MEETING TOMORROW’S INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS TODAY WITH ADC’S TRUENET ® STRUCTURED CABLING SYSTEM In the late 1800’s, settlers in Utah’s Cache Valley had a dream to bring higher education and greater opportunity to the people of the then rural area. With little more than simple pioneering spirit and determination, they opened the doors of the Agricultural College of Utah in 1888 to a handful of students. Now known as Utah State University (USU), that same founding spirit lives on today in Logan, Utah, where present day enrollment exceeds 22,000. Utah State University has a long and decorated history of academic excellence, with seven colleges offering 230 degrees and career options, including 88 masters and 32 doctorate degrees. The once diminutive college is now one of the nation’s most advanced universities with numerous accolades ranging from more than 400 payloads sent into space (including more student designed experiments than any other university) to being the 16th most productive scientific research facility in the nation. UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY CASE STUDY As a leader in technology academics, the entire campus must have state of the art learning facilities. In concert with the University Central Administration, Telecommunications and Telephone Services moved forward with infra- structure upgrades to support new technologies and applications. This unit of telecomm- unications is part of the USU Office of Information Technology Services, which is committed to moving the institution to enhanced levels of connectivity and functionality. From the original Old Main Building of 1888, to the cutting edge Engineering Building of 2003, the university now boasts over 140 buildings with lecture hall facilities wired for instant network access by all students and faculty. To complicate the issue, the university has a large distance-learning program that makes up 28% of enrollment. To keep such advanced programs and facilities moving, USU required the most advanced communications equipment available for high-speed data transmission and storage. They realized early on that everything begins with the structured cabling system. The new Engineering Building, commissioned in 2003, was determined to be the ideal facility to begin the upgrade. THE BOTTOM LINE IS REMARKABLY SIMPLE Scott Wells, a certified RCDD and Associate Director of the Telecommunications Department, has more than 30 years experience in data and telecommunications. Wells knew the challenges of supporting the new facility would require the best equipment at every layer. As part of the structured cabling selection process, USU tested numerous solutions and balanced performance, price, ease of installation and availability in their decision making process. The only solution that met all of USU’s strict criteria was the TrueNet structured cabling system. “When you get the best performance for the best price, the decision becomes pretty easy,” stated Wells. The university had planned to re-wire the campus with three million feet of Enhanced Category 5 (Cat 5e) cable, because that’s all they believed their budget would allow. “ADC came in with a premier Category 6 system and said I could stay on budget. I was obviously skeptical at first, and collectively we had our doubts, but ADC really did deliver.” CASE STUDY Scott Wells standing in the front of the Edith Brown Building The new engineering building was first all KRONE installation on cumpus Stephanie Roos, USU Telecommunications Technician Once the TrueNet end-to-end system was determined to be the best choice for the university, the team sat down with ADC’s technical design team to settle on the best Category 6 (Cat 6) connectivity products for their needs and applications. After careful consider- ation of numerous options, the team selected the Cat 6 HighBand ® 25 termination block for its performance, density and versatility. The HighBand 25 implements the legendary LSA-PLUS ® technology, incorporating corrosion resistant silver-plated contacts set at a 45-degree angle for unparalleled reliability. When hardwired, the HighBand 25’s center patch port allows for look both ways testing and the unique ability to reroute circuits by simply inserting a patch cord. This process, called patch-by-exception, allows the user to reroute circuits quickly for temporary transfer, and active testing without taking the circuit down or inhibiting performance. If the circuit is to remain, then it can be re-wired at any time. To return it to its original status, the patch cord is simply removed — instantly returning the circuit to its original setting. This system is ideal for end-of-semester main- tenance when circuits can easily be returned to their originally designed locale. It also equates to a tremendous cost saving on patch cords, because only 10-15 percent of the traditional number of patch cords are ever implemented. The end result is the cleanest, most polished, and easiest to maintain telecommunications closet. The rat’s nests of unnecessary patch cords are gone and maintenance and record keeping are suddenly simple. The entire telecommunications staff at USU immediately took to the system. “This type of versatility was simply not available in other products. I love the TrueNet system and I don’t ever want to go back to the 110 type connectors we were using before,” said Stephanie Roos, Telecommunications Technician. HAVING IT ALL For cable, USU chose AirES ® cable technology. AirES (Air Enhanced System) cable represents an incredible breakthrough in cable technology. By implementing numerous patent-pending designs and manufacturing processes, engineers from the former KRONE Group (now part of ADC) were able to incorporate air channels into the design of each conductor. The result is dramatically improved dielectrics, which results in greater transmission speed and performance. So extra- ordinary was this improvement, it allowed the conductor and insulation sizes to be reduced. The end result is a better performing cable that is 32 percent smaller. This reduction in size, and the incorporation of air also means 32 percent less material, which directly translates to a lower fuel load in all runs and plenum spaces. In the event of a fire, the AirES cable lowers the risk of flame propagation and smoke generation, improving safety for people, and highly sensitive, valuable electronic equipment. CASE STUDY In some areas, the university has a tremendous amount of three-quarter inch conduit and as a result had extremely limited space for new cable runs. It naturally concerned the team that the cramped spaces wouldn’t allow for proper cable lays and would effect bend radii and result in compromised performance. As a result, they concluded that they were going to need to run all new conduit — an incredibly costly proposition. But the AirES cable is capable of being placed directly in the existing runs, saving the university tens of thousands of dollars. The telecommunications team instantly realized the benefits of a smaller, faster and safer cable. “We received samples from other vendors of their Cat 6 cables with a filler and they were much stiffer than the AirES cable,” said Wells. “AirES cable even pulls better cold. The old Cat 5e we were using was larger and stiffer than AirES Cat 6.” Combined with the HighBand 25 blocks, Category 6 station outlets and AirES cable, the entire end-to-end system is covered under the TrueNet system warranty, guaranteed not to create any transmission errors within the physical layer (thanks to cable and connector components designed in parallel and matched electrically) and then proven with on-site active testing. THE TRUENET DIFFERENCE When prompted to point out what separated the TrueNet system from the others, Wells replied, “The major thing the TrueNet system did for us, that no one else could, was the combination of features that addressed all our needs, from the small diameter of the cable to the superior performance. It fit the bill for all of our issues. “When we finished the evaluation it was the best end-to-end cabling solution for all of our criteria. The new Engineering Building was our very first all-TrueNet application. We’ve since decided to convert the entire campus over to a TrueNet end- to-end solution. ADC has been the most responsive manufacturer in the industry, carefully listening to all the needs of their customers. That’s the difference.” FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on what sets the TrueNet structured cabling system apart, please call 1.800.366.3891 or visit our web site at www.adc.com/truenet Utah State University Telecommunications and Telephone Services 4420 Old Mail Hill Logan, UT 84322-4420 Phone: 435.797.1276 web: www.usu.edu/cio ADC Telecommunications, Inc., P.O. Box 1101, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA 55440-1101 Specifications published here are current as of the date of publication of this document. Because we are continuously improving our products, ADC reserves the right to change specifications without prior notice. At any time, you may verify product specifications by contacting our headquarters office in Minneapolis. ADC Telecommunications, Inc. views its patent portfolio as an important corporate asset and vigorously enforces its patents. Products or features contained herein may be covered by one or more U.S. or foreign patents. An Equal Opportunity Employer 1317417 3/05 Original © 2005 ADC Telecommunications, Inc. All Rights Reserved Web Site: www.adc.com From North America, Call Toll Free: 1-800-366-3891 • Outside of North America: +1-952-938-8080 Fax: +1-952-917-3237 • For a listing of ADC’s global sales office locations, please refer to our web site. CASE STUDY . MEETING TOMORROW’S INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS TODAY WITH ADC’S TRUENET ® STRUCTURED CABLING