Issue: July 2006
By: Frank Bisbee

Bisbee's Buzz

Networks – It’s all about networks!

A host of interrelated networks connects modern society.  Not only are networks interrelated they are also interdependent.  Morse, Edison, Marconi, Bell, and Eisenhower are considered the founding fathers of most of the networks that affect our lives today.  Morse brought us the telegraph.  Edison brought us light and power.  Marconi brought us radio.  Bell brought us the telephone.  Eisenhower brought us the interstate highway systems.  And, if you believe it, Al Gore gave us the Internet.  But, I don’t think so.

The US interstate highway system is now almost 47,000 miles long.  Texas (which always likes to be the biggest) has the most interstate miles with 3,234 miles.  Those numbers are pretty impressive when you consider the impact of highways on our culture. 

Radio and telephone span the entire globe.  The internet reaches almost everywhere.  The information age is converging many services and systems that were once thought to be solely independent.  From jacks to the information superhighway, there may be several hundred million miles of infrastructure.  Current estimates of the cabling within the buildings (in the US alone) are upwards of almost 9 million miles of cable.

As the demand for communications services expands into areas of fire protection, alarm, and life safety, we see the need for a “bigger pipe.”  Recently the IEEE ratified the 10Gig standard for copper cabling and the existing standard for 10Gig over fiber is being upgraded.  The consumer’s “need for speed” has not quenched its appetite. 

Over the past two decades, we have seen several generations of major improvements and higher standards for the media (copper and fiber optic cable).  Resultantly, many users have a fruit basket of different infrastructure facilities with a myriad of performance levels.  Unfortunately, documentation is virtually nonexistent.  Many choosing communication infrastructure upgrades are replacing everything because they don’t have a clue of what they actually have. 

The labor to install these facilities is a significant portion of the expense and it cannot be recovered.   According to Larry Johnson, President of Light Brigade (www.lightbrigade.com),  “Well-documented infrastructure may be re-employed and create a huge reduction in downstream cost.”  This rule of thumb of reuse is particularly important for fiber optic cabling.  The new technology in fiber optic cabling may facilitate increasing the network capabilities hundreds of times without re-cabling.  This may have a substantial impact on the UTP cabling market.  Some industry experts are forecasting that the UTP performance (based on speed and distance) is approaching the “Barrier of Obsolescence.” 

The arcane technical underside of the LAN and WAN is growing in complexity.  The designers, installers, and users of these networks are challenged to keep pace with the technological developments.  One of the best resources in the communications industry is BICSI (www.bicsi.org).  This association is a guiding light for the industry and has an impressive array of tools and training for anyone who wishes to enter the highway system that characterizes itself as the information super highway.  Another association that is bringing convergent technology to the marketplace is National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA – www.necanet.com).  NECA bridges the electrical industry with the communications industry.  Don’t forget The Smart Building is a reality; check out CABA (Continental Automated Building Association – www.caba.org).  There are many specialized resources available throughout the communications industry and we strive to bring them to your attention in the pages of www.Wireville.com.  

Remember, “the information super highway begins in Wireville.”  This website contains and connects to hundreds of thousands of pages of information about the communications industry and many related areas. 

But that’s just my opinion…..

Frank Bisbee

Summer School - A Real Eye Opener For An Old "Copperhead"

Light Brigade (Illuminating the Fiber Optics Industry since 1986) is the number one source for fiber optic training and a whole lot more.

As a seasoned veteran of the cabling world, I was pleasantly shocked by the quality and scope of the recent Light Brigade training class that I attended. The four-day Fiber Optics 1-2-3 Design-Installation-Maintenance Training Class had it all. By the end of the first day, all of the students were challenged to absorb the volume of information (from the text, videos, and samples). The pace of the class did not slack up for a minute. The classroom and hands-on training allowed all of the students to gain a practical understanding of fiber optic communication systems and learn the latest techniques needed to design, install, test and maintain both multimode and singlemode networks. This training class was packed with information and instructor assistance from beginning to end. Every student (veterans & novices) in our class remarked on the high quality of the training they received. These training classes are for executives and technicians. I guarantee it. Frank Bisbee, Editor of Heard On The Street (HOTS) monthly column on www.wireville.com.

Who are they?

They are The Light Brigade Inc., a 20-year-old training organization for the fiber optic industry that focuses exclusively on design, installation and maintenance. Fiber optic training companies are not that unusual, however, they are unique in that they teach with the client's best interests in mind. They tailor their education and skill building programs to the needs of the entire range of fiber optics professionals - from technicians to the engineers, from installers to managers.

Their training objective is to take macro-knowledge and apply it to micro-decisions so their clients can make informed technical and business decisions to meet their current and future needs.

Who are their clients?

Their students and clients permeate the fiber optic workplace as technicians, engineers, installers, supervisors, network designers, managers and consultants from all industries using or planning to use optical systems. The companies they serve include:

·                     Telecommunications, manufacturers and network carriers

·                     State, local and federal governments

·                     Electrical, telecom and data communications contractors

·                     Engineering and research institutes

·                     K-12 schools, universities and colleges

·                     Medical facilities

·                     Aerospace industries

·                     National and international military organizations

·                     Small to large commercial enterprises.

·                     Utilities

·                     Information Technology Services

·                     End Users

They are unique because they are unbiased!

They provide comprehensive knowledge about fiber optic system design, maintenance and installation in an unbiased manner. The Light Brigade is not affiliated with any specific vendor and offers hands-on use of tools and equipment from a wide variety of manufacturers.

Their educators teach from real world experience!

Since the mid 1980s The Light Brigade has worked extensively on projects with local firms such as Microsoft, Boeing, BPA, Puget Power, State of Washington, Verizon and Qwest. In addition, their training staff includes engineers with experience designing, installing, maintaining and restoring fiber optic systems of all sizes. Many have taught college courses in electronics and telecommunications. Others have built and operated fiber systems for utilities, telephone companies, state and federal organizations and consulted for international companies.

This extensive and varied background of their instructors and staff allows The Light Brigade to teach both the theory and practical skills that are applicable to their wide range of clients.

What you don't know CAN hurt you!

Simply educating their students to the theory, terminology and hands-on skills is not enough. The Light Brigade enhances the student's knowledge by illuminating fiber optic issues and how they impact future technologies and trends. Their curriculum developers do intensive research and attend high-level meetings and seminars with leading industry experts and scientists, allowing them to constantly update their materials. This leading-edge awareness of the fiber optics industry is filtered back into their classrooms to the benefit of their clients.

Their classrooms are around the world!

Their training facility, with its state-of-the-art equipment, is located in Tukwila, Washington just south of Seattle, near SeaTac airport. They conduct classes year-round throughout the United States and in a dozen countries. They also offer custom courses for clients at their sites. Classroom training is a multimedia experience incorporating traditional presentation techniques and their own video-based educational materials, which have been developed over the years from live sites and installations.

The Light Brigade prepares you for the future!

The driving force today in fiber optics is the need for bandwidth and reliable communication. As long this need remains, the need for training in fiber optic systems will exist. Their goal is to provide the highest quality training available to meet this need.

Over 30,000 attendees have participated in The Light Brigade’s instructor-led fiber optic training courses worldwide. In addition, The Light Brigade has a wide variety of fiber optic training videotapes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and computer-based training available.

The Light Brigade Inc.
837 Industry Drive
Tukwila, WA 98188
(206)575-0404 or
(800)451-7128

www.lightbrigade.com

Investigating a Potential Disaster

Just after a disaster—Natural or otherwise—rumors are widely reported and pervasive. The reality of the situation, the truth, can be buried beneath all the stories floating around. Such was the case with Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, where somewhere amid the rumors was the truth. Months later, when the taller tales out of New Orleans faded, Jeff Griffin found a grim reality, which he reports on in this month’s comprehensive feature “Disaster After the Disaster?” on page 38. www.ecmag.com 

Immediately after the hurricane, people started calling, offering tips—true stories from the storm’s path. Late last year, Jim Pauley of Schneider Electric/Square D, approached with one of these leads concerning water-damaged electrical equipment. Griffin tackled this project, which ran in ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s January 2006 issue. While developing that article, one of Griffin’s sources informed him of a potentially dangerous practice happening in New Orleans—the waiving of electrical inspections, courtesy of an emergency ordinance approved by the city government, led by Mayor Ray Nagin.

Once the water-damaged article was completed, Griffin moved on, contacting source after source to uncover all aspects for the second story, ultimately spending months researching, interviewing, trying to reach the proper authorities. Griffin’s research was sometimes plagued by the region’s still-spotty communications infrastructure, but he persisted to bring the facts to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR readers. He called me often—almost weekly—giving updates as the reporter in the field.

It’s a big investigative story, bigger than anything Griffin and I have worked on before. To our knowledge, no other magazine has covered it. And because it concerns serious safety issues in the Gulf Coast, we couldn’t let this story remain untold.

Please understand that we are not politically motivated here, but we are hoping that this story will elicit change-—not in the government; that’s a job for the voters*—but in a practice that has possibly hazardous implications. Present and future residents may be faced with shoddy work done, with liability on their own shoulders, and with no measures to have had proper inspections done. Of course, there’s pressure to get everyone home as quickly as possible, but is it right to cut corners and waive electrical inspection procedures that have been in place for decades? Pushing aside the protocol could further harm those who have already been through so much. And should you read it and agree, it’s up to you to take action.

I wouldn’t normally devote an entire letter to a single article. However, May is our annual Safety issue—and safety is at the core of “Disaster After the Disaster?” I felt that I should share the backstory to illustrate to you why we would use six full pages to tell it.

—Andrea Klee, Editor

Reprinted with full permission of Electrical Contractor Magazine May 2006 issue www.ecmag.com

*  Just before Electrical Contractor Magazine wrapped the MAY 2006 issue, New Orleans held a primary election, narrowing the mayoral candidates to Ray Nagin and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. A runoff election will be held May 20.

BICSI Executive Director Donna Dunn Steps Down, David Cranmer Appointed As Interim Executive Director

Donna Dunn, Executive Director of BICSI, and the Board of Directors have mutually agreed that Donna will step down from her current position as the Executive Director at BICSI. Effective June 19, 2006, the Board is pleased to announce the appointment of David Cranmer RCDD to the position of interim Executive Director at BICSI.

David has many years of experience in the telecommunications industry, and brings a wealth of resources and contacts to the position that will be invaluable in driving the focus of BICSI in both the national and international forums. David is a familiar face to the BICSI membership, a Past President of BICSI, he served as President in 1990 and 1991, currently chairing the Installation Committee and serving on several other Committees. The Board welcomes David to his new position. www.bicsi.org

Is it a “DEAL” Or “NO DEAL”?

  The “Brief” Case for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine

Last month I talked about the new TV Game Show “Deal or No Deal” and how depending on luck or good fortune, you pick the “right” briefcase, one could walk off with a fortune or with empty pockets. In this case, no skill required. No harm, no foul.

However, when it comes to selecting the right media “briefcase” to carry your advertising message...depending on just good luck can cost you a lot of real money. The differences between ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s circulation/market coverage “case” and any other in the market are dramatic and should be of great importance to you. Before you choose this briefcase, please consider:

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR reaches only electrical contractors. Actually over 85,900 of them (Dec. 2005 BPA)...more than any other publication. There’s a reason for that. More next month, but basically its because the typical electrical contractor has totally differing information needs than say an industrial, plant, or consulting engineer, facility manager, etc. It’s one way we develop over 3 times the preferred readership vs any other.

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR is the only publication to conduct separate, Supplemental Audits of our circulation to help you better understand exactly what our readers are actively working on. It costs us more, but it helps you better direct your ad message.

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR is the only publication to conduct a separate BPA Unit Audit of total market coverage. 68,736 individual business units covered (June, 2005 BPA Unit Audit). In conjunction with the latest U.S. Census Report, we can document over 90% total market coverage. No one else comes close. Again, it costs us a lot more, but we believe you need to know exactly where your message is going.

That’s just a brief sample of why, when choosing your media “briefcase,” ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine is the one sure choice. We deliver. We document.

Thanks for your business. www.ecmag.com

—John Maisel

Printed with full permission of Electrical Contractor Magazine – June Issue 2006

Do I Need A Different Category Of Cable?

Not too long ago, when local area networks were being designed, each work area outlet typically consisted of one Category 3 circuit for voice and one Category 5e circuit for data.  Category 3 cables consisted of four loosely twisted pairs under an overall jacket and were tested to 16 megahertz.  Category 5e cables, on the other hand, had its four pairs more tightly twisted than the Category 3 and were tested up to 100 megahertz.  The design allowed for voice on one circuit and data on the other.  As network equipment data rates increased and more network devices were finding their way onto the network, this design quickly became obsolete.  Companies wisely began installing all Category 5e circuits with often three or more circuits per work area outlet.  Often, all circuits, including voice, were fed off patch panels.  This design allowed information technology managers to use any circuit as either a voice or a data circuit.  Overbuilding the system upfront, though it added costs to the original project, ultimately saved money since future cable additions or cable upgrades would cost significantly more after construction than during original construction phase.  By installing all Category 5e cables, they knew their infrastructure would accommodate all their network needs for a number of years and that they would be ready for the next generation of network technology coming down the road.  Though a Category 5e cable infrastructure will safely accommodate the widely used 10 and 100 megabit-per-second (Mbits/sec) Ethernet protocols, 10Base-T and 100Base-T respectively, it may not satisfy the needs of the next Ethernet protocol, gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbits/sec), also referred to as 1000Base-T.  Thus, those IT managers looking to increase their network’s speed may be limited by the cable that was installed in their facility.  Though testing of the Category 5e infrastructure could determine its efficacy, the quality of both the cable and its installation could play a role in whether or not 1000Base-T will operate properly over the cable.  Category 6 Cable was developed to ensure 1000Base-T performance as well as accommodate other protocols.

Why do I need Category 6 cabling?

10Base-T and 100Base-T operated over only two of the four pairs in the cable.  One pair is dedicated to sending data while the other is dedicated to receiving data.  Two pairs go unused.  1000Base-T, however, operates over all four pairs.  There are two gigabit Ethernet protocols currently in use, 1000Base-T and 1000Base-TX.   1000Base-T transmits and receives data at 250 Mbits/sec on each of the four pairs, for a total transfer rate of 1000 Mbits/sec.  The transfer of data is bi-directional on each of the four pairs.  1000Base-TX transmits data at 500 Mbits/sec on two pairs and receives data on the remaining two pairs at the same data rate.  Well, Category 5e cable has four pairs.  Why won’t it work?  Well, it may and it may not.

As the transfer speeds increase, so do the performance requirements of the cable being used.  Delay skew, which is the difference between the slowest and fastest pairs within a cable, becomes increasingly important as data rates increase.  In the past, shortages of some materials, including those used in making plenum rated cables, forced manufacturers to find alternative compounds and alternative construction methods that would allow them to continue manufacturing and to pass the appropriate UL burn tests required for plenum rated cables.  Many manufacturers chose alternative compounds for use as insulation on two of the four pairs.  These compounds have a direct impact on the speed at which a signal will travel down the conductor. The nominal velocity of propagation, NVP, is the speed of a signal down a conductor measured as a percentage of the speed of light.  Though not an issue with protocols that utilize only two pairs, such as 10Base-T and 100Base-T, a cable that has different NVP values for two of its four pairs would have a negative impact on protocols that utilize all four pairs, such as gigabit Ethernet.  1000Base-T and 1000Bas-TX may not work properly over these cables.  For end users with these cables installed, new cabling will have to be installed if protocols requiring all four pairs are desired. 

Though they may be capable of carry gigabit Ethernet, Category 5e cables also limit the future uses of the infrastructure.  Streaming media applications such as video and multi-media have created an ever-growing demand for bandwidth that shows no sign of slowing down. Today’s data requirements have made Category 3 virtually obsolete.  With the speed at which electronics have advanced, it is quite likely that the bandwidth provided by Category 5e will be exceeded in the very near future, making it for all intents and purposes, obsolete as well. Bandwidth is the highest frequency to which a cable will perform.  As frequency injected onto a conductor increases, so does the likelihood of noise on adjacent conductor.  Once noise overcomes the signal, the cable will no longer function properly.  This is important to keep in mind since the cabling infrastructure should be designed to last at least 10 years and accommodate three to four generations of electronics. 

While Category 5e is tested to 100 MHz, Category 6 cabling is tested to 250 MHz.  Test parameters such as near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and insertion loss are elevated for Category 6 and as result, ensure better performance over Category 5e cables.  Category 6 cabling is also physically different from Category 5e.  A center filler or star filler is used to separate the pairs from each other and the insulation on the individual conductors is thicker than that of Category 5e cable.  These features allow it to accommodate higher frequencies as well as provide better immunity from external noise.  As frequencies increase, the likely hood of alien crosstalk (crosstalk from adjacent cables) becomes more likely.  Category 6 is more immune from alien crosstalk than Category 5e.

Why are there different grades of Category 6 Cables?

The Honda Accord, one of the highest rated automotives on the road, is available in three levels of trim, DX, LX and EX.  All are Accords, yet all offer slightly different features.  The EX, the most luxurious, offers features the others do not and comes equipped with a large V-6 engine that will get you there faster.  Just like the auto manufacturers, cable manufacturers offer various levels of performance in their category cables.  And just like the Accord EX, some will get you there faster.

Hitachi Cable Manchester, the first cable manufacturer to incorporate a center filler in a Category 6 cable, through constant development, has found ways to improve and otherwise modify Category 6 performance. As a result, HCM manufactures three grades of Category 6 cables.  They are Plus, Premium and Supra.  The Plus cable offers 1dB of guaranteed NEXT (near-end crosstalk) and 6.5dB of ACR (attenuation to crosstalk ratio) headroom at 250MHz.  In contrast, the Supra guarantees 8dB of NEXT and 14.5dB of ACR headroom at the same frequency.  The Premium offers performance characteristics in between the Plus and the Supra.  Supra, due to its high level of performance, is considered an enhanced Category 6 cable.  Each cable, however, is engineered to provide a specific level of performance.  The purpose behind offering three levels of performance is to ensure that a product is available to meet the needs of every potential customer.  A customer’s likely use of their cable infrastructure will help determine which level of performance they may want to select.  End users who want to ensure that their networks perform to the best of their ability often opt for the cable that offers the highest performance. This high performance, as we described early, is measured in headroom above the Category 6 standards’ requirements.  The HCM Supra, for example, guarantees a delay skew of 20 nanoseconds.  The Category 6 standard requires a delay skew of 45 nanoseconds.  Supra, because it is an enhanced Category 6 cable, gives its user greater assurances that data will not be lost or corrupted during exchanges.  Unlike the electronics used in the network that are likely to change in only a couple years, the cable infrastructure you choose is likely to remain for ten or more years.  When permissible, end users should always opt for the best possible cable.

Do I need an enhanced Category 6 Cable?

Though a number of factors influence which grade of Category 6 cable a building owner or IT professional may choose, performance is typically the driving factor.  Category 6 Supra, HCM’s highest performing Cat 6 cable, has a slightly larger diameter copper conductor and thicker insulation than other Category 6 cables.  These features and others enable the Supra to provide a Zero Bit Error Rate.  A zero bit error rate ensures all data packets reach their destination complete.  As frequencies increase to accommodate the faster protocols, opportunities for dropped data packets increase.  In TCP/IP, (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) the basic communications language, if packets are dropped during communication, TCP/IP simply resends the packets until they all arrive.  Voice-Over-Internet Protocol (VOIP), a growing technology that utilizes Ethernet technology to send voice signals, operates using UDP (User Datagram Protocol).  While TCP/IP retransmits lost or corrupted packets, UDP does not.  Due to the nature of voice communication, if packets of data are dropped, they are not retransmitted.  Dropped packets in VOIP result in an inferior audio signal. For those end-users who anticipate using a VOIP telephone system, the performance of the cable will have a direct impact on the performance of the VOIP system. To ensure the best possible performance from the system, use of an enhanced Category 6 cable such as HCM’s Supra would be appropriate.

An enhanced Category 6 cable can also be used for 10G Base-T, or 10 gigabit Ethernet (10,000 Mbts/sec). The standard for 10G Base-T, also known as IEEE 802.3an, is expected to be released in July 2006.  The cabling standard addressing cable performance for 10G Base-T, TIA 568-B.2-10, will also soon be released. TSB-155 permits the use of existing Category 6 cable for 10G Base-T up to a distance of 37 meters.  This is due to the high frequencies at which 10G Base-T will operate.  Tested to 500MHz, Category 6 cables used for 10G Base-T must be capable of exceptional performance in regards to both individual cable performance and cable performance in a bundle.  The higher frequencies of 10G Base-T will induce alien crosstalk in adjacent cables and challenge the performance of a standard Category 6 cable.  Just like 1000Base-T pushes the performance levels of Category 5e cabling, 10G Base-T will push the limits of standard Category 6 cabling. HCM Supra, however, is designed with high performance in mind.  Tested to 660MHz, Supra, with its Zero Bit Error Rate will provide superior 10G Base-T performance to the full 37 meters. By installing an enhanced Category 6 infrastructure, you can be confident that the infrastructure will support all current applications and most future applications as well. 

www.hcm.hitachi.com

Buildings Magazine and BOMA International Form Alliance To Produce The Office Building Show

Buildings magazine, a publication of Stamats Business Media, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, a trade association representing the commercial real estate industry, announced the formation of an alliance to own, manage and promote the BOMA Office Building Show, beginning with the 2007 trade show in New York City.

“This is an important acquisition and alliance for the Buildings brand as it enhances our strategic position as the leading resource for commercial building owners and facilities managers in print, online and now even more so, in-person,” said Tony Dellamaria, publisher, Buildings.

With more than 400 booths, The Office Building Show is the most comprehensive exhibition for commercial real estate professionals.

“I am very pleased with this new alliance between BOMA International and Buildings magazine. This alliance leverages BOMA’s strong marketplace brand with the number one publication serving commercial real estate. This exciting new relationship will help us position our convention and trade show as the premier industry event in an increasingly competitive marketplace, and achieve new goals for conference attendance, sponsorships, exhibit sales and participation,” said David W. Hewett, RPA, CPM, CCIM, FMA, CFM, BOMA International Chairman and Chief Elected Officer and principal for Trammell Crow Company, Auburn Hills, Michigan. www.boma.org www.buildings.com

New CableIQ Service Kit Addresses Both Connectivity And Communications Testing During Moves/Adds/Changes

Fluke Networks today announced the new CableIQ Service Kit, which makes it possible for a single data cabling service technician to both troubleshoot the cabling and verify network service.  The new service kit provides all the tools for the emerging best practice of having the service technician perform both passive connectivity tests on cabling and active communications tests on network operation.

As profiled in the Fluke Networks' application note Verifying Network Service Availability in Moves, Adds and Changes, "verifying network service at the time of installation allows the link to be immediately put into service."  This allows the job to be completed faster with a higher confidence level of successful performance, and a lower risk of callbacks.

Many organizations typically perform moves, adds and changes using two separate teams.  First, the cabling technician troubleshoots cabling faults such as crosstalk and impedance.  Then it is the responsibility of the networking team to confirm network connectivity.  The CableIQ Service Kit reduces the amount of manpower required to perform these very common tasks by providing any technician with all the tools required to test both the cabling and network.

Service kit components

The CableIQ Service Kit includes the CableIQ Qualification Tester, which determines the ability of the cable to support the required network speed and troubleshoots cabling performance faults; the IntelliTone Probe, which locates and verifies the right cable; and the LinkRunner Network Multimeter which determines whether the network drop is active and verifies communication to key network devices.

The CableIQ Qualification tester determines whether an existing cable link is qualified to support the network's required bandwidth and provides detailed information on the nature and location of cabling performance faults.  A four-second test determines whether a link, including patch cords, is qualified for voice, 10/100BASE-T, Gig, or VoIP.  Knowing the cabling's bandwidth capabilities before upgrading can prevent countless hours of future downtime and labor hours wasted on unnecessary troubleshooting.

CableIQ also provides detailed information on the nature and location of cabling performance faults.  Intelligent wiremap graphically displays the cable's wiring configuration and shows the distance to opens and shorts.  CableIQ's Discover mode identifies what's at the far end of any cable, including the seven remote office identifiers offered in the kit.

CableIQ also serves as the tone generator for the kit's IntelliTone 200 probe.  The IntelliTone probe is sensitive only to the digital signature injected by the CableIQ digital tone generator.  This makes the IntelliTone probe virtually immune to signal bleed and RF/electromagnetic interference, enabling the identification of a single cable even if it is in a bundle of cables on an active network.

The IntelliTone probe includes an RJ45 input port which can be plugged into the patch panel to provide positive confirmation that the right cable has been located.  At the same time, it verifies continuity and wiremap of the cable under test.

The LinkRunner Network Multimeter determines whether the drop is active and identifies its speed, duplex capabilities, and service type.  Its built-in Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) allows it to determine cable location on a switch in homogeneous Cisco environments by displaying switch model, slot, and port.  LinkRunner can also be used to ping the network to verify connectivity to key network resources such as servers, printers and remote storage, as well as determine whether a NIC is responding.

www.flukenetworks.com

SCTE Mourns Sudden Passing Of Veteran Staff Member Pat Zelenka

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) today sadly announces the unexpected death on Monday, May 29, of one of its longtime staff members, SCTE Vice President of Finance Patricia Zelenka. She was 59.

She is directly survived by her husband, Donald J. Zelenka, with whom she resided in West Chester, Pa., and her son, James D. Zelenka, who resides in Pittsburgh.

SCTE closed its headquarters office in Exton (suburban Philadelphia), Pa., where Mrs. Zelenka worked, at noon yesterday for the duration of the day to honor her memory.

Mrs. Zelenka was approaching her 20th anniversary as an SCTE staff member. She joined the SCTE staff in August 1986.

SCTE Vice President of Human Resources, Legal, and Administration Tom Wilcox, who was added to the SCTE staff earlier this year, will serve as acting vice president of finance.

“Pat’s expertise in a variety of critical areas, her exemplary professionalism, and her rich, irreplaceable historical perspective of this Society all combined to make her one of the most integral members of the SCTE family,” said SCTE President/CEO John Clark, to whom Mrs. Zelenka reported as a member of the SCTE staff’s management team.

“I fondly recall how she so capably oriented me to the Society’s business and financial affairs when I came on board as president and CEO in 1998 and, indeed, how she remained a valuable go-to resource for me over the years that followed,” added Clark. “I am sure that I speak for the entire Society when I say that I am absolutely shocked she is no longer with us and that my heart goes out to her husband, Don, her son, James, and other extended family members and friends.”

Mrs. Zelenka was promoted to manager of member services in 1989 and was promoted to director overseeing member services, finance, and administration in 1998. In 2004, she was promoted to vice president of finance and administration. Over the years, Mrs. Zelenka specialized in handling all of SCTE’s finance, human resource, and legal issues.

In 2001, Mrs. Zelenka, who held a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, became a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) through a program co-sponsored by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Relatives and friends are invited to her life celebration viewing from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursday, June 1, at Mauger Givnish Inc. Funeral Home, 24 Monument Avenue, Malvern, PA; and a memorial Mass at 12:30 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, 104 Channing Avenue, Malvern, PA. SCTE will close its headquarters office at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, June 1, in order to accommodate her friends and colleagues attending the services.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Mrs. Zelenka’s memory to the SPCA, 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380. www.scte.org

LEVITON’S Ken Brown Presents Technical Paper At Power Engineering Society Meeting

Leviton’s Ken Brown recently presented a new technical paper at the 2006 Power Engineering Society (PES) General Meeting in Montreal, Canada. The paper, entitled “The Short Circuit Current Ratings of Surge Protection Devices”, examines the standards associated with the short circuit ratings (SCCRs) for surge protection devices (SPDs).

Ken is the Director of Engineering for Leviton Manufacturing’s Power Solutions group. He is presently Chairman of the Technical Committee for the NEMA 5VS Section, Secretary of the IEEE Surge Protective Devices Committee, and is also a member of the US National Committee to the International Electro-Technical Commission on SPDs.

Leviton is proud to have Ken among our long list of in-demand experts. More information about Leviton Surge Protection Devices and other power solutions can be found at www.levitonvoicedata.com/power.

Anixter International Makes the IT 100

There are lots of pieces of equipment that go into networks that connect PCs and peripherals to a server, for instance, or that make up a telecommunications system. And that's a good thing for Anixter International and Chicago billionaire Samuel Zell, who owns 13.5% of the Glenview (Ill.) company. Anixter stocks over 325,000 wires, cables, and small parts such as screws, washers and springs—providing just-in-time inventory to electronic and electrical manufacturers from its own network of nearly 200 warehouses in 45 countries. Demand for these items has been strong across all end markets and regions. Since 2002, sales have increased more than 50%, to $4 billion, while earnings more than doubled, to $101 million.

Robert W. Grubbs, 48
President and Chief Executive Officer
Total Compensation $1,919,672
Value of Options $27,424,658

Robert Grubbs Jr. has been chief executive officer and president of Anixter International, a distributor of communication products and wire and cable since February, 1998. Grubbs served as CEO and president of Anixter, a subsidiary of Anixter International from July, 1994, to 1998. He joined Anixter in 1978. During 1993 and 1994, Grubbs served as president of Anixter's U.S. operations. He has been a director of Anixter International since 1997. He has served as a director of AM Castle & Co. since 2000. www.anixter.com

Corning Cable Systems OptiTect^™ Premier Sealed LCP Enclosure Ensures Quick, Easy And Reliable Installation In The Field

Corning Cable Systems, part of Corning Incorporated’s (NYSE:GLW) Telecommunications segment, introduces the OptiTect^™ Premier Sealed Local Convergence Point (LCP) Enclosure.  The pre-stubbed, preconnectorized enclosure is sealed and provides protection from environmental conditions.  It is designed to enable centralized splitting architectures to distribute up to 144 fibers in a sealed environment.

The feeder and distribution cables are sealed and tested in factory-controlled conditions, so no new personnel training or tools are required to ensure fast, simple and reliable installation and re-entry.  The sealed enclosure is suitable for buried applications, making right-of-way and DOT issues simpler, while also minimizing neighborhood aesthetic concerns.  Additionally, the enclosure can be strand- or pole-mounted to provide even greater flexibility.

The OptiTect Premier Sealed LCP Enclosure is designed to hold to up to five 1x32-splitter modules with preterminated SC UPC or SC APC adapters. It is pre-stubbed with a 100-foot 12-fiber feeder cable terminated inside the enclosure to the splitter input connector panel. The enclosure is also pre-stubbed and sealed with a 100-foot 144-fiber distribution cable that is terminated on the distribution side of the connector field.

Preconnectorized splitter modules eliminate the need to splice during splitter installation. The splitter modules are ordered separately, allowing “pay-as-you-grow”

flexibility, which minimizes initial capital spending. Additionally, there are no routing limitations, as splitter outputs can be routed to any adapter output in the connector field.

The OptiTect^™ Premier Sealed Local Convergence Point Enclosure is part of Corning Cable Systems Evolant^® Solutions. Through its Evolant Solutions for Access Networks, Corning Cable Systems offers specialized portfolios of innovative products and services that enable customers to cost-effectively deploy fiber in the last mile.

Evolant Solutions for Access Networks encompasses state-of-the-art products that reduce the cost of deployment and increase the networks efficiency and reliability. www.corning.com/cablesystems. www.corning.com

Hitachi Introduces 21st Century Digital Archiving Solution

Hitachi Data Systems:

• Storage Leader Enters "Active Archive" Market and Tackles the Limitations of First Generation Content-Addressed Storage Solutions Head-On

• Delivers Centralized Search, Policy-based Retention, Authentication and Preservation of Structured and Unstructured Data under Common Storage Management Framework

Hitachi Data Systems, provider of Application Optimized Storage(TM) solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT - News), today entered the "active archive" market by unveiling its much anticipated 21st century digital archiving solution, the Hitachi Content Archive Platform.  Where first generation content-addressed storage (CAS) solutions failed to deliver open standards based interfaces, seamless scalability and enterprise class levels of data protection, Hitachi is again changing the storage landscape with an active archive solution that addresses these long-standing issues.

"When a company needs to search back through 10 years of electronic data and retrieve information, an archive is no longer static -- it's active," said Jack Domme, senior vice president, Global Solutions, Strategy and Development, Hitachi Data Systems. "First generation CAS solutions were not built with the requirements of records management in mind and tried to answer the demand by using an API between archive applications and the archive repository. These proprietary solutions focused on storing content, not on accessing it -- they lacked scalability, ease of migration across generations of future technology, and were comprised of solutions made up of disparate silos of business information. This is costing companies money today and will be an increasing problem as these silos increase in number and require future technology refreshes. We are the only company with a solution that answers the demands of records managers and IT."

"There are three basic reasons to archive: archiving to improve operational metrics yields the highest ROI of any storage management project; archiving for compliance can keep your company officers out of jail; and archiving because the data is fundamental to generating revenue (e.g. medical records)," said Robert Passmore, vice president, Research, Gartner. "What all three have in common is an audit trail to insure information integrity, management policy to control retention and refresh, and the ability to search for and retrieve information when needed."

Just as Hitachi redefined storage virtualization with the introduction of the TagmaStore® Universal Storage Platform, Hitachi is redefining the digital data archive. The Hitachi Content Archive Platform is an active archive solution comprised of both software and hardware, which supports policy-based integration from many, distributed or centralized repositories such as e-mail, file systems, databases, applications and content or document management systems. The Hitachi Content Archive Platform ensures secure archival-quality retention, preservation and verifiable destruction of content. With the Hitachi Content Archive Platform, users can leverage a set of common and unified archive services such as centralized search, policy-based retention, authentication and protection.

E-mail, patient medical images or account information are critical digital records that must be managed and retained for operational, business, legal, or regulatory mandates. Companies that have purchased first generation content addressed storage solutions have found that they could not adequately scale to meet the growth of these files, preserve the integrity of the data or easily locate and/or retrieve this information in response to corporate litigation and electronic discovery requirements.

"The Hitachi Content Archive Platform addresses the needs of storage and IT administrators for compliance and legal discovery," said John Webster, senior analyst and founder, Data Mobility Group. "The significant additional benefit is that it offers the CIO an ability to leverage the active archive for use in business intelligence (BI) types of applications as well."

"Our analysis of Hitachi's Content Archive Platform demonstrates that combining storage level services with archiving services has the potential to deliver attractive benefits to customers," said David Floyer, chief technical officer and co-founder, ITCentrix. "By providing a complete set of services and an ability to integrate multiple applications easily, our hospital case study for an initial 11 terabyte archiving system shows Hitachi's approach delivers $92K in IT cost savings relative to a traditional best-of-breed solution and $2.3M in incremental business-side benefit."

Open, Standards-Based Integration

While first generation CAS solutions require a proprietary API to integrate content-producing applications with their systems, the Hitachi Content Archive Platform uses open, standards-based interfaces such as NFS, CIFS, WebDAV and HTTP as well as storage management standards such as SMI-S -- saving companies money on additional development and training costs associated with proprietary APIs. In addition, the Hitachi Content Archive Platform stores files in their native form with original names to ensure easy access to and retrieval of data over time.

"The Hitachi Content Archive Platform represents a new and better way of addressing the archiving marketplace," said Dave Vellante, CEO, ITCentrix. "Previous attempts to provide solutions have either been vertically integrated, which means any developed solution creates storage lock-in, or software-based which limits performance and scalability. By separating logical services from physical storage, which allows both to scale independently, Hitachi has created a more open archiving platform that can better leverage and utilize (installed) storage assets and dramatically improve financial returns."

"Users must meet today's business requirements and also look to the future and their ability to refresh their digital archives when current storage platforms become obsolete over time," said Tom Trainer, senior analyst, Evaluator Group, Inc. "With Hitachi Content Archive Platform, Hitachi Data Systems now makes it easier for users to maintain standard file formats and this can make future technology upgrades and migrations simpler and more seamless when users leverage existing storage features and functionality found within the Hitachi Data Systems product line."

In support of the Hitachi Content Archive Platform, Hitachi has partnered with several leading application, file system, enterprise content management and database archiving companies to ensure interoperability for customers. (See related press release issued today: "Hitachi Announces Major Support for its New ISV Partner Program.")

Full-Text Search across All Content

"Older archive approaches, either paper-based or electronic, acted as physically separate file cabinets," said Laura DuBois, research director, Storage Software, IDC. "The Hitachi Content Archive Platform is one of the few solutions that securely supports the archive of content from different applications, both commercial and home-grown systems, and structured and unstructured data into single active archive architecture, while effectively eliminating redundant data across applications."

No-Limit Scalability, Reliability and Performance

To meet the growing demand for storing, preserving and searching digital records, the Hitachi Content Archive Platform scales to over 300 terabytes and supports 350 million files per archive, and can scale linearly with additional capacity -- allowing companies to stay ahead of their growing digital archive requirements. Using proven high-end Hitachi storage functionality such as RAID in a storage area network (SAN) + array of independent node (SAIN) architecture, the Hitachi Content Archive Platform ensures unrivaled data protection. With 4 gigabytes of cache per server, the Hitachi Content Archive Platform delivers up to 5 times better performance than first-generation CAS solutions.

"The Hitachi Content Archive Platform is one of the most impressive digital archiving storage systems in the market today in terms of scalability, reliability and ease of management," said Tony Asaro, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. "The Hitachi platform provides a true single cluster that enables companies to economically grow their digital archives as needed with near linear scalable performance. One of the most important aspects of the Hitachi solution is that no matter how large you grow your digital archive, whether it is 100 files or 100 million files, it's just as easy to manage. ESG feels that Hitachi is extremely well-positioned to be a digital archiving leader with its best-in-class solution and also because of their excellent reputation, strong customer loyalty, world-class service and support, and market position."

Reduced Archive Costs with Tiered Storage and Integrated Management

Building on Hitachi Data Systems' Application Optimized Storage strategy of aligning storage resources with application requirements, the Hitachi Content Archive Platform provides an archive tier of storage where aged data on primary storage can be moved. Working with Hitachi TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform or Network Storage Controller intelligent virtual storage controllers, data in the active archive can be offloaded from expensive disk to less-expensive ATA, SATA storage -- improving overall application performance.

As opposed to burdening customers by introducing yet another island of storage for content archives and yet another set of software tools and management interfaces, Hitachi customers will be able to monitor, report on and control the entire Hitachi Data Systems tiered storage infrastructure, including the Hitachi Content Archive Platform, from a single management interface, reducing operating expenses.

Hitachi Content Archive Platform

The Hitachi Content Archive Platform is an integrated solution of proven software and storage systems:

Hitachi Content Archiver -- The Hitachi Content Archiver, powered by Archivas®, is the software component which provides the intelligence, policy-based control, authentication, preservation and protection of the Hitachi Content Archive Platform. The software runs on a pre-configured operating system which runs on industry standard servers. www.hds.com. http://www.hitachi.com.

Nortel Reports Quarterly Loss And Makes Major Ethernet Announcement

Nortel Networks Corp., which today reported a loss for the first quarter of $167 million, has released details of a new technology called Provider Backbone Transport (PB), which it says will allow service providers to deliver the communication and entertainment services of the future.

According to Nortel, PB transforms Ethernet technology traditionally restricted to small-scale, local networks into a more reliable, scaleable and deterministic technology making it suitable as the basis for fixed and mobile carrier networks to deliver live video and broadcast, multimedia, broadband data and voice services.

"Ethernet is a pervasive information transport technology due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness," said Philippe Morin, president of the company's Metro Ethernet networks division.

A first version of PB is already available in the Nortel Metro Ethernet Routing Switch (MARS) 8600, with development also underway to integrate the technology into the Nortel Optical Multiservice Edge (OME) 6500 and other Ethernet-ready platforms.

Stan Hubbard, senior analyst with the research firm Heavy Reading, said PBT has the potential to be a disruptive technology: "Its promise of enabling more manageable and scalable Ethernet that is cost-effective for metro network deployments makes it an attractive