Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of upper and lower cabling in the data center

Analysis of the pros and cons of upper and lower cabling in data centers

The data center is a huge system project. Before construction, detailed planning and design are required, as well as an overall understanding of the application of the data center, and an overall consideration of the overall operating environment of the data center.

Paying attention to the various conditions and influencing factors of cabling methods will not only benefit the installation and maintenance of the integrated cabling system, but also benefit the entire data center planning and later operation and maintenance management.

Regarding the issue of cabling methods in the data center cabling system, does anyone think that there is still need to discuss such inconsequential issues as upper and lower cabling? In fact, the problems hidden in the upper and lower cabling are not just about wiring. It will have a big impact on the overall planning of the computer room and even other systems, so it is necessary to discuss and analyze it.

Doing a good job in a data center project requires a lot of planning, including various systems such as power distribution, air conditioning, network, wiring, etc. For the wiring system, if the initial planned wiring method is unreasonable, it will be damaged later. It takes several times longer to adjust.

The following is mainly based on various explanations and analyzes of upper and lower cabling in data center projects.

In data center projects, the mainstream cabling methods of the cabling system are generally divided into two categories: upper cabling and lower cabling.

Upper cabling means that cables are laid on pre-installed bridges above the cabinet equipment. There are two main forms of upward cabling: open ladder type and open mesh type.

Downward routing means that the cables are laid under the movable floor, either directly on the ground or on the bridge under the floor.

In the data center, improper wiring will affect many factors, such as cooling, maintainability, aesthetics, etc. It will also affect the signal crosstalk of the data communication cable itself and other issues. Signal interference sources interfere with data communications.

In reality, it is very noteworthy that whether the wiring design is reasonable or not will directly affect the convenience and efficiency of future maintenance and management.

The future transformation of higher-level data centers will also bring many difficulties.

From the perspective of the data center integrated cabling system, generally if there is an anti-static board, the wiring is usually routed down. On the contrary, if there is no anti-static board, the wiring is used up.

The type of cabling to be used should also take into account the customer's requirements for the data center, such as cost, maintenance, computer room upgrades, etc.

The popularity of upward wiring in recent years is inseparable from the continuous upgrading of the size of the computer room, the popularity of down-air cooling methods, and users' emphasis on maintenance and management.

Relatively speaking, the lower wiring has fatal flaws such as not being rodent-proof, dusty, difficult to maintain, and not conducive to fire protection.

In addition, the current building height of domestic data center projects is limited, and the net height occupied by "downstream cabling" will be higher than that of "upper cabling". There is also a lack of flexibility in the layout and future changes of the computer room.

In fact, in the provincial node computer room and wiring engineering technical specification documents, the "wiring engineering implementation requirements" are clearly stated: strong and weak current wiring in the computer room should be clearly separated to avoid electromagnetic interference. Generally, strong requirements are required. The electricity is routed under the floor, the weak current is routed above, the strong current is routed in wire troughs, and the weak current is hoisted on a metal ladder frame.

Of course, this does not mean that the down wiring is useless. Relatively speaking, down wiring has certain advantages in terms of ease of laying and cost, and the exquisiteness of the construction does not affect the way it is laid. The aesthetics of the computer room relatively reduces the requirements for construction cable management.

When the cable density and capacity are large, the upper wiring will put a lot of pressure on the wiring rack. For the wiring method on the grid-type bridge, for the construction and bundling of the wiring system, the cables The management requirements are very good, and the construction quality will directly affect the appearance of the overall data center.

There are two actual case studies below for reference:

When new optical cables, twisted pairs, or new power cables are added to the current wiring, it is difficult to remove existing idle cables to clear space.

In most cases, in order to To minimize the risk of downtime, the cables are left in place for a long time, resulting in insufficient space for strong and weak current cables to maintain signal interference.

Simultaneous line The continuous accumulation of cables blocks the air flow path, eventually leading to the formation of "hot zones" within the data center.

Underfloor cabling can also hinder the transmission of cold air, which will increase energy consumption in the future. /p>

Since the cables are hidden under the floor, the appearance of the cables is not easy to notice, which makes it easy for managers to ignore the requirements for under-floor cable management.

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On the contrary, the use of ceiling cable tray cabling in the data center is easy to maintain and manage, and the cable management is beautiful. If a mesh cable tray is used, the quality of cable management will be clearly visible, and users will simply not be able to accept the chaotic management of cables. This It also promotes the proposal of more advanced wiring methods. High construction requirements.

After the weak current is routed, the possibility of interference due to insufficient distance between strong and weak current cables can be eliminated. At the same time, the cables under the raised floor occupy less space, and the delivery of precision air conditioners Wind efficiency is improved, reducing energy consumption.

Judging from the above case of lower cabling, a large number of weak current cables under the raised floor can easily hinder the transmission of cold air, causing energy waste. Moreover, the cables passing through the floor will cause the leakage of cold air and mix with the hot air.

Energy can be saved by using upper wiring, and reliability can also be improved by improving cable maintenance methods.

The planning and design of data center cabling is very important. The choice of upper and lower cabling is just one of the steps.

After determining the cabling method, layered design must also be considered and shielding of strong and weak currents.

Generally consider the upper, middle and lower layers. They are channels for strong current lines, copper cable lines and optical cable lines. Considering the fragility of a large number of optical jumpers and the electromagnetic interference of strong current, shielded wires or closed cabling racks should be used.

In summary, the data center is a huge system project. Before construction, detailed planning and design are required, as well as an overall understanding of the application of the data center, and an overall consideration of the overall operating environment of the data center. .

Paying attention to the various conditions and influencing factors of cabling methods will not only benefit the installation and maintenance of the integrated cabling system, but also benefit the entire data center planning and later operation and maintenance management.

Based on the actual cases of data centers that I have participated in in the construction of a large number of data centers in recent years, the author is more inclined to use the upper cabling method in the data center, and also believes that the upper cabling should be routed in the overall data center. The system is becoming more dominant.

I hope this article’s brief analysis of upper and lower cabling can be inspiring to the majority of people in the data center industry.