DATA CENTER TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLING AND TIA STANDARDS

When mainframe and minicomputer systems were the primary computing systems, data centers used proprietary cabling that was typically installed directly between equipment. Telecommunications cabling infrastructure standards are developed by several organizations. In the United States and Canada, the primary organization responsible for telecommunications cabling standards is the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). TIA develops information and communications technology standards and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute and the Canadian Standards Association to develop telecommunications standards. The structured cabling system topology described in data center telecommunications cabling standards is a hierarchical star. There are several types of cables one can use for telecommunications cabling in data centers. The placement of computer cabinets or racks affects the effectiveness of a cooling system. Data center infrastructure ratings have four categories: telecommunications, electrical, architectural, and mechanical. Each category is rated from one to four with one providing the lowest availability and four providing the highest availability.