Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
network wiring. The best choices are those that support your application, present
and future, and are easy to properly install, using a minimum of special equipment.
However, you must make many additional choices concerning the particular
wiring components to be used. For example, what types of jacks are the easiest
and most reliable to use? Should you use a punchdown termination and cross-con-
nect wiring in the wiring closet, or should you terminate cables directly onto a
patch panel? Where should the telecommunications rooms be located? How
should the individual cables be run to avoid electrical interference and other per-
formance-decreasing factors? What color should the cable and connector plates
be?
Some guidance to these choices is provided by recognized installation stan-
dards, but many are a matter of personal preference. For example, some jacks use
wire termination methods that require special tools, while others do not. The expe-
rience level of those who will install and maintain the cabling system is also a fac-
tor. Some items are more easily installed and use such things as color code marking
to simplify the process. Outlet plates are available that have modular construction,
allowing you to mix connections for data, phone, and even CATV.
Installability will also have an effect on system cost. Whether you are doing the
wiring yourself or using a contractor, factors such as time-to-install and reliability
will be important. The easier the wiring components are to install, the lower will be
your cost of installation, and a contractor will charge less because the installation
will take less time. Doing the work yourself will cost less as well. Installability, how-
ever, does not mean the taking of shortcuts. Your goal is to achieve a very installable
cabling system that is easy to maintain and meets all appropriate standards and per-
formance criteria for your present and foreseeable future needs.
The sections on wiring devices in Part Two of this topic will show you a vari-
ety of wire termination devices, such as jacks and patches, and will compare the dif-
ferent installation techniques that impact installability.
Reusability
Everybody involved with computers and networking knows by now that technology
moves very quickly. Changes are constantly made to upgrade performance and
throughput. (As we all know, nothing stays the same but change itself.)
You cannot always afford to install the true leading-edge technology, but you
should at least design your cabling network to allow for a future upgrade without
replacing the cable. To do this means that you must design a cabling system that
totally meets your current needs. If the current need is 100BaseT, then the cable sys-
tem should be specified so that it meets that requirement, as a minimum. If possi-
