A Simple Computer Network Is A Set Consisting Of A Switch With Several Cables To Which Computers And Other Equipment Within The Network Are Connected To The Switch Via Cables.

Fabricated Cabling, it is easy to draw such a network on paper, but it becomes difficult to implement a switch to which different cables are connected. Network experts are well aware that network infrastructure implementation services (passive network services) are a complex and tedious task because, in the real world, you face various physical problems such as walls and ceilings.

Unfortunately, the human factor causes many problems. For example, users may step on the cables, knowingly or unknowingly disconnect the cables from the network sockets, or pull the cable connected to the switch out of high pressure, cutting off the wires inside the cable or causing the switch port to fail.

In addition, the slightest mistake in cabling can cause great damage to organizations. Such problems have led large network service providers to adopt a set of rules and policies known as fabricated cabling.

What is Manufactured Cabling?

Manufactured cabling refers to the implementation of cable network infrastructure in compliance with international principles and standards. So that the process of cabling, installation of connections, sockets, and other equipment connected to the cables is done based on a specific plan. Structured cabling tries to precisely organize the cable communications of a collection, server room, and data centers.

Based on this definition, we see that structured cabling refers to the design, documentation, and management of the lowest issues in the network world, the physical layer. The physical layer forms the basis of any network model (data-driven, multimedia, or audio).

 Physical media defines how signals or data are sent over a network.

About 70% of the communication networks you use include passive equipment such as cables, patch panels, and connector blocks. Accordingly, documenting these network components is a sensitive and important process.

The physical environment can be copper cable (Cat5e, Cat6, etc.), coaxial cable, fiber optic, or satellite cabling. In fact, fabricated cabling should be described as a set of standard principles and methods, divided into sub-sets. “Subsystems are controllable blocks in which network equipment in each block is managed and maintained independently of the equipment in other blocks.”

Components of a structured cabling system

In general, fabricated cabling components are divided into five main sections, each of which has its own characteristics and standards. These sections are as follows:

• Demarcation point: A demarcation point is a place near the building (or inside it) where the telecommunications company’s cabling is finished, and the communication cabling inside the building begins. In most cases, a demarcation point is a device that indicates that a telecommunications service provider has completed its work and that an organization’s network cabling process has begun. In this place, equipment is installed that creates a connection between the private network of the organization and the company providing internet services. This connection can be through telephone lines, leased lines, and similar examples. 

• Equipment or Telecommunication Room: An equipment or communication room is where the main network equipment and telecommunication equipment are located. All major network connections are organized in these rooms. Some sources call this place the MCR room called Main Cross Room. 

• Vertical Cabling: On each floor of the building, a room is needed where the main equipment such as switches, routers, and other accessories can place and all the cables are laid in the building end. These places, called the Equipment Room (ER), are the most important place in the building (or network) after the MC room. Cables must be made to connect these rooms and connect them to the MC room. Because this room is located on different floors, the cables must lay vertically between the floors. This type of cabling is known as vertical cabling and is the most important part of cabling in the network.

• Horizontal Cabling refers to network requirements inside the equipment room and network outlets in users’ workrooms. This cabling is done through ducts, trunks, and paths installed on the walls or the ground, and in some cases through paths that pass through the false floor or false ceiling. 

• Work Area: A work area is a room where users’ equipment is located at the endpoint. End-users are people who directly use computers, laptops, printers, IP phones, and other devices to connect to the network. The work environment is where network equipment is connected to network outlets. In standard cabling, a network outlet is installed for every three meters of distance.

 What are the benefits of fabricated cabling?

• Stability and stability: In structured cabling, due to the observance of standards and implementation of cabling according to the principles and legal methods of network standardization, there is no need to make continuous changes in the cabling structure, which brings more stability and stability to the network. 

• Support for products made by different manufacturers: In structured cabling, standards determine the principles and methods of work, so no inconsistencies are seen in the network structure. More precisely, the network can support equipment from different manufacturers (both software and hardware) and use a combination of products manufactured by different manufacturers without dependence on a specific vendor. 

• Ease of handling, adding, and modifying: As mentioned, built-in cabling supports a standard structure. Therefore, at the beginning of the design and operation of the network, any change or relocation in the network is anticipated, and it is possible to add new equipment or make changes. 

• Ease of troubleshooting and debugging: Before implementing the network, a detailed map is drawn from it, and the details of each change are recorded in the documentation. We have an integrated and regular network. That’s why troubleshooting is so simple, and even a network technician can find the cause of a problem with a simple check. 

• Support for future needs: Manufactured cabling supports future needs, especially network scalability, because needs are anticipated at the outset. For example, if you plan to use more video conferencing, IP telephony, or local area networks in the future, this process is possible without redesigning the network. 

• Error separation: In structured cabling, the network is divided into different sections so that in case of a problem in the network, each block is tested separately.

The advantage of this method is that any errors that occur in the network can be detected quickly. The physical division of a network into different blocks is similar to implementing a virtual local area network (VLAN). The network of each unit or class of a large organization is logically distinct from the other.

• Cost reduction: Because all steps in cabling are done according to the standard, compared to systems that do not have a standard, there is no need to spend a lot of money to cause problems in the network or make changes in it, and the main cost is paid when the system first It is designed and launched. After this stage, most of the costs are related to equipment maintenance, which is very low compared to non-standard systems.

Standards

The design and operation of fabricated cabling are governed by standards that define data centers, offices, and apartment buildings using various cables. These standards are defined for data, audio, and video transmission through cables such as (Cat-5e), (Cat-6, Fiber Optic), and related connectors. In fact, these standards are how to establish a connection between network outlets and points. To establish a connection, the cables in the workrooms are first connected to the patch panels in the equipment room and then connected to the network switch or telephone switches employing short cables called patch cords. We need a direct cable to patch panels, switches, and communication between users’ computers and network outlets.

 Standards related to manufactured cabling

Cabling standards are internationally developed and are approved by organizations such as BICSI, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization. Important standards in this area include the following:

• 1000Base-LX: Gigabit Ethernet is the most common standard and uses long wavelengths of 1300 nm (one nanometer equals 0.000000001 meters or 9-10).

• 1000Base-SX: Another form of Gigabit Ethernet that is cheaper to install than the 1000Base-LX and uses short wavelengths of 850 nm. The maximum segment length for 1000Base-SX depends on the two factors, fiber diameter and modal bandwidth used to transmit the signal.

• EIA / TIA-568: The above standard defines the minimum requirements of a cabling system, the necessary connections, the minimum and maximum cable lengths, the level of performance of the media and equipment interacting with the cabling, the type of connectors, and the connection order of the pins. The above standard emphasizes that the built-in cabling system must consist of six subsystems: Building Entrance, Equipment Room, Backbone Cabling, Telecommunication Closet, and Horizontal Cabling. Cabling) and Work Area. 

• TIA-526-7: This standard measures and determines the rate of signal loss in single-mode fiber optics and is known as OFSTP-7. 

• ANSI / TIA / EIA-568-B.1: This standard specifies the general requirements of a cabling system in commercial buildings.

• ANSI / TIA / EIA-568-B.1-1-2001: The first annex to the ANSI / TIA / EIA-568-B.1 standard specifies the minimum bending radius for the 4 pairs of wires in the UTP and SCTP cables. 

• TIA / EIA-568-B.1-2: This standard is the second appendix to the ANSI / TIA / EIA-568-B.1 standard and specifies the requirements for a ground connection system for twisted-pair cables in horizontal cabling. 

• TIA / EIA-568-B.1-3: The third annex is to ANSI / TIA / EIA-568-B.1. This appendix refers to the tolerable distance by optical fibers and the degree of attenuation in the optical fiber channel (for different types of fiber optic cables). 

• TIA / EIA-568-B.1-4: The fourth appendix is ​​to the ANSI / TIA / EIA-568-B.1 standard and addresses issues such as the cabling specifications of CAT-6 cables and multimode fiber optic cables with a diameter of 125/50 microns. (μm) refers to the use of laser waves. 

• TIA / EIA-568-B.1-5: The fifth annex is the ANSI / TIA / EIA-568-B.1 standard, which deals with the principles of communication cabling in telecommunication environments. 

• TIA / EIA-568-B.2: This standard specifies the general requirements for a cabling system in commercial buildings and the components using twisted cables. 

• The TIA / EIA-568-B.2-1: The first appendix to the TIA / EIA-568-B.2 standard addresses the performance and transmission specifications of CAT6 twisted-pair cables at 100 ohms.