Proper documentation and label-ing of your network, uslabel-ing the ANSI/ TIA/EIA-606-A Administration Standard for Telecommunications Infrastructure, can save you time and money in many
Trang 1Cabling Business Magazine • May 2005
N ew Technology
Workplace Expan-sion
Repairs and Upgrades With every change in
the workplace comes a
correspond-ing need to find, move, repair, or add
cables to your system Over time,
your telecommunications closets can
become an impenetrable jungle of
cables, and any work on your telecom
system becomes an exercise in trial
and error Without proper
documenta-tion and labeling, any effort to work on
your telecommunications system or do
a physical audit can take hours or
even days
Proper documentation and
label-ing of your network, uslabel-ing the ANSI/
TIA/EIA-606-A Administration Standard
for Telecommunications Infrastructure,
can save you time and money in
many ways:
• Faster, more efficient installation and
maintenance
• Easier physical audits
• Aids in troubleshooting
• Helps locate unused cable – saves
money on time and materials
• Avoids network downtime
Keeping your network up and
run-ning is vital to the profitability of
compa-nies that rely upon their telecom systems
to conduct business or complete
trans-USING THE CLASS SYSTEM
TO DOCUMENT AND LABEL
YOUR INSTALLATION
By James Pettit
actions
W h i l e many
telecom-m u n i c a t i o n s installers may balk at the time they think is needed to implement a 606-A compli-ant solution, the right labels, printing system and software can make documentation and labeling a nearly seamless part of the installation process, saving countless hours in the future
By reducing network downtime,
a 606-A compliant documentation and labeling solution can be easily cost-justified
A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE 606-A STANDARD
The 606-A standard is a simplified version of the old 606 standard, and it has been in use for a few years The new standard is clearer, easier to fol-low, modular and scalable – so that you
can expand to higher classes within the standard without changing any existing identifiers or records While the 606-A standard is not a code (there are no penalties for non-compliance),
it is a best practice that will help your company maintain an efficient telecom system that runs at peak performance
The standard specifies a uni-form administration approach for telecommunications cabling systems that supports a product, multi-vendor environment This means that the labeling and documentation sys-tems outlined in the standard are inde-pendent of any specific applications, which change as technology changes The 606-A standard works over the life
of your telecommunications system, no matter what additions or changes may
be made to your technology over time
In fact, with proper documentation and labeling, these additions and changes are made faster and easier through consistent cable documentation and labeling
Trang 2Cabling Business Magazine • May 2005
The standard is not only for tele-com installers It establishes guide-lines for company owners, end users, manufacturers, consultants, contrac-tors, designers, installers and facilities administrators By using one standard-ized system, the documentation created with the 606-A standard will be useful
to anyone who needs in-depth infor-mation about their telecommunications cabling system
CLASSES OF ADMINISTRATION The 606-A standard is scalable, offering four levels of administration guidelines depending upon the size and scope of your cabling system:
Class 1 – for systems within a
single building with one
Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Room (TR) that all workstation cables for that system run to
Class 2 – for systems within a single
building that are served by multiple TRs
Class 3 – for a system that spans
multiple buildings, called a campus environment
Class 4 – for systems that span multiple
campuses This is also called
a multi-site system
This structure allows for a clear understanding of what must be labeled and documented at each class level Through a consistent labeling standard,
it is possible to know the nature and location of every cable for every work-station for any compliant telecommuni-cations infrastructure This offers huge advantages to installers, administrators and maintenance technicians – a com-pliant labeling system expedites instal-lations and repairs and keeps end users more productive
IDENTIFIERS AND RECORDS FOR THE 606-A STANDARD
Labeling and administration of your telecommunications infrastructure is
606-A COMPLIANT SOLUTIONS FROM BRADY
PRINTERS
IDXPERT™ LABELING SYSTEM
• Portable, flexible printing system
• Drop, Lock, and Go Smart Cartridge allows users to easily switch label materials
• Edge-to-edge printing capabilities
• Uses continuous tape or pre-cut labels
to avoid waste
• Frequently-used label formats can be stored for easy retrieval
TLS2200™ PRINTER
• Handheld and desktop versions available
• Prints self-laminating, die-cut, and continuous tape labels
• PC compatible for fast label formatting and data downloads
• Ideal for medium-volume label printing
ID PAL™ LABELING TOOL
• Entry-level, value priced tool
• Easy to use, ideal for on-site, on-demand
labeling
• Prints continuous tape, six 606-A-compliant
colors available
• Prints Brady high-quality labels
that stick to wires, curved surfaces,
or powder-coated surfaces
• Recommended for low volume label
printing
Trang 3clearly outlined in the 606-A standard for
each class, as follows:
Class 1 – This level calls for
the identification and record of the
Tenant Space (TS), all horizontal links
(where the cable is from and where
it goes), the Telecommunications
Main Grounding Busbar (TMGB) and
the Telecommunications Grounding
Busbar (TGB)
Practically speaking, Class 1
identi-fiers and records focus on labeling and
documentation of cables from the
work-station to the Telecommunications Room
(TR), including all outlets and grounding
points From a user’s or installer’s
per-spective, this allows for easy
identifica-tion of applicaidentifica-tion cables for computers,
printers, phones, etc Anyone who has
followed a cable from one end of the
office to the other, just to see which
cable needs to be moved or replaced,
can appreciate the advantage of a clear
labeling and documentation standard
Horizontal links include identifiers
for cable (at both ends),
faceplates/out-lets and termination hardware (patch panels, 110 blocks and 66 blocks)
Class 2 – These systems require everything specified for Class 1, plus identifiers and records for intra-building backbone cable, pair, and/or strand, and firestopping points
Building on the Class 1 system, these labels and records show con-nections between TRs within a building, grounding points throughout the build-ing, and the locations where firestopping material has been installed
Documentation also must include dates of firestopping installation, the name of the installer, and the service record for each firestopping location
This helps maintain a fire-safe work envi-ronment and can help make any build-ing inspections faster and smoother
Your system documentation should also include detailed information about the horizontal links, including the identi-fier name, cable type, location of outlet/
connector, outlet connector type, cable length, location of TS, cross-connect
hardware type, and service records for the horizontal link This complete record
of your system provides you with every-thing an installer, inspector, administra-tor or technician would need to know to keep your system up and running
In general, documentation must include complete information regarding the type of materials or hardware used for cables, location of grounding points and firestopping materials, the start and end points for all cables, complete ser-vice records, and access and contact information This helps your company
on a number of levels, including faster maintenance and easier inspections and audits Beyond that, documentation will show you if there are any gaps in safety protocols within your telecom infrastruc-ture, which can help your protect your technology investment and ensure the safety of your employees
Class 3 – Campus environments require all of the elements specified
in Class 1 and 2, plus identifiers and records for interbuilding backbone
16
Cabling Business Magazine • May 2005
Circle Reader Card #111
Trang 4cable, pair, and/or strand, and building
records
A multi-building environment, as is
often seen in universities or hospitals, is
a complex system involving hundreds of
workstations, dozens of TRs, and miles
of cable This is where a clear
label-ing format is vital, and documentation
essential, since multiple people will be
responsible for installation, upgrades,
and maintenance of the
telecommunica-tions infrastructure
Class 4 – At this level,
administra-tion is required for each site, as well as
for all of the elements, already listed for
Class 1, 2 and 3
WHY USE THE 606-A STANDARD?
Because the 606-A standard is not
a code, companies are not required to
follow the guidelines in their entirety
But why follow them at all? Why not
develop your own labeling and
docu-mentation system?
The 606-A Standard has several
and consultants
Up until recently, many compa-nies had one person who knew their system’s ins and outs and who was in charge of all installations, upgrades, and maintenance This leaves the company vulnerable if that person is off, leaves for another position, or retires Suddenly you may find yourself with hundreds
of unlabeled, undocumented cables and no idea what goes where Or, you may have an idiosyncratic system that makes sense only to the individual who designed it, making it useless for a new
a d v a n t a g e s , making it a best practice for all telecom-munications infrastructure labeling and documentation
THE 606-A STANDARD:
• Is simple enough to be administered and maintained;
• Offers a huge ROI in terms of mainte-nance and upgrades;
• Is scalable for future expansions, upgrades, or new building locations;
• Is intuitive to technicians, contractors,
17
Cabling Business Magazine • May 2005
Circle Reader Card #112 Circle Reader Card #113
Trang 5person or an outside technician This
leaves your company investing more
time to re-locate and re-label your
tele-com system By using the 606-A
stan-dard, your labeling and documentation
can be done once and updated as your
system is updated
WHAT ABOUT UNLABELED
EXISTING SYSTEMS?
For many companies, their
tele-com infrastructure started with a one
TR containing a few cables for a
hand-ful of phones and computers As the
company added technology and work
stations, more cables were added and
outdated technology was disconnected,
all without the benefit of a standardized
documentation or labeling system Now
these companies find that they’ve got
multiple TRs and a network of
seem-ingly random cables, several of which
may be entirely unused Labeling and
documenting such a system can be a
daunting prospect
If you’re starting or moving to a new
location, then of course that’s the ideal
time to start using a 606-A compliant
solution But if not, you don’t have to
label all of your old cable at once The
best time to begin using 606-A
compli-ant solutions is during new installations
or expansions, moves/adds/changes
(MACs) in your office, or while updating
technology or adding bandwidth This
will show you the nature and location of
18
Cabling Business Magazine • May 2005
the newest cables, and you can label the older infrastructure over time and/or as you perform maintenance
LABELING FORMATS IN THE 606-A STANDARD
The 606-A Standard calls for a standard labeling format that indicates the type, location and purpose of all cables and endpoints, plus color coding for faster and easier identification of all elements
These labels serve as the key to finding additional information included
in the documentation
Overall documentation includes materials and maintenance information for horizontal links as listed above, plus additional access or personnel infor-mation as needed for larger systems
For example, the required record for
a Telecommunications Space (TS) as specified in the 606-A standard would include: the TS identifier name, type, room number, key or access card iden-tification, contact person, and hours of access This helps maintenance and repair people do their jobs more effi-ciently, and gets all users up and running faster in the event of network problems
LABEL AND DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
A compliant 606-A administration system may be managed through a
paper-based system, through general-purpose spreadsheet software, or with
a special-purpose cable management system Each has its advantages in terms of cost, availability and ease of use While a paper-based or spread-sheet system may cost less to imple-ment in the short term, a special-purpose cable management system is faster and more complete in the long-term, saving time in the creation of both labels and documentation This savings of time can translate to dollar savings very quickly for a medium-to-large telecommunica-tions system, or for one that upgrades technology frequently
All labels used in cable marking should meet the following criteria:
• Labels must be of a size, color and contrast to be easily visible and readable
• Label materials must be resistant
to your location’s environ-mental conditions (moisture, heat, UV light);
• All labels used must have a useful life equal to or greater than the component being labeled (this means both adhesion and readability);
• Printing of labels must be done by a mechanical device and not written by hand (Anyone who’s tried to read a handwritten label a year later, when the ink is smudged, can get behind this requirement.)
Many people, hoping to save money
on labels, will purchase standard office labels from their office supply vendor and print them on a standard printer They are then surprised to see all of their labels littering the floor of the telecomm closet a few months later
Non-industrial label solutions are not designed to stick on wires, curved surfaces, or powder-coated surfaces The result is that the labels that work just fine on file folders simply don’t stick on wires, faceplates and other components that are part your telecommunications system If the labels don’t stick, all
Trang 6JAMES PETTIT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, BRADY CORPORATION, 800-541-1686 EXT 7714; JIM_PETTIT@BRADYCORP.COM
606-A COMPLIANT SOLUTIONS FROM BRADY
LABELMARK SOFTWARE
• Seamlessly integrates with
Brady’s NetDoc™ Cable
Management Software
• Prints directly to any Brady
printer, or inkjet, dot matrix, and
laser printers
• Easy-to-use single screen
editing
• Easy template creation for label
lists/formats/serialization
• Can print bar codes
NETDOC™ CABLE
MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
• Web-enabled solution, 606-A
compliant
• Seamlessly integrated with
LabelMark™ label-creation
software
• Features easy-to-use login
security, documentation wizards,
user and date stamping,
customizable fields, and
attachment capabilities
• Easily documents horizontal and
backbone cables, hardware,
assets, pathways, locations,
users, and more
20
Cabling Business Magazine • May 2005
of your time and effort is wasted For that reason, it is essential that you use labels designed for industrial applica-tions Additionally, these labels should
be available in a variety of die-cut sizes and continuous sizes to meet the needs
of various applications and equipment without wasting label materials
The 606-A standard specifies that labels “must be printed by a mechanical device and shall not be handwritten.”
Along with the obvious advantage of improved readability, printing labels vs
handwriting saves time and materials, and allows for more information to be printed on the label Printers designed for industrial environments are ideal for this purpose, since they offer improved durability, include industry-specific for-matting and printing options, and fea-ture thermal-printing capabilities for lon-ger-lasting labels Industrial printers are also available in portable models that allow installers to create labels on-site
THE ADVANTAGE OF CABLE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Integrated cable management and label software systems offer many advantages over other manual or gen-eral-purpose documentation and label-ing systems:
• Complete documentation saves time
in locating and correcting network issues, providing better internal sup-port and reducing network down-time
• An integrated cable management system with label design software will allow you to format and import your data for faster and more accurate label creation and printing – more effi-cient use of your internal and external resources
• Cable management software is designed to document and label as one integrated function, increasing the speed and accuracy of your doc-umentation process;
• Simplifies the management of your physical network, and speeds the updating of network documentation
• A special-purpose cable management system will allow you to start your cable labeling and documentation system with your next MAC and will help you build and update your docu-mentation as you go – working in the same scalable/expandable way that the 606-A standard does
• Integration of cable management software with testing and labeling software saves time and money
• The integrated system allows for direct connectivity between print-ers and testprint-ers – easier, faster, more efficient
• Cable management software allows you to easily document your entire infrastructure and generate reports Ultimately, you must decide which system is the most appropriate for your company and your telecommunications system based on your budget, man-power, time and the size or complexity
of your system Whatever method you use for documentation and cable label-ing, following the 606-A standard will simplify installations and maintenance, eliminate conflicting information, reduce errors, and save time AND money for your company