Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1043933
Data Center Cable Infrastructure New Methods for Testing and Installing AOC and DAC By Guylain Barlow Global IP traffic will increase nearly threefold over the next five years. 1 Furthermore, data-rich and high-bandwidth applications are likely to accelerate at a furious pace with the proliferation of quickly evolving technologies, such as IoT, 4k Ultra HD video streaming, and 5G wireless. At the heart of this changing ICT landscape is the data center. A massive amount of information is exchanged within data centers and a key requirement to meet the application needs of today and tomorrow is the capacity to scale. Beyond the need for power, cooling, storage and switching inside the data center is the necessity for practical and efficient cabling. Data centers can roughly be divided between hyperscale, multi-tenant and private. The use of cables as described in this article, namely active optical cables (AOC) and direct attach copper (DAC), applies to all three categories, although this topic is especially applicable to hyperscale data centers. This article addresses practical operational considerations, such as the validation of AOC and DAC to save time and reduce costs in data centers. November/December 2018 I 29