cabling Solution. The cabling system terminates into a cabinet located in the communication room, and the ADC KRONE HighBand ® 24-port Category 6 Patch Panels allow easy user patching. “I had used ADC KRONE products in previous installations so I knew it was reliable and robust enough for this installation. It met all our requirements and exceeded our expectations in terms of pricing and support,” says Bryan. TEAMWORK OVERCOMES INSTALLATION HURDLES Once the ADC KRONE solution had been chosen, the four-month long installation process could begin. This was made slightly more complicated by the other extensions being made to the stadium. The cabling system needed to be hidden from view and protected from the elements to ensure it could not be accidentally damaged, affecting the network’s performance. Ascertaining the optimum cable pathways proved a major hurdle, but Stowe Australia worked closely with the builders and with the Penrith District Rugby League Club, to solve the problem and the installation proceeded without further incident. “RESULTS COULDN’T HAVE BEEN BETTER” On completion, the installation’s benefits were apparent immediately: the ADC KRONE TrueNet Structured Cabling Solution provides a robust, reliable and future-proof network as intended. Patch management is simple, even allowing media personnel to undertake their own patching needs, a cost and time saving for the Penrith District Rugby League Club. Moving broadcasters between media offices is also simple with no need for complex jumpering or patching. And coaches can take advantage of Top: David Copeland patches the Media Centre Communications rack. [...]... advantage of working with ADC KRONE with the after sales service in the way of warranty and network testing a huge benefit in being able to control and maintain the network, ” said Peter Kaad, ADC KRONE Northern Regional Manager Although the main end-user is PC based, some with large engineering CAD file transfers, down the track FPH are looking to integrate voice solutions Using the ADC KRONE HighBand 25,... the high-performance structured cabling solution that meets your unique network needs Your one true network infrastructure solution, TrueNet is the integrated portfolio of industry-leading products from ADC KRONE I NEED ONE TRUE NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTION True End-to-End Solution Now your complete network infrastructure needs are met by a single global manufacturer The TrueNet system delivers proven... structured cabling and patch cords The typical downtime scenario of ‘un-plug/ untangle/re-patch’ was a potential bottleneck in future development and network expansion requirements It directly affects business output HighBand ® 25 rack in the Communications room 14 ❙ NEW NETWORKS and this was addressed in the ADC KRONE cabling solutions FPH key network requirements were to eliminate redundancy and ensure maximum... Because the simplicity of the ADC KRONE solution allows the end user to relocate services and phone lines, my time has been significantly freed up from those requests, so I can be more efficient and effective “Overall, using the ADC KRONE solution has provided significant cost savings for the stadium upgrade We were able to use an Australian product with an extended end-to-end 20-year application and product... care of The ADC KRONE solution offers the immediate benefit of superior performance, however upgrading to 10 Gbps Ethernet transmission exists already in this technology Complete with ADC KRONE s comprehensive 20-year warranty, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare are well set with TrueNet® ■ ❙ 15 I need TrueNet ® TrueNet is the high-performance structured cabling solution that meets your unique network needs... angling allows for greater flexibility and use in cabinet environments • Category 6 component compliant TIA/EIA 568-B. 2-1 • A-Tick AS/ACIF S008 compliant • UL 1863 certified • Wire can be terminated with either an ADC KRONE or 110 tool • 45 degree silver-plated IDCs provide secure, reliable gas-tight connection • Includes adhesive paper labels for station identification • Universal wiring label for easy... True Performance With TrueNet, you can push networks to the performance edge Innovative products that exceed industry standards support advanced applications today and tomorrow True Reliability Mission-critical networks rely upon trusted TrueNet infrastructure Built and tested in ADC KRONE' s world-class facilities, TrueNet guarantees signal integrity and network throughput AUSTRALIA 2 Hereford Street,... AUSTRALIA 2 Hereford Street, BERKELEY VALE NSW 2261 Ph: (02) 4389 5000 Fax: (02) 4388 4499 TECH SUPPORT: 1800 801 298 WEBSITE: adckrone.com/au NEW ZEALAND Cnr The Esplanade & Nevis St, PETONE NZ Ph: +64 4 576 9213 Fax: +64 4 576 9243 16 ❙ NEW NETWORKS SALES: 0800 657 663 WEBSITE: adckrone.com/nz ... and ADC KRONE STP cable Glenn Schäche, the FPH Technical Team Leader explains “the cost-effectiveness of using jumper wire rather than patch cable will enable us to invest more in other areas and deliver a costsaving over time In a large project such as a new building, any cost saving is welcomed.” Another major component for FPH in solving the physical installation was the practical advice given by ADC. .. set ourselves up for the future It means we won’t be prevented from implementing new technologies because of an outdated communications infrastructure The ADC KRONE solution squarely places the Club to enhance our position as a media- and corporate-friendly rugby league stadium, so we’re delighted.” The team at Stowe Australia is also pleased with the project’s outcome “The results couldn’t have been . 10G Ethernet Update n Penrith Panthers Score with ADC KRONE Australia Vol1 No. 3 2006 New Networks 2 ❙ NEW NETWORKS A Word from Bob Fitzgerald W e’ve been. new, state-of-the-art digital video, audio and data network. Dubbed the “Black Box Project”, the new fibre optic network would involve more than 3, 000 fibre