DATA CENTER TECHNOLOGY

Applying Standards in Data Center Network Design

By David Kozischek

hen designing a data center, several factors should be taken into consideration,

ogy advancements in system equipment must be considered. TIA-942, Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers, was released in April 2005. The purpose of this standard is to provide information on the factors that should be considered when planning and preparing the installation of a data center or computer room. TIA-942 combines within a single document all the information specific to data center applications. This standard defines the telecommunications spaces, infrastructure components and requirements for each within the data center. Additionally, the standard includes guidance as to recommended topologies, cabling distances, building infrastructure requirements, labeling and administration, and redundancy.

DATA CENTER SPACES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

The main elements of a data center, defined by TIA-942, are: Entrance room (ER): The space used for the interface between data center structured cabling system and inter-building cabling, both access provider- and customer-owned. The ER interfaces with the computer room through the MDA. Main distribution area (MDA): Includes the main cross-connect, which is the central point of distribution for the data center structured cabling system and may include a horizontal cross-connect when equipment areas are directly served from the MDA. Every data center shall include at least one MDA.

including standards compliance. TIA942, Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers, details several of the factors that should be considered when designing a data center. When implementing a structured cabling solution, the standard recommends a star topology architecture to achieve maximum network flexibility. TIA-942 outlines additional factors crucial to data center design, including recognized media, cable types, recommended distances, pathway and space considerations, and redundancy. In addition to standards compliance, the need for infrastructure flexibility to accommodate future moves, adds and changes due to growth, new applications, data rates and technol-

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DATA CENTER TECHNOLOGY

Figure 1

Applying Standards in Data Center Network Design

Horizontal distribution area (HDA): Serves equipment areas. Equipment distribution area (EDA): Is allocated for end equipment and shall not serve the purposes of an ER, MDA or HAD. Telecommunications room (TR): Supports cabling to areas outside the computer room and shall meet the specifications of ANSI/TIA569B. The components of the cabling infrastructure, as defined by TIA-942, are as follows: Horizontal cabling Backbone cabling Cross-connect in the ER or MDA Main cross-connect in the MDA Horizontal cross-connect in the TR, HDA, MDA Zone outlet or consolidation point in the ZDA

Outlet in the EDA In a data center including HDAs, the

channel distance allowed is 100 m, assuming 5 m of patch cord at each end of the channel for connection to end equipment. When a ZDA is used, horizontal cabling distances for copper may need to be reduced (Figure 1).

maximum distance allowed for horizontal cabling is 90 m, independent of media type. With patch cords, the maximum

Figure 2

R educ ed Data C enter T opology

Ac c es s P roviders

O c es , Ops . C enter, S upport R ooms

Main Dis tribution Area

(R outers , B ackbone LAN/S AN S witches , P B X, M13 Muxes )

C omputer R oom

Zone Dis t Area Horizontal C abling E quip Dis t Area

(R ack/C abinet)

E quip Dis t Area

(R ack/C abinet)

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Applying Standards in Data Center Network Design

Depending on the type and size of the data center, the HDA may be collapsed back to the MDA. This is a typical design for enterprise data centers. In this scenario, the cabling from the MDA to the EDA, with or without a ZDA, is considered horizontal cabling. In a collapsed design, horizontal cabling is limited to 300 m for optical fiber and 90 m for copper (Figure 2). Figure 3

DATA CENTER TECHNOLOGY

LOGICAL TOPOLOGIES FOR DATA CENTERS

While standards help guide the data center physical infrastructure, the logical data center infrastructure does not have a standards body helping with design. Logical architectures, as shown in Figure 3, vary based on customer preference and are also guided by the electronics manufacturers. Though a standard does not exist, there are some common architecture best practices that can be followed. Most logical architectures can be broken into four layers: Core Aggregation Access Storage Core The core layer provides the highspeed connectivity between the data center and the campus network. This is typically the area where multiple ISPs provide connections to the Internet. Aggregation The aggregation layer provides a point where all server area devices can share common applications such as firewalls, cache engines, load balancers and other valueadded services. The aggregation layer must be able to support multiple 10G and 1G connections to support a high-speed switching fabric. Access The access layer provides the connectivity between the aggregation layer shared services and the server farm. Since additional segmentation may be required in the access area, three different segments are needed: Front-end Segment This area contains web servers, DNS servers, FTP and other business application servers Application Segment Provides the connection between the front-end servers and the back-end servers. Back-end Segment Provides connectivity to the database servers. This segment also provides access to the storage area network (SAN) Storage The storage layer contains the Fiber Channel director and other storage devices such as magnetic disc media or tape. Figure 4

MAPPING LOGICAL ARCHITECTURES TO TIA-942

The key for many data center designers is how to translate the many logical topologies onto a TIA-942 structured cabling infrastructure. This translation will affect some of the key design elements of a structured cabling solution such as fiber counts, hardware considerations and physical cable runs. The first step is to translate the TIA-942 areas (MDA, HDA, ZDA, EDA) to the logical architecture areas (core, aggregation, access, storage). Figure 4 shows a comparison between the two. The next step is to take an example

TIA-942 Physical Architecture Area

MDA=Main Distribution Area HDA=Horizontal Distribution Area ZDA=Zone Distribution Area EDA=Equip Distribution area Maps to Maps to

Logical Architecture Area

Core and Aggregation Aggregation

Maps to

Access and Storage

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DATA CENTER TECHNOLOGY

Applying Standards in Data Center Network Design

Figure 5

logical architecture and translate it to a TIA-942 structured cabling solution. In this example, we will use a small data center and map the logical architecture shown in Figure 5 to the physical architecture of the data center (racks and cabinets) shown in Figure 6. The next step is to choose the TIA-942 architecture that will best map to the logical architecture shown in Figure 5. Since this data center is small, a reduced TIA-942 architecture will be implemented. In this architecture, an MDA, ZDA and EDA will be implemented. In implementing this structured cabling design, the datacenter will be segmented based on the logical topology shown in Figure 5. The segmentation will be as follows: 1. Collapse the core switching LAN, SAN and aggregation switching in the MDA Segment the access layer into three zones: front-end, application and back-end

2.

Figure 7

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Applying Standards in Data Center Network Design

Figure 6

INSTALLATION

a hardware and cabling infrastructure. The TIA-942 Structured Cabling Standard provides guidance in how to properly map any logical architecture into a physical architecture. When applied correctly, the structured cabling system installed today will serve the needs of the data center now and in the future.

With more than 15 years of experience in 3. Segment the storage into a separate zone Each zone will use a middle-of-therack interconnect solution for the cabling. Within each zone, the EDAs will utilize a top-of-the-rack interconnect. The EDAs will serve the electronics in each cabinet and the ZDAs will serve the EDAs. The ZDAs will homerun back to the MDA, where they will terminate in a main crossconnect (MC). This is shown in Figure 7. communications technology, David Kozischek currently serves as market manager, Data Centers for Corning Cable Systems. Kozischek joined Corning Cable Systems in 1990 and has held positions in Engineering Services as a senior field engineer and senior systems engineer; Strategic Planning and Business Development as technology manager; and Global Strategic Growth as a technology discovery manager.

CONCLUSION
When designing a data center, there will be many different types of logical architectures to choose from. These logical architectures will be deployed over

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