Cross-Connect Blog

Celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, Day 4: Zone Cabling Enclosures

December 11, 2008

Celebrate the holidays with CPI’s “The 12 Days of Christmas Solutions” for your data center. Each topic will feature a unique solution to meet your data center needs.

On the 4th day of Christmas my CPI RCDD suggested to me …

Ceiling Zone EnclosureThe TIA-942 Standard describes the integration of the Zone Distribution Areas (ZDA) into the data center. Zone Distribution Areas add flexibility to your network by reducing the amount of cabling that must be changed when cabinets are added, moved, or replaced. By positioning ZDA above or below the cabinet you can reposition cabinets quickly and easily. According to the TIA-942 Standard, ZDA should be limited to serving a maximum of 288 coaxial or twisted pair connections in efforts to avoid cable congestion. This is important for ZDA that are meant to be placed overhead or under floor tiles. It also suggests using no more than one ZDA within the same horizontal cable run while additionally avoiding the use of cross-connections. Make sure that no active equipment is located in the ZDA with the exception of your data centers powering equipment.

Floor Zone EnclosurePlace Raised Floor Enclosures under a 2’ x 2’ raised floor tile to hold patch panels.

Ceiling Enclosures install overhead in 2’ x 2’ or 2’ x 4’ ceiling tiles.

Chatsworth is proud to be a BICSI Prestige Corporate Member and actively participates in the following: BISCI Standards Committee (BSC), Technical Information and Methods Committee (TI&M), Data Center Subcommittee, and Bonding and Grounding Subcommittee. Chatsworth has 13 RCDD certified employees on staff.

Fernando Reyna, RCDD; Application Sales Engineer

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