Single trader holds half of world's copper

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a single trader, rumored to be J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., holds approximately half of the world's exchange-registered copper stockpile. This single trader's copper holdings are said to be worth about $3 billion.

The WSJ said the price of copper is up 28 percent in 2010. It quoted Barclays Capital as saying that copper demand will outstrip supply this year by about 455,000 metric tons. Of J.P. Morgan, the report said the company "recently had a large position in copper, though it is unclear whether the U.S. bank increased its holdings or whether a new player has taken a dominant position."

As we reported earlier this year, a rise in copper prices is one of several drivers pushing up the price of cable.

For initial Light Peak, copper may be better than a sharp stick in the optics

CNET's Brooke Crothers is reporting that for its initial version of the much-ballyhooed Light Peak, Intel will use electrical- rather than photonic-based circuitry. To you and me, that means copper rather than fiber.

Light Peak will be a 10-Gbit/sec technology connecting electronic devices, and threatens to supplant USB as the connection-technology of choice. Sony and Apple have supported the Intel technology, which should still roll out as anticipated in the first half of 2011.

I was particularly interested in Crothers's notation that despite the use of copper rather than fiber, Light Peak will still achieve its stated 10-Gbit/sec transmission rate. What do you know about that?

With no other bidders, CommScope-Carlyle deal moves ahead

CommScope announced it had not received any alternative acquisition proposals during the 40-day "go-shop" period that followed the company's agreement to be acquired by equity firm The Carlyle Group.

Under the merger agreement struck by the two companies, CommScope had 40 calendar days to solicit better acquisition proposals than the $31.50/share agreement it struck with Carlyle. That period ended December 5.

In its announcement of the "go-shop" period expiration, CommScope said it expects to file soon with the SEC proxy materials related to a special stockholder meeting to approve the deal, which CommScope explains is technically a merger with an affiliate of Carlyle. It expects the deal to close in the first quarter of 2011.

Battle brewing over bend-insensitive multimode fiber

A battle is brewing among makers of optical fiber and fiber-optic cable concerning bend-tolerant or bend-insensitive multimode fiber. Over the past year or so several providers of multimode fiber-optic cable have introduced bend-tolerant/bend-insensitive offerings. The main benefit of this type of fiber-optic cable is that it can withstand tight bends, or even kinks, without suffering significant loss - or any loss in a lot of cases.

Corning Cable Systems was the first to bring this type of cable to market. Corning Optical Fiber - a separate operating unit of Corning Incorporated and a "sister" company of Corning Cable Systems - developed the bend-insensitive fiber that is used in Corning Cable Systems' products. Notably, Corning Optical Fiber also supplies fiber to other cable manufacturers, so its fiber is found in cables from cable suppliers other than Corning Cable Systems.

OFS also manufactures multimode optical fiber, and supplies that fiber to cable manufacturers, including CommScope. Recently, through a white paper, a blog post on its website and other outlets, CommScope has called into question the real value of bend-tolerant/bend-insensitive multimode fiber. In a blog post, Eric Leichter, manager for training and technology with CommScope's enterprise division, openly wonders why bend-insensitive multimode has seen a recent market push. In the post he also raises the issue of compatibility between bend-insensitive and traditional multimode fibers, saying "there are concerns" about such compatibility. He concludes his post by saying, "It might be best to wait for this technology to mature before jumping in."

Speaking of sister organizations, our sister publication Lightwave recently published commentary from fiber-maker OFS that also raised questions about bend-insensitive multimode's compatibility with traditional multimode. (Page 5 of this Lightwave issue.)

In the January issue of Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine, we're going to publish two sides of this topic. (I'd say "both sides," but for all I know there could be more than two. I'm currently aware of two sides, I guess I'll put it that way.) One article, contributed by researchers from Panduit, will discuss results of an intermateability study conducted by Panduit. The results, the article says, show potentially significant losses when a signal travels from a bend-tolerant multimode fiber into a standard multimode fiber. Panduit's study yielded different degrees of bend-loss improvement among the various manufacturers whose products were tested.

In that vein (and likely in that vein alone) the information from Panduit and that which will be presented by Corning Optical Fiber coincide. Two engineering managers and a product manager from Corning Optical Fiber will contribute a separate article to our January issue. Within that article they say, "Not all bend-insensitive multimode fibers are created equal. Differences in designs of bend-insensitive multimode fiber result in differences in performance." The technical detail in the article boils down to the notion that a well-designed bend-insensitive multimode fiber will not have compatibility or loss-performance issues.

It kind of sounds like they're both saying the same thing, but I don't think that's the case. The organizations I've named here have gone toe-to-toe in the past over issues related to multimode fiber. Most recently, they sparred about the most effective way to measure multimode's bandwidth while the OM4 fiber specifications were under development. Corning Cable Systems and Corning Optical Fiber favored the EMB(c) method while OFS and Panduit favored the DMD mask. Ultimately, the standard recognized both measurement methods as valid.

The current wrangling over bend-insensitive multimode fiber is the latest in a history of companies lining up on opposite sides of technical issues surrounding optical-fiber transmission. Frankly, I see this current spat to be more relevant to fiber-cabling system users than the one over EMB(c)-vs.-DMD mask, because that one was waged primarily in the figurative smoke-filled rooms of standards-making committees. This one focuses squarely on users who are making decisions today about what type of fiber-cabling plant to install. As always in these debates, each side makes a convincing case. If I heard just one side's compelling story, I'd feel well-informed and confident in what the right choice would be. But then I hear the other side's compelling story and am left with a tough choice. That's just hypothetical for me, because I won't have to choose which type of multimode fiber-optic cabling system to install anytime soon. You very well may have to.

My real hope is that providing two sides of the situation in our January issue will do a service, rather than a disservice, to anyone who uses Cabling Installation & Maintenance to help them make decisions about cabling. I'm sure there are more charts, graphs, simulations and the like - on each side - than we could put into the magazine, and these cabling-system providers would be happy to show them to you. In all sincerity, I hope that bringing this topic to your attention equips you with the knowledge that it exists, and helps you prepare to ask the questions you need answered when you are making these important decisions.

What I'm thankful for

As we approach Thanksgiving, here's a list of things for which I'm thankful. Appropriately, the list is kind of all over the place because there are reasons everywhere, within and outside of the cabling trade, to give thanks. The list is therefore incomplete as well. I'd sincerely appreciate the opportunity to add your thoughts to the list. You can share them by commenting on this post.

For now, here's my (partial) list.

1. Volunteerism. This is one of the intentionally "all-over-the-place" items. Whether it's at the soup kitchen in your hometown or in a standards-creation meeting in some farflung location, our culture is filled with people who enthusiastically give their own time and energy for the benefit of others.

2. Individual freedom. I voted on November 2. For whom I voted is quite irrelevant. That I live in a society in which I can vote is what really matters. Nine days after election day we observed Veterans Day here in the U.S. I'm eternally grateful to everyone who, at any time in history, stood up and demanded and/or defended freedom, thereby giving me the opportunity to live in a society in which we all are promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

3. Contributors to Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine and cablinginstall.com. It's a tall order to author an article or create a webcast presentation. Yet so many cabling-industry professionals with technical expertise put their business agendas aside (or at least, in the background) and produce content that is meant to help you do your jobs better, faster or more-efficiently. There are stories behind every one of those contributions, like the one resulting from a miscommunication to a webcast presenter who believed they were supposed to deliver a fifty-minute presentation rather than a fifteen-minute presentation. They found out the real story about 20 minutes before their scheduled presentation time. Go ahead and watch all the webcasts we've done over the past six months. I bet you won't be able to tell which one I'm talking about. And that's exactly the point, because this individual changed some plans on the fly and the presentation went off without a hitch. The professionals I'm fortunate to work with make serving you, our audience, both a pleasure and a thrill. I'm thankful for the opportunity.

4. Medical professionals. Maybe it's because Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine is in the midst of putting together a special report on cabling healthcare environments that will be published in December and January. Maybe it's because I have seen firsthand the miracles that take place in hospitals or have been eased through more than one nerve-racking trip to the doctor's office. Maybe it's because I'm the son of an emergency medical services first-responder. Whatever the reason, I give thanks for those who are professionally trained to help, and in many cases save, lives. Many of them will be working this Thanksgiving Day, just in case any of us need them.

5 (and 6 and 7 and 8). My wife and three children. Despite the fact that I'm barely awake to write this blog entry because it took all my energy (and a few Jedi mind tricks) to get my three kids to bed ... I can't imagine any different a lifestyle. I've learned that it's an economic system of extreme proportions with kids. They take more of your energy and give you more joy than you ever would have thought possible. My wife, of course, has given our kids the greatest gift of all--life. But I also see it this way: She gave us all to each other. The multiplicity of that level of giving is truly overwhelming.

9. People who include the word "Thanksgiving" when talking about the parade. One of my pet peeves is hearing people call it "The Macy's Day Parade." Has the holiday been renamed? It's not Thanksgiving Day anymore, it's Macy's Day? It's a little bit like when people say "NIC card," "VIN number" or "ATM machine." Oh, sorry. I was becoming cranky there for a minute and this is supposed to be about giving thanks. So I'll circle back around to being thankful for all five or six people who DO, correctly, call it the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

10 through 25,309. You. That number's based on how many people subscribe to Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine. So I know it's an approximation. Not everyone who reads the magazine looks at this blog; some who look at this blog don't get the magazine. I know all that. But this is a numbered list, after all. And I think it's appropriate that such a list reaches a number like 25,309 rather than 5 or 9 or 10. Everyone who read this, or anything else put forth by the Cabling Installation & Maintenance franchise, is my customer. You've invested time in reading or hearing what we have to offer. I'm grateful you've done so, and hope that we've made it time well spent.

Fishermen cry foul over undersea cable

European news agency Panorama is reporting that there's trouble brewing in Spain between fishermen and telco Telefonica. Undersea cables are at the center of the disagreement.

According to this Panorama story, when Telefonica began replacing some submarine fiber-optic cables four years ago, fishermen who used the area in which the cables were laid had been promised payment of 6,000 euros as compensation for their inability to fish in those waters at that time.

Apparently the project took more time and was more expensive than originally anticipated. (Who ever heard of such a thing?) And not only did the fishermen not get paid the promised 6,000 euros, but Telefonica has been pointing the finger at the fishermen as the reason the cables needed replacing in the first place. The telco claims it was the fishing vessels that initially damged the cables.

Check back in with Panorama occasionally, as I bet they'll follow the story. We'll do the same.

Speculation about another bidder for CommScope

On Thursday, October 28 after the U.S. markets closed, the Wall Street Journal found it curious that CommScope's closing share price was $31.64, which is 14 cents higher than the price that equity firm Carlyle Group agreed to pay to take the company private.

That the closing price was more than the agreed-upon acquisition price made WSJ reporter Shira Ovide wonder if there is another bidder for CommScope. Ovide pointed out that the agreement between Carlyle and CommScope permits the cabling-systems market-share leader to hear offers from other bidders until December 5. If CommScope accepts such a bid it will owe Carlyle a $43.3 million fee, Ovide reports.

CommScope in talks for $3B buyout to go private

Several media sources including RTT News are reporting that CommScope has confirmed speculation that it is in discussion with private equity firm The Carlyle Group, concerning a deal to take the company private for approximately $3 billion. The deal being discussed is for $31.50 per share.

CommScope had sales of $3.02 billion in fiscal 2009 and is set to announce third-quarter 2010 results on November 1.

While confirming that the discussions are being held, CommScope said there is no guarantee that any deal will take place and it plans to offer no further comment until such commentary is appropriate.

Guest Blog: Converging, colliding and collapsing IO standards and interconnect

by Ed Cady
Strategic marketing director
Siemon Interconnect Solutions

As with organic life forms, the nodes and links of the worldwide web seem to have a varying rhythmic process of differentiation and then integration. At certain inflection points in the process, one can see an intended integration of effort cause some differential effects, which in turn meld together after another natural cycle. More than any other IO interface, Ethernet has expanded well beyond the original LAN section of the web that it has dominated for many years since it overcame the rival Token Ring and VG AnyLAN interfaces.

Responding to Ethernet's expansion and absorption of rivals, champions and evangelists of other IO interfaces like Fibre Channel have created newer standard interface versions using a convergent tunneling method that preserves the native protocol but uses Ethernet physical transport system. Think of protocols tunneling through any other faster physical transport layer as a packet spaceship traveling through wormholes in space, from one data center galaxy to another.

Recently the Ethernet community has evolved its technology to converge LAN with SAN into one physical network. This was partially accomplished with the implementation of the recent Ethernet standard 10GBaseCR. This two-pair, serial single-lane link was expedited without a detailed connector IEEE standard specification clause, but achieved compliance and interoperability through an Ethernet Alliance Plugfest process.

This has caused the Fibre Channel community to create a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) specification that helps to preserve the native protocol and its installed base. The InfiniBand community has similarly created its RoCE, or RDMA over Converged Ethernet, standard specification. RDMA is Remote Direct Memory Access, a low-latency and low-power technology used with InfiniBand architecture. So now these four interface, 10GBaseCR, 10GFCoE, 10GFC and 10GRoCE are implemented using the same SFP+ single-lane passive copper cabling. 10G SFP+ usage has grown dramatically because active copper and active optical SFP+ have enabled increased market segments and longer-length applications like digital signage and AV systems.

Besides Fibre Channel, other storage interfaces like NAS, iSCSI, iSATA and ATAoE are tunneled over Ethernet 10GBaseCR. These other storage interfaces are also tunneled over Ethernet 10GBaseT using Category 6a and Category 7a cabling. There are open and closed Consortia de facto standards using these multi-protocols on so-called collapsed architectural fabrics like the Unified Computing System, which also use the SFP+ cabling.

Besides UCS, there are several other de facto standard unified style networks, which also use the SFP+ but with different encryption in memory mapping of the embedded plug EPROMs. One wonders if all of these IO interfaces will expand and use the newly developing 25/26/28Gbit/sec QSFP++ module and cabling system, which is being standardized through the SFF-8661/2/3 specification. See www.sffcommittee.org, www.t11.org and www.fibrechannel.org to learn more, or contact me.

Ethernet 40GBaseCR4, 40GFCoE and InfiniBand 40G QDR standards are using the same four-lane QSFP+ SFF-8436 connector, module and cabling. the SAS storage interface uses QSFP+ AOC (active optical cables) for longer-reach applications as does the CameraLink-2 video networking standard. Will these various interface communities stay converged using the new SFF-8661 QSFP++ connector system for next-generation 100GBaseCR4, 100GFCoE, 100GFC SAN and InfiniBand 100G EDR?

There are many other convergent IO interfaces like FCoIB Fibre Channel over InfiniBand, UAS USB attached SCSI, UoSATA USB over SATA, and of course SoU SATA over USB, which is 3G SATA over 4.8G USB implementation. Watching Ethernet, the other very high volume IO standard, HDMI, has recently released its new revision-1.4 spec. This spec has 1G Ethernet running through the new microHDMI cabling system. However HDMI and DVI video IO signaling is run through Ethernet category cabling systems, as does the HDBaseT signaling and HomePlug Alliance's cabling adapters. So one could say that the shielded Cat 6a, Cat 7a, SFP+ and QSFP+ are the three primary multi-protocol interconnects for now and several years.

Lo, looming ahead is a potential round of interface collisions, convergence and collapsed interconnect. It is starting at the desktop level with DisplayPort, USB, SATA, HDMI and PCI-E converged and transformed to the new multi-protocol LightPeak optical-only single fiber interface. It is rumored that LightPeak would replace short-reach SAS as well. It seems that there is a 10G and 28G version of LightPeak.

At the 25/26/28/40G-per-lane data rate, electrical signaling has very limited copper-cable length reach, like 1 to 3 meters. Active optical cabling seems at this range to have an equal portion of the forecasted TAM volume versus copper. So it is no wonder that there is also looming another generation beyond, a new optical interface that can be supported by developing chips that currently work in labs at 50G per lane and supporting up to 2-km distances. Its next generation of 100G per lane is being co-developed. This optical technology interface is beyond the LightPeak interface and could supplant even Ethernet, InfiniBand, Fibre Channel and other IO interfaces within new data centers within five years.

Coinciding with this new optical interface's emergence is a very new generation of internal active optical cables that connect from either printed circuit boards or nascent fiber circuit boards to other boards/modules and to optical backplanes. These internal AOCs also are being driven by the continual port densification evolution as the internal AOCs connect to the bulkhead with MPO-type connectors and achieved double port density versus either SFP+ or QSFP+ AOC connector/cabling ports. But there will be a large part of the market and systems that stay longer using the various small form-factor pluggable media types, causing the use of many different hybrid cables like QSFP+ SFF-8436 to QSFP++ SFF-8661, and hydra cables like three SFP++ SFF-xxxx (number to be assigned) cable legs going into one QSFP++ SFF-8661. See www.sffcommittee.org.

These internal AOCs and other new CMOS photonic chips may evolve beyond using the QuickPath, HyperTransport and other chip-to-chip IO interfaces. As the highest performance and largest size data center system end-users look at using many thousands of mobile phone processor chips like Intel's Atom, the ARM chip or SmoothStone's new chip to save on power consumption and cooling needs, they are considering a further collapsed optical interface and interconnect that absorbs the LightPeak interface.

You can have fun trying to overlay all these IO roadmaps into one chart. In a parallel universe, voice communication interfaces are melding into Ethernet. Consider that telephony IO interfaces like SS7, TDMS, Utopia, Frame Relay, ATM, PBT and MPLS are merging into a VoIP and Ethernet network. Even IB-WAN, EoS Ethernet over SONET, SONET and SDN are being replaced by enhanced Carrier Ethernet. The same is true for all the old 6-8 Industrial IO interfaces converging into Industrial Ethernet cabling. Within commercial infrastructures various IO interfaces are also quickly melding into a ConvergeIT interconnect network.

Just think if these dozens of interfaces converged into one optical interface in the fuzzy future, we will have many fewer acronyms to keep track of! But will this nascent Camelot interface be called something cryptic like the existing IPoDWDM (Internet Protocol over Dense Wave Division Multilexing) interface?

In the past ten years, the SFF-8470, a primarily dedicated twinaxial copper cabling system was selected and/or implemented in many industry and de facto standards like InfiniBand, Ethernet, SAS, RapidIO, Myrinet and in the very many separate NICs and homogenous switch boxes. Then heterogeneous switches and NICs appeared with the common SFF-8470 cabling handling the different interfaces in one box or rack. Then there were high-port-count multi-protocol chips. Now the protocols run through one slimmer QSFP+ or SFP+ cable assembly using one transport layer. In some SSD (solid state drive) devices the FC and SAS or SATA and USB interfaces are integrated into one chip. I have heard the many wireless interface people are working on their Camelot next-generation convergent interface as well.

How fast will the new data center power and cooling requirements as well as disruptive CMOS photonic technologies impact further convergence and wide market acceptance? So what is your convergence view or vision of interfaces and interconnects over this coming decade?

Ed Cady is senior marketing director with Siemon Interconnect Solutions (Siemon, Siemon Interconnect Solutions). You can reach him at Ed_Cady@siemon.com or 503-359-4556.

Tiger Woods and Intelligent Decisions

When was the last time someone could use the phrases "Tiger Woods" and "Intelligent Decisions" in the same sentence, and keep a straight face doing it?

Perhaps for the first time since last Thanksgiving, it's possible. The website thenewinternet is reporting that the IT solutions firm named Intelligent Decisions has donated equipment, including network cabling, to the Tiger Woods Foundation. According to thenewinternet, the equipment will be used to open two learning centers for underprivileged youth in Washington D.C.

Headquartered in Ashburnham, VA, Intelligent Decisions provides systems, products and solutions to government and civilian organizations.

So now "Tiger Woods" and "Intelligent Decisions" can be used together. Who knows what's next? Maybe the company will donate to the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation.

568-C standard simplified in reference poster

A technical reference poster created by Fluke Networks provides a simplified overview of TIA-568-C Generic Telecommunications Cabling for Customer Premises. The poster includes information on the standard and the new testing requirements that come along with it.

The wall poster measures 24x36 inches. Anyone can order the poster from Fluke Networks by providing their contact information.

Order the TIA-568-C technical reference poster.

Would-be cable thief gets shock of a lifetime

Not long ago I told you about the UK Chainsaw Cabling Massacre, when thieves cut down utility poles and stole the copper cables attached to them. Electrical cables contain significantly more copper than communications cables, so they are a more-frequent target of theft than are the twisted-pair cables we know and love.

In the chainsaw case, the thieves somehow were clever enough to get away with using the high-decibel saws and steal the cable undetected. More recently, a would-be thief was neither as clever nor as lucky.

Just a couple days ago in Gloucestershire, UK, an attempted copper-cable thief got the shock of his life when he tried to hacksaw through live electrical wires. According to the This Is Gloucestershire web site, the man "was hurled 30 feet into the air ... The injured man staggered from the site to a nearby house ... to ask for help. Paramedics arrived at 11pm to treat the man, whose arm was reported to have turned black."

Few commenters on the This is Gloucestershire site sympathized with the thief/victim. One commenter, Alan, chose not to take sides on whether to feel bad for the thief or cast ill toward him. Rather, Alan said, "This sort of thing will continue to occur until some sort of control is introduced on scrap metal merchants. Anyone selling scrap should provide photo ID and have their photo taken. If the scrap metal dealer cannot prove where his scrap came from he should be charged with receiving stolen goods."

Efforts along those lines have been tried in the U.S., reportedly with limited success.

Every day is Labor Day for technology professionals

Today, September 6, is Labor Day in the United States, a holiday observance whose beginnings harken back to days of bitter and sometimes even deadly disputes between employers and employees. Things have changed quite a bit in the 128 years since the first observance of Labor Day here in the U.S. Right?

Just in time for the holiday this year, PC World recently reported on the most dangerous jobs in technology. The article lists seven such occupations. Among them are fixing undersea cables, which the PC World article reminds us is dangerous because "in a worst-case scenario a cable operating with 10,000 volts could become energized. And looking straight into the lasers of a sliced cable can burn out your retinas in a matter of seconds."

Then there's the nearly 11,000 people who make a living installing and fixing communications towers. "In 2006, 18 of them died on the job," PC World says. "The head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2008 called cell-phone-tower climbing the most dangerous work in America."

Lest we forget, as the U.S. ends its official combat operation in Iraq, about the brave individuals who build network infrastructure within war zones. In what might be the article's most sobering passage, we're informed: "It's unclear exactly how many people doing IT-related work have lost their lives among the 4734 Coalition military deaths in Iraq since 2003, and the 2061 dead in Operation Enduring Freedom since 2001 so far, as counted on the independent iCasualties Website.

"According to a count conducted in September 2009, at least three telecommunications engineers are among the 533 foreign private contractors who have died in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict there. Two telecom engineers are among the 146 private foreign contractors who have perished in Afghanistan."

As I enjoy a day of rest and relaxation with my family this Labor Day, I'm immensely grateful to those who put their safety on the line so that citizens of the world can be united - at least in terms of their ability to communicate.

Another materials supplier raises prices for cable manufacturers

Today Dow Wire and Cable announced price increases on several cable-manufacturing compounds. The increases will take effect October 1 and affect Dow's customers in North and South America.

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) based specialty compounds, including flame-retardant and low-smoke/zero-halogen products will increase by 19 cents per pound.

LDPE jacketing and elastomeric insulation grades will increase by 12 cents per pound.

Select general-purpose grades will increase by 7 cents per pound.

Dow has made available to its customers this complete list of products within those three grades.

I have an inquiry into Dow asking what these cent-per-pound figures equate to for percentage-increases. Once I have that info I'll post it here as well.

As we reported, the three major suppliers of fluorinated ethylene propylene - FEP - have raised prices to cable makers and have either limited or allocated the supply of FEP they're providing. One of the three is leaving the FEP market next year. Everyone I've spoken to has been quick to point out that there is not an FEP shortage and that they are still able to produce cable in enough quantity to meet demand.

The FEP situation coupled with the increasing price of copper make cable price increases a near certainty.

In a previous blog post I rationalized why the FEP supply situation, like seemingly everything else in the world, ties back to China's production, consumption and export policies.

FEP supply situation - Let's blame China

For several years China's ravenous consumption rate of just about everything has made an impact on supply-and-demand levels of, well, just about everything. In the past we have reported about the price of copper being affected by China's consumption of the metal for its infrastructure builds.

Today we reported on the double-whammy that we expect will increase the price of twisted-pair copper cable soon. In addition to the steadily rising price of copper over the past couple years as well as recent news of its expected further price jump, the supply of fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) has become an issue within the cable manufacturing industry. FEP is commonly called Teflon, the way facial tissues are commonly called Kleenex and the things we stick too far into our ears are commonly called Q-Tips. Teflon is Dupont's trade name for FEP, but cable manufacturers get FEP from two other suppliers as well - Daikin and Dyneon. At least, for now. Dyneon is exiting the FEP market early next year.

One of the three FEP suppliers packing up its gear to leave the market comes at a time when the production of a key raw material used to make FEP has fallen off. Fluorspar production is reported to have contracted 16 percent last year.

(This is the part where I start to blame China.)

A report from the United States Geological Survey indicates that China dwarfed all other countries in its mine production of fluorspar in 2008 and 2009. The report says that in June 2009 "the United States had requested World Trade Organization dispute settlement consultations with China regarding China's export constraints on numerous important raw materials. The dispute concerned China's policy that provides substantial competitive advantages for the Chinese industries using these raw materials inputs, including fluorspar."

For comparison's sake, China produced 3.25 million metric tons of fluorspar in 2008 and 3 million in 2009. United States production for those years, combined, totaled a big fat zero. The report also indicates that China has 21 million metric tons of fluorspar in reserve. The U.S.'s reserve is equal to its 2008 and 2009 output. What was that number again? Oh, right. Zero.

That may change, however, as about a week ago WKMS in Kentucky reported on the opening of what it says is the first fluorspar mine to go online in the U.S. in 20 years. In the story Michael Miller of the USGS, who authored the aforementioned report, explained that China exported approximately 200,000 of the 3 million tons it produced last year. He told WKMS, "It basically boils down to they're not exporting it because they're consuming most of it domestically in China."

China consumes like a teenager with an overactive pituitary gland. Don't those teenagers usually enter some kind of rebellion period that can wreak havoc on a household?

Is a TIA Cat 7 standard on the horizon?

A source with connections to the Telecommunications Industry Association's TR-42 Engineering Committee says that sometime next year, the group may take up an issue it has long tabled - the development of specifications for Category 7 twisted-pair cabling systems.

Category 7 and Category 7A specs have been part of the ISO 11801 cabling specs, which are recognized as an international cabling standard whereas the TIA-568 series of standards serves North America. Apparently an effort by some members of TIA TR-42 would - and maybe will - have that organization adopt the ISO Cat 7 specs just about verbatim.

There are a few practical reasons why supporters of the effort would want the TIA to take on a Cat 7 standard. Several cabling manufacturers have been vocal in their support of using shielded twisted-pair cabling systems for high-speed applications such as 10GBase-T. Some of those same companies have begun to drum up interest in a "Base-T" version of 40-Gbit Ethernet. A Cat 7 spec would help that cause.

But also, a TIA Cat 7 spec will indicate to North American users of structured cabling systems that Category 6A is not the end of the line for twisted-pair cabling capabilities. That may increase users' willingness to purchase Cat 6A, knowing that twisted-pair cabling has a future beyond it. When the Cat 6A spec was finalized, cable suppliers saw a boost in their Cat 6 sales. The aforementioned suggestion that users were more willing to buy Cat 6 knowing their migration path could eventually continue to Cat 6A is one point to consider. Another is that with Cat 6A ratified and therefore viewed as a real standard by many, there likely was some hesitancy on the part of consultants to specify Cat 5e cable, which was then two generations behind the best-available twisted-pair technology. Likewise, if a Cat 7 spec comes to fruition, then Cat 6 cabling will be two steps rather than one step behind the best-available twisted-pair technology. With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a decent level of support for Cat 7 within TIA sometime soon.

In terms of how or when such a proposal is made to TIA TR-42, I have to confess I could use a refresher on the procedural maneuvers. But from what I understand, if a proposal is made before there's adequate support and it gets squashed, supporters will have blown their one shot at the project. So right now, much like we hear about in Congress with bills under debate, there's some campaigning going on within TIA TR-42 to build support for a set of Category 7 specifications.

When anything official happens we'll be sure to let you know. And hopefully, we'll also be able to keep you up to date on what's unofficially happening, like we have here.

Who cares what the CCCA thinks?

The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) is in the news again because of some recent actions taken by Underwriters Laboratories. As we have reported, UL issued an alert letting consumers know that Category 5e cable from Vertical Cable is not authorized to bear the UL mark, but does in fact bear the mark on its jacket. Soon after the report was issued, the CCCA applauded UL's actions to identify the cable in question; the association even explained it played a role in UL tightening up its quality-assurance procedures.

Every time I choose to publicize a CCCA action or statement, I hear about it. Not from members of the group or its executive director, but from people who firmly believe that the CCCA is an organization founded for the sole (or at least primary) purpose of furthering the cause of chemical manufacturers doing business in the cabling industry. Indeed, the CCCA counts among its members AlphaGary, Daikin America, Dupont, Dyneon, PolyOne and Solvay Solexis. Six of the twenty members listed on CCCA's Web site produce chemicals and materials that are used in the manufacture of cable and/or cabling components.

As I tell my children when they're trying to pull one over on me: I was born at night, but not last night. Do I think these companies joined the CCCA to figure out how they could get less of their products sold into the cable industry? Ummm, no. While the group itself is a "dot-org" meaning it is established as a not-for-profit organization, its members are in business for the same reason we all are: to make a profit.

Having been born not-as-recently-as-last-night, I also realize that companies' membership in any professional group or association is aimed at advancing their dollars-and-cents business. When I visit a company's home page and see one or more industry-association logos prominently displayed, I don't pretend the logo's presence is meant to bring the company's CEO a round of applause when she or he walks down the street. Nor is it there to improve a member of management's chances with St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. In most cases, such display of a logo has a twofold purpose, the elements of which are inextricable - to claim a measure of professional competence and to leverage that competence in the quest for new business opportunities.

Just in case I haven't already beaten this dead horse, let me summarize by saying that instances of altruism in situations like these are few and far between. If you know of some, please - I mean it - share them with me. For now, I'll charge on with this soliloquy.

Now that we (or at least I) accept that the CCCA is like other organizations and associations in that its members have business interests in mind, let's look at the rest of its membership. Two of the three major distributors serving the North American cabling market are CCCA members. Other members make up a pretty noteworthy pack of market-share front runners for cabling products. In short, CCCA membership represents a not-insignificant percentage of the cabling products and systems that are sold into the marketplace. For that reason, what the group says and what it does are newsworthy. When this collection of companies, representing the market share that it does, sets and carries out an agenda, its actions will affect the consultants, contractors, end users and all the other professionals who specify, recommend, purchase, install, and/or ultimately use cabling products. That the CCCA has an agenda is not a secret. The organization is nearly three years old and when I interviewed some of its founders in early 2008, they made it clear to me what they intended to do. And I tried to make the group's agenda clear to anyone who read about it in this article from an issue of Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine published in 2008.

Here is an excerpt from that article.

Product-quality problems are not exclusively limited to counterfeiting, in which a rogue company uses the name and branding of a legitimate manufacturer. Anixter's [vice president of emerging technologies Pete] Lockhart describes another similarly vexing challenge that CCCA is taking on. "We're calling the project 'product certification,'" he says. "We want to separate the sub-par product that's being sold from that which is being sold for the good of the industry. The product is not counterfeit, but it is unethical."

Both Lockhart and [CommScope's executive vice president Randy] Crenshaw cited patch cords as an example of some substandard products entering the market with the same markings and packaging as legitimately performing products, leaving purchasers with little if any means of differentiating good from bad. Crenshaw adds, "The issue is trying to get a common set of expectations so the customer can reliably buy product and know it is what it should be."

CCCA executive director Frank Peri explains that the product-certification initiative seeks to weed out products that, "do not counterfeit a brand, but rather counterfeit quality." There is an intent to deceive, he says, and often the products carry the mark of an independent-verification house, even though the manufacturer knowingly puts into the product a material that would not meet the performance levels required to achieve that verification.

The actions the CCCA has taken, including and notably its influence over UL's recent enforcement actions, are in line with those intentions and I, for one, was not surprised to see the news.

Now I know what happens next. I'll once again be characterized as carrying the CCCA's water. (No one's ever used that phrase with me actually. They've instead used more colorful language that describes the social hierarchy of maximum-security prisons.) And I know how defensive this sounds because I've tried many different ways to articulate it and they all sound the same. So I'll just say it like it is. I try to let professionals in the cabling industry know about the actions of the CCCA not because I'm in it to advance their cause. Rather, I believe the association can and does exert influence that can affect the purchase and use of cabling products and systems. That's a very practical concern for the aforementioned professionals who design, install and use cabling systems on a daily basis. They (You) should at least have the opportunity to know the direction in which the industry's market-share leaders are pushing the marketplace.

The U.K. chainsaw cabling massacre

Bloomberg is reporting that over the course of a week, thieves in England used chainsaws to cut down as many as 14 utility poles, then stole the copper-based electrical wiring that the poles supported.

In the neighborhood of 7,000 customers lost power in the period between July 24 and July 31 because of the destruction.

Without witnesses, there's no saying whether or not the pole destruction went anything like this.

In its story, Bloomberg reported that copper prices climbed to a three-month high on August 2 after figures were released showing that U.S. construction spending experienced an unexpected 0.1-percent jump in June.

Guest Blog: Master Format 2010 - What's new?

by Felix Zayas
July 28, 2010

In the telecommunications field the term "MasterFormat" can be somewhat of a convoluted term. For the next 350 words or so I will go through the finer details of MasterFormat and how it relates to telecommunications.

MasterFormat is a publication from the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC). It is a living document and is continuously updated and expanded upon. The purpose of MasterFormat is to provide classification structure to organize project manuals used in construction. MasterFormat was introduced in 1963 and has had multiple revisions along the way.

MasterFormat 2010 Update is the latest, released in May of 2010. you can download a PDF of the Numbers and Titles at csinet.org. You can also purchase a copy of MasterFormat at csinet.org where you will get the same document as previously described plus a PDF of all the Numbers and Files including additional descriptive information about titles and a keyword index. You also get an Excel spreadsheet giving transition information from the 2004 and 1995 editions to the 2010 Update.

Some of the changes involve removing 27 05 28 Pathways for Communications Systems and moving the four numbers previously indented below it, up a level (Hangers and Supports for Communications Systems, Conduits and Backboxes for Communications Systems, Cable Trays for Communications Systems and Surface Raceways for Communications Systems).

The following three numbers were added.

27 41 16.52 Integrated Audio-Video Systems and Equipment for Religious Facilities
27 41 43 Audio-Video Conferencing
27 53 13.13 Wireless Clock Systems

In a follow-up to this entry later in the year, I will discuss how specification writers use this MasterFormat to develop master specifications and the process that entails.

Felix Zayas is a technology designer for BVH Integrated Services Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering firm based in Bloomfield, CT that provides MEP, civil, structural, sustainable design, commissioning and technology services to clients in the educational, health-care, corporate, governmental and research markets.

With more than seven years of telecommunications engineering experience, Felix has earned the Registered Communications Distribution Designer and Network Transport Systems designations from BICSI. He is a Certified Technology Specialist as designated by InfoComm and is licensed in the State of Connecticut as a Telecommunications Layout Technician. He is also a LEED Green Associated as designated by the Green Building Certification Institute. He can be reached at felixz@bvhis.com or 860-286-9171.

Tweet this: New data center for Twitter is overdue

Twitter announced on its Engineering Blog that later this year it will open its own dedicated data center in the Salt Lake City area. The microblogger's Jean Paul Cozzatti said in his post that the dedicated data center will allow Twitter to "have full control over network and systems configuration, with a much larger footprint in a building designed specifically around our unique power and cooling needs." He said the facility will house a mixed-vendor environment for servers running open source operating systems and applications.

Twitter has faced some serious reliability issues. Not just lately, but consistently. The World Cup situation may have brought things to a head, but as a Tweeter myself I can't tell you how many times I've been frustrated by Fail Whale - the cute little image of the birds trying to carry the whale with the accompanying message that Twitter is overcapacity.

I don't work in the changing industry of media (formerly known as publishing); I work in the changed industry of media (no longer known as publishing). Social media is as fundamental to what I do on a daily basis as web offset used to be. Remember the old expression "Stop the presses!" that would be used when an event of tremendous significance happened? It referred to the newspaper business, specifically to the production of the daily newspaper grinding to a halt so that the front-page story could be changed. Well, in 2010 a platform like Twitter is "the press." And it stops involuntarily far too often.

Cozzatti says the new data center "is built for high availability and redundancy in our network and systems infrastructure. The first Twitter-managed data center is being designed with a multi-homed network solution for greater reliability and capacity."

Wikipedia found out earlier this year that an overheated data center plus an imperfect backup system is a bad combination. Now it's also building a data center for itself. Twitter reports that it is averaging 300,000 new accounts a day. I look forward to its new Salt Lake City data center proving to be up to the task.

Otherwise, I'm going to withhold my Twitter user fee in protest. Oh, wait a minute ...

Legal investigation underway in Tyco's ADC acquisition

Several law firms are taking a look at the Tyco Electronics acquisition of ADC for approximately $1.25 billion to determine whether or not ADC's board accepted an offer from Tyco that represents the best value for shareholders. Such investigations are not uncommon when acquisitions are announced.

A release issued by ADC and appearing on the company's Web site stated that Kendall Law Group is undertaking an investigation. (Presumably this is not the same law firm that helped ADC settle a patent-infringement suit against Tyco last fall. I'm just saying ...) Other firms issued releases announcing similar investigations.

A story by Jeffry Bartash of MarketWatch points out that the $12.75 share price accepted by ADC's board is a 44 percent premium over the stock's closing price on July 12. Bartash's article focuses on the fact that the announced deal buoyed equipment-vendor stocks on July 13.

You can track what's going on with the stocks of players in the cabling industry through our Cabling Market Index.

Microsemi, Cisco mum on PoE patent agreement

Power over Ethernet giant Microsemi signed a patent transfer and licensing agreement with Cisco Systems and remains mum on the agreement's details.

In a statement announcing the agreement, Microsemi president and CEO James Peterson said he believes it "will facilitate proliferation of PoE technology by eliminating uncertainties that exist with respect to IP positioning." In this case, IP means intellectual property, not Internet Protocol.

I found no statement from Cisco addressing the agreement.

When PoE was in its initial stages of development, Cisco offered a proprietary solution that ultimately did not comply with the IEEE 802.3af specifications for PoE. Today the company offers a suite of standard-compliant products.

In the press release that contained Peterson's quote, Microsemi also stated its agreement with Cisco covers patents that are essential to the "af" and "at" (PoE and PoE Plus) specifications. A typographical error in the release incorrectly identifies the specs as IEEE 802.11af and 802.11at; they're actually IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at. But that's just me, living in a glass house and throwing stones.

My take on this announcement from Microsemi is simple. Perhaps incorrect, but simple: We won't be seeing a patent-infringement lawsuit between the two companies anytime soon.

In-flight broadband: Do you have the power?

Research and analyst firm In-Stat says that by the end of this year, 2,000 airliners will be outfitted with the technology to offer passengers in-flight broadband services. Their report is something of a cautious tale, explaining that despite a revenue increase of 1,357% from last year's $7 million to this year's expected $95 million, eroding connect fees leave the technology still unproven as a business model.

We'll see what happens with those connection fees, and I'm sure the report In-Stat just published dissects the business angles keenly. But my first thought when I heard about this service becoming available to passengers was entirely self-centered (big surprise there). Because I'm just about the cheapest person you'll ever find (a colleague once used the term "tighter than two coats of paint"), it's going to take a solid value proposition to get me to pay for wireless connectivity on an airplane. Then once I get over that hurdle and realize it's worth it to be able to conduct business while on a five-hour flight across four time zones, I have to ask the dreaded question: How long will my laptop battery last?

Seriously, if I shell out somewhere between 10 and 20 bucks in order to share wireless bandwidth with dozens of other passengers in an airline cabin ... I don't want my battery to croak a half-hour into the flight.

Plus (going back to the whole two-coats-of-paint thing), what's going to happen when I change planes in Philadelphia or Atlanta? Or, shudder to think, change airlines before getting to my destination? Is my purchase of in-flight broadband good for 24 hours on any airplane? I'm sure there's a simple answer to this question that I'd know already if I wasn't too lazy and cranky to look it up. But I'm just saying ...

It'll probably be a couple months before I take my next long flight across the country. I just got outfitted with a new laptop and the maker says the battery lasts about 6 hours. Can't wait to see how this works out. In the meantime, if you've had any experiences with this technology, please chime in.

Data center expert researching, blogging about optical components

A technical expert in the field of data center technologies has launched the Optical Components blog. Lisa Huff, whose name you may recognize as a speaker at some of our webcast seminars over the past couple years, started the Optical Components blog in late June; her first entry discussed the real-world implications of the 40/100Gbit Ethernet standard ratification.

Huff also conducts market analysis and has written research reports for CIR. In a report published earlier this year, Huff concluded that fiber-based 10GBase-SR, not twisted-pair copper-based 10GBase-T, is the most economical flavor of 10Gbit Ethernet for the end user.

The Optical Components blog is worth watching. Lisa Huff is a veteran of data center technologies, and her insights can save data center and network managers countless headaches. I'll likely be referring you to her posts frequently.

Guest Blog: Which Category cable? They all do Gigabit

by Felix Zayas
June 21, 2010

Once upon a time there was a technology called 10Base2. Alright, we won't start that far back. However, we will start by talking about bandwidth. Bandwidth is measured in either digital bits per second (bps) or analog hertz (Hz). 1000BaseT, IEEE 802.3ab - or Gigabit Ethernet as most call it - requires Category 5e or Category 6 cabling. Gigabit Ethernet has a maximum network segment of 100 meters (328 feet) and can operate at speeds of 1000 Mbps, or 1 Gbps.

The differences between Category 5e and Category 6 occur in the analog measurements. Category 5e must pass a number of tests at 100 MHz, such as return loss, insertion loss, PSNEXT loss, ACRF, PSACRF, propagation delay skew, PSANEXT loss, average PSANEXT loss, PSAACRF, average PSAACRF loss and NEXT. The results, being analog, are measured in decibels (dB). Category 6 cabling must pass the same tests at 250 MHz. For example, the requirements for ACRF using Category 5e cabling is 17.4 dB at 100 MHz and 15.3 dB with Category 6 at 250 MHz.

Cabling systems on the high end of Category 6 performance do not have a standard they can reference. Rather, their results will usually be in documentation showing how far above and beyond the current standards they perform. These analog, frequency-based performance requirements are set by the standard from the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) called ANSI/TIA-568-C.2.

The main argument is that the high-end Category 6 cabling has more "headroom" than lower-grade cabling, referring to the more stringent certification tests that must be passed. Now let's talk digital bandwidth. With all three types of cable run, terminated and tested in the same exact manner, sure, the higher-end Category 6 cable will outperform the others with the analog, frequency-based testers. If they outperform the lower-end cable in the digital world, does that mean there will be what is called a high bit error rate (BER) with the low-end cabling?

There are application-based testers you can run independently, or programs you can download, to test out actual digital bandwidth. You will find that there will be times when a high-end Category 6 cable performs similar to a Category 5e cable, and other times when the higher-end Category 6 cable outperforms all. The higher-end cables are engineered to deliver higher performance. The manufacturer takes steps such as putting a separator between the pairs, using a different style jacket, using a tighter twist rate, or incorporating any of the many other considerations that go into cable construction.

There are many obstacles and third-party items, over which we may not have complete control in the real world, that could degrade our cable's performance. These high-end cables may be our answer to keeping a low BER and maintaining an actual throughput worthy of Gigabit Ethernet.

Felix Zayas is a technology designer for BVH Integrated Services Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering firm based in Bloomfield, CT. BVH provides MEP, civil, structural, sustainable design, commissioning, and technology services to clients in the educational, health care, corporate, governmental and research markets. With more than seven years of telecommunications engineering experience, Felix designs voice/data systems, structured cabling, fiber, as well as A/V, paging, security, nurse-call, physiological monitoring, CATV and wireless systems.

He achieved his Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) and Network Transport Systems (NTS) designations from BICSI and is a Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) as designated by InfoComm as well as a licensed Telecommunications Layout Technician (TLT) in the state of Connecticut. Felix is also a LEED Green Associate as designated by the Green Building Certification Institute. He blogged about the process of achieving that designation as well. He can be reached at felixz@bvhis.com or 860-286-9171.

Editor disses copper, praises fiber, makes me mad*

First let me say this: I have a high degree of respect for my colleague Stephen Hardy, editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Lightwave. Now that those pleasantries are out of the way, please allow me to launch into a tirade of disgust and anger over some comments he recently made at a corporate meeting held here at the offices of PennWell in Nashua, NH.

Actually you can hear, and see, the comments for yourself by watching this video of Stephen's presentation to our co-workers.

As you may know, the Lightwave franchise includes a Web site, magazine, newsletters, live and virtual events - all focused on fiber-optic technology. The video clip is Stephen's explanation to a "lay" audience what Lightwave is and what it does. To no one's surprise, he focused on the capabilities of fiber-optic technologies. But much to my surprise, he did so by ridiculing copper-based cabling technology. Check out what he says and does between 0:57 and 1:07 of the video. In 10 brief seconds, Stephen Hardy manages to completely and utterly dis copper cabling.

You may say, "So what? Everything he said is true." Perhaps. But here's my major gripe: That cable he holds up, and then trashes, between 0:57 and 1:07 is an armored fiber-optic cable that I loaned him to use in his presentation. That's right, I 1) have fiber-optic cables hanging around my desk and offer them to anyone who asks (or doesn't ask, but that's another issue); and 2) saw my colleague Stephen Hardy take the prop I had given him in good faith, and use it to misrepresent the copper/fiber dynamic.

I don't know how I'm going to get even with him, but I will. If you have any suggestions, please pass them along.

*I'm not really mad. Just having a little fun at Stephen's expense. And I thought you might enjoy his "Sham-Wow"-style presentation. We here at the office sure did.

Cow manure a sustainable energy source for data centers? It's not B.S.

Researchers from HP Labs recently presented to the ASME International Conference on Energy Sustainability their paper stating that the manure output of cows and the heat output of data centers can combine to create an economically and environmentally sustainable operation.

The 8-page paper authored by Ratnesh Sharma, Tom Christian, Martin Arlitt, Cullen Bash and Chandrakant Patel describes how a 10,000-cow dairy farm could fulfill the power requirements of a 1-MW data center, with power left over to support other needs on the farm.

"In this process," HP Labs said when making the paper public, "the heat generated by the data center can be used to increase the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion of animal waste. This results in the production of methane, which can be used to generate power for the data center. This symbiotic relationship allows the waste problems faced by dairy farms and the energy demands of the modern data center to be addressed in a sustainable manner."

Patel, director of the Sustainable IT Ecosystem Lab at HP Labs, explains the concept in this YouTube video.

Christian, who is principal research scientist in the Sustainable IT Ecosystem Lab, adds, "The idea of using animal waste to generate energy has been around for centuries, with manure being used every day in remote villages to generate heat for cooking. The new idea that we are presenting in this research is to create a symbiotic relationship between farms and the IT ecosystem that can benefit the farm, the data center and the environment."

Some other notable quotes taken directly from the paper:
-The average dairy cow produces 54.7 kilograms of manure per day, approximately 20 metric tons per year.
-The manure produced by one dairy cow in one day can generate 3.0 kWh of electrical energy.

FBI points to VoIP as element in online financial scheme

The Federal Burea of Investigation has pointed to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as an eabling tool that has allowed perpetrators to steal money from unsuspecting victims' online accounts. Citing one case in particular, that of a Florida dentist who lost about $400,000 to thieves, the FBI explained the role that VoIP played in the scheme.

"The scheme is known as telephony denial-of-service (TDOS) and according to several telecommunications companies working with the FBI, there has been a recent surge in these attacks in the past few weeks," the FBI said in a statement earlier this month. "The perpetrators are suspected of using automated dialing programs and multiple accounts to overwhelm the land and cell phone lines of their victims with thousands of calls.

"The FBI has determined that these calls serve as a diversionary technique. During these TDOS attacks, online trading and other money management accounts are being accessed by the perpetrators who are transferring funds out of those accounts ... The purpose of the malicious phone calls is to occupy the victim phone numbers on record with the financial institutions managing the accounts so that when the institutions contact the vicim to verify the changes and transactions, the institution is unable to reach the victim. Consequently, the victim has no idea what has really transpired until it's too late."

In the case of the Florida dentist, law enforcement officials uncovered VoIP accounts created by a single user that paired the accounts with automatic dialing tools to dial a large volume of computer-generated calls per minute, all directed toward the business, home and mobile telephone numbers of the dentist.

The VoIP accounts used in the scheme were terminated but the perpetrators were not identified. As the supplier of the VoIP lines, AT&T got the FBI's Cybercrime resources involved.

While that incident in Florida began last November, AT&T's associate director of global fraud management Adam Panaiga said he's more recently seen an increase in the same type of activity targeting potential victims across the country.

Robert Moore, chief information officer at business communications firm PAETEC commented, "With the advent of Voice over IP and the newest technologies in phone service, criminal attacks on businesses using those platforms have become increasingly sophisticated."

Read the full statement the FBI issued on May 11.

Guest Blog: The Road to LEED Green Associate

by Felix Zayas
May 14, 2010

There aren't too many conversations in my industry these days that don't at some point make mention of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), green design, or some other LEED-related topic. I recently completed my LEED Green Associate exam and would like to give you a brief overview of what went into the preparation for it.

First let me give you a little history. The USGBC is a non-profit organization, committed to building a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation. The Green Building Certification Institute manages the professional credentialing programs, including the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP BD+C credentials, which assess one's knowledge of green building design and the LEED rating systems for new construction and building renovations.

The latest version of the LEED AP examination (version 3.0) requires you to pass two exams. The first exam is the LEED Green Associate, followed by a specialty exam. If you are reading this blog post, most likely your specialty exam will be Building Design and Construction. After successfully passing the building design and construction exam you would be considered a LEED AP BD+C.

When studying for the LEED Green Associate, you should go to the GBCI website and download the LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook. This PDF is roughly 30 pages in length and is the perfect tool to help you along the way. The document is updated frequently, so always be sure to download it directly from the website. The handbook covers such things as how to register, what to study and things you should know about the exam. The "preparing for your exam" section includes a list of primary and ancillary references with direct links to study material on the Internet, most of which is free.

In addition to the primary and ancillary references you can study from, many third-party companies have put together comprehensive study packages, ranging in price from $35 to $80. Some offer audio study guides in MP3 format, flash cards and even practice test questions.

It is important to be up on the latest trends in green building and green design. In 2008 BICSI created an alliance called the Green Building Technology Alliance. Members from BICSI, TIA, InfoComm and CABA are part of the alliance. Theya re working toward creating technology-related credits for the next version of LEED.

Felix Zayas is a technology designer for BVH Integrated Services Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering firm based in Blooomfield, CT that provides MEP, civil, structural, sustainable design, commissioning and technology services to clients in the educational, health-care, corporate, governmental and research markets.

With more than seven years of telecommunications engineering experience, Felix has earned the Registered Communications Distribution Designer and Network Transport Systems designations from BICSI. He is a Certified Technology Specialist as designated by InfoComm and is licensed in the State of Connecticut as a Telecommunications Layout Technician. As he indicates in this blog post, he is also a LEED Green Associate as designated by the Green Building Certification Institute. He can be reached at felixz@bvhis.com or 860-286-9171.

Rather than waiting around for Brett Favre to have ankle surgery ...

... or even watching the next Twins game, cabling design and installation contractors in Minnesota may want to know that their state's Department of Natural Resources has posted a solicitation for the installation of wire, cable and connecting devices.

US Fed News reports that the project is described as "installation and testing for wiring systems to be used as signal pathways for high-speed data transmission for 17 office workstations. Project location is Lake Bemidji State Park Former Residence, Near Bemidji, Beltrami County, MN." Go to this page on the state's Materials Management Division site, and find the solicitation number 2010-69-01 on the page.

Printed copies of the solicitation can be obtained from Paulette Kassa, tel: 218-308-2658; fax: 218-755-4075. Technical information on the project is available from Barry Lyons, tel: 218-308-2657.

Responses to the solicitation are due May 20 and the project completion date is June 20.

More iPad Wi-Fi woes as Israel seizes devices

The Christian Science Monitor is reporting that incompatibility issues with the iPad's Wi-Fi connectivity are the reason Israeli officials are seizing iPads from anyone trying to enter the country with them.

The Monitor published the following statement from the Israeli government:

The iPad device sold exclusively today in the United States operates at broadcast power levels [over its WiFi modem] compatible with American standards. As the Israeli regulations in the area of WiFi are similar to European standards, which are different from American standards, which permit broadcasting at lower power, therefore the broadcast levels of the device prevent approving its use in Israel.

On April 15, the Christian Science Monitor reported that 10 iPads had been confiscated, and at least one iPad owner was told he had to petition the Israeli government to get his device back.

We reported earlier that some of the first iPad owners had difficulty connecting to Wi-Fi networks.

Guest Blog: Wireless LANs and distributed antenna systems

by Scott Thompson
April 9, 2010



Recently I attended a national tradeshow, in a very large exhibit hall, in the nation's capital. There were several thousand people in the hall. Within that hall there were popular, actively sought locales where peoople were dipping and turning, sometimes holding their heads sideways, looking upward, rotating, stooping, and thrusting upwards. Then, inevitably, looking in frustration at a device in their hands.

And those were the few people in the hall who actually had a cellular signal!

Most people have had the experience of poor cellular service inside buildings, often large public buildings. In addition to the user inconvenience caused by the poor connection, the carriers lose minutes, and the building's utility - whether as a mall, public hall, or other venue - is compromised. Everybody loses.

Fortunately there is a reasonable solution for an in-building wireless solution called a distributed antenna system, or DAS. DAS is a method for recreating the coverage of primarily out door cellular services, indoors. The purpose of the DAS is to overcome the severe attenuation caused by the walls and structure of a building. Even the newly auctioned 700-MHz band, with its preferred propagation characteristics, will be callenged to provide the high signal-to-noise ratio required for high-speed data services envisioned for the 4G network.

Clearly, as people become more dependent on mobile voice and data services, there is a growing expectation for network connectivity everywhere, indoors and outdoors. DAS and related in-building wireless systems provide a means to match this expectation, even in the most challenging indoor environmnents.

The DAS system may be as simple as an outdoor pickup antenna with bidirectional amplifiers and indoor antennas, or a much more sophisticated base-station with fiber-optic distribution to remote access RF converters and antennas. In any case, as the name implies, the antennas are distributed throughout the facility, and the equipment, whether a micro-base station, repeater, or other cellular equipment, is safely locked in the telecommunications room.

This, of course, is a different architecture than the standard 802.11 LAN architecture, which comprises distributed access points (with connected antennas), versus distributed antennas.

In the past, this difference in architecture has not been important. The wireless LAN is a private network, designed, built, and maintained by the premises network administrators, whereas DAS systems may have multiple stakeholders including building owners/operators, carriers, third-party integrators, and premises network administrators.

As DAS solutions emerge, one of their compelling features is to include private wireless LAN traffic over the DAS. The argument for doing so is, "Why build two wireless infrastructures?" The easy answer is that most vendors' 802.11 wireless networking products are designed for a distributed access point approach, and not a distributed antenna (DAS) approach. Generally speaking, when you use something in a way for which it was not intended, you don't get the results you want.

Cisco recently released a positioning statement indicating that "Cisco does not certify, endorse, or provide RF support for Wi-Fi deployments over ANY distributed antenna system."

Although not specifically precluding the use of Cisco wireless LAN products in a DAS, the statement recommends special consideration of signal coverage, client-to-AP density, client roaming, location-based services, and the impact on the 802.11n (MIMO) antennas used by 802.11n access points. Cisco's positioning statement goes on to recommend an appropriate design and deployment if a DAS approach is used, because the "DAS vendor and/or systems integrator is solely responsible for the support of the DAS products and for providing adequate RF coverage and supporting any RF-related issues."

Why would you operate the wireless LAN over the DAS in the first place? If the answer is "physical security" of the wireless LAN access points (and that's the only security at stake with modern APs), then you should plan to secure the APs in locking ceiling or wall enclosures. These enclosures provide a degree of physical security cmmensurate with the value of the AP. Sometimes the concern is not so much malicious theft or vandalism of the APs, but just accidental displacement, disconnection, or blockage from the desired location. Again, the locking ceiling or wall-mount enclosure is the answer.

If the answer is to reduce installation and labor cost by combining DAS and wireless LAN networks, then consider coordinated design and installation of conventional, but distinct, wireless LAN and DAS infrastructures, including shared infrastructure, pathways, and spaces where appropriate. This is an overlay design; it can include shared workspace telecommunications enclosures for access points, remote acces units, bidirectional amplifiers, converters, repeaters, and antennas.

Another emerging technology may truly converge public cellular service onto private wireless LANs, but this is a topic for a future blog post, and is not likely to be the best solution in every case.

In the meantime, the wireless LAn and DAS designer should consider vendor recommendations, risk, and cost-saving potential when deploying wireless LA over DAS, versus an overlay design comprising distinct wireless LAN and DAS components.

Scott Thompson is the engineering director and co-founder of Oberon Inc. Since 1997 he has designed, specified, and installed IEEE 802.3 and 802.11 standard-compliant networking solutions. We've invited Scott to blog for us periodically, and welcome your comments on this post.

Wi-Fi troubles are iPad users' early gripe

Intermittent or weak Wi-Fi connections have been bothering early users of Apple's iPad - at least according to the level of activity in Apple's iPad support forum. As of early Tuesday, the discussion thread titled Weak wifi included 161 replies and had been viewed more than 18,000 times.

Apple has released at least two support documents specifically for iPad WiFi access, one entitled Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections, and another titled Does not automatically rejoin known Wi-Fi networks. One suggestion in the "Troubleshooting" document is to move closer to the router or hotspot.

One commenter, username VinceChan, cautioned: "Bear in mind that the all metal enclosure of the iPad may be whats blocking the signal. Theres a reason that the ipod Touch has a plastic window in the back for the wifi antenna, and the MBP's antenna is housed within the plastic portion of the hinge."

Many users described the fixes they successfully implemented themselves, or achieved through Apple customer service. Others remain without Wi-Fi connectivity on their iPads.

Uptime Institute goes off on TIA-942

In the mode of Mythbusters, The Uptime Institute has taken issue with the belief, apparently commonly held, that the TIA-942 standard is a valid guideline for its (The Uptime Institute's) Data Center Tier classification system.

We talked to Jonathan Jew, one of TIA-942's creators and a co-editor of the still-in-development TIA-942-A specifications, about the Institute's claims. He didn't disagree.

Remember that part of The Uptime Institute's business is to provide training through which design professionals can achieve the organization's Accredited Tier Designer (ATD) designation. It's not in the Institute's business interests to let everyone believe they can buy a standard from TIA and "Voila!" they can follow its script to design a Tier IV data center. Not to mention anything in the way of altruism -- you know, actually caring about designs being done correctly so data centers perform at the extremely high levels their owners require.

It's not too different from the structured cabling industry. One can't just read a standard and have the in-depth knowledge necessary to design a complex layer-one infrastructure system for an organization's dynamic network. Although, I bet many of you have seen a cabling system or two that looked like their designers gave it a try.

A different kind of in-building wireless

A different but familiar form of wireless communication is making its way into more and more building facilities. 802.11-based wireless local area networks (LANs) have long been recognized as a complementary technology to wired networks within buildings. An organization installing or upgrading its wireless LAN is not news. What is news, or at least a growing trend, is for facilities to install in-building wireless systems that support the nation’s cellular or personal communications service (PCS) networks.

An article in an upcoming issue of Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine will delve into detail on the topic, including information about the Wired for Wireless product line that CommScope recently introduced for exactly that application—-in-building personal wireless service.

One tidbit of information that was “left on the cutting room floor” from the upcoming article is the success story of a distributed antenna system (DAS) installation project at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airport is about a 5.8-million square-foot facility. ADC’s vice president of product management John Spindler, who is quoted in the article, recalls the Hartsfield-Jackson project. “Even at 5.8-million square feet the job was completed in a span of about 12 weeks. It was properly planned up front and all security clearances had been arranged.

“There are more than 700 antennas, 8 kilometers of fiber-optic cable, 65 kilometers of twisted-pair cable, and 16 kilometers of coaxial cable,” in the facility. Spindler adds, “It might not be a typical installation because it’s such a large facility, but it is a good example of the kinds of challenges that can be faced,” when installing indoor DAS systems. It’s also a good example of what can be accomplished with such systems.

As is the case with in-building wireless LANs, there are a lot of wires (and sometimes fibers, for that matter) behind those wireless communications systems. CommScope’s new system includes the Heliax ½-inch coaxial cable that comes from the Andrew wireless communications brand. ADC emphasizes that its InterReach systems can leverage existing coaxial, twisted-pair, and multimode fiber-optic cabling that may already reside in a building in which a DAS will be installed.

The next time you are in a conference room or lobby and can’t get service on your wireless device, look at it as an opportunity to accommodate the building you’re in to better serve its customers.

Copper connectors putting Large Hadron Collider out of commission

Are you familiar with the Large Hadron Collider? I knew nothing about it until I read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. Then it started popping up in the news all the time, so it seemed. The LHC -- I don't know if that's its real abbreviation or not -- is a particle accelerator that was built and is operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN. (Side note: According to credible sources such as Dan Brown and Wikipedia, CERN invented the Internet. Not DARPA. Not Al Gore. CERN.)

Those who have followed the Collider's history are familiar with a recent shutdown that took it offline for several months. Within the past few weeks CERN brought it back online and has had great expectations of it. However, news got out today that, perhaps among other components, copper connectors will be responsible for the Large Hadron Collider going offline at the end of next year for what's likely to be a year's worth of repair.

I learned about this through Australian news agency The Age, which quoted a CERN scientist as saying, "We are pushing technologies towards their limits." It looks like the collider will run at half power between now and the end of next year when the repairs begin.

Now I'm not a gambling man, but I'd be willing to bet a dinner that the copper connectors that are the collider's weak links are not of the RJ-45 variety. So no snarky comments saying this wouldn't have happened if they'd used fiber - or anything like that.

I just couldn't resist passing this info along, as a high-profile example of the criticality of a "little thing" like a connector. Our industry lives and breathes the importance of high-technology systems' infrastructure components. Sometimes the rest of the world gets wind of that importance as well.

You aren't planning to abandon that cable, are you Uncle Sam?

Government Computer News (GCN) is reporting that cabling-integration firm Automated Systems Design (ASD) was contracted to install the cabling for some 500 temporary offices for the Census Bureau as that government entity ramped up for its data-collection efforts this year--the promotion of which has even included a SuperBowl ad.

The GCN report details the projects' multiple challenges, including geographic dispersion, short turnaround times, and diversity of office space. "Some buildings were modern, while others were historic structures with tricky floor plans for running cable," GCN reported.

What caught my eye was the plan for the local offices and their information-technology infrastructures to be uninstalled once workers complete their data collection.

If you've been around long enough you've heard me rant about abandoned cable. Then rant again. And again.

Automated Systems Design's (ASD) vice president of sales Barbara Eskew, who is quoted in the GCN report, told me the government did not contract with her firm to remove the cabling systems once the Census project is over. She was given a "wait-and-see" response rather than including removal in the installation contract. Now that doesn't necessarily mean the Census Bureau will be guilty of abandoning the cable from its 500-plus temporary offices. It may use other labor to do the removal, or call ASD later in the year and schedule the appropriate removal.

Heck, the bureau may decide to tag the cable for future use. Census data is taken every 10 years, isn't it?

TIA TR-42 subcommittee elections bring new names to the fore

While posting to our Web site the news about the recent election of new chairs and vice-chairs for TR-42 and several of its subcommittees, I was reminded of a conversation I had several years ago with an executive of the training organization BICSI.

It was not long after BICSI had launched its OSP (Outside Plant) Specialist designation and our discussion focused on the reasons for creating it. A primary motivator was that for the most part, expertise in OSP design and construction resided with individuals whose experience dated back to the days of Ma Bell. Many of these individuals were approaching retirement; some had already retired. And there really was no formal (and maybe no informal) plan for passing their knowledge along to a next generation of professionals to carry out such important network design work for years--decades--to come.

The formal OSP Specialist program has succeeded in educating that new generation of professionals.

Why did the TIA news remind me of the OSP specialty? From a quick glance at the names of those who have been elected chairs and vice chairs of TIA TR-42 subcommittees, it looks like the TIA is in the process of bringing along a next generation of leaders in the creation of cabling standards. Sure, there are some familiar names in the group; but some new names have shown up as well.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I have never been to a TIA TR-42 committee or subcommittee meeting. I really don't know how these elections work. It could be like some of the committees I've been on, in which the person who misses a meeting or steps into the rest room at the wrong time gets elected to "spearhead" an onerous effort. Or it's a case of, "Volunteers step forward," and everyone but an inexperienced few step backward. I can't say for sure. But I like to think that several individuals are in leadership roles today because they chose to truly drive the cabling industry forward through their efforts at standards creation.

(Note: The links that follow go to LinkedIn profiles. If you're not on LinkedIn and can't view them, well shame on you! Join LinkedIn. And as soon as you do, join the Cabling Installation & Maintenance Group, for goodness' sake.)

So I'm sending kudos to newly elected Jamie Silva, vice-chair of TR-42.4; Mike Kinard, chair of TR-42.12; Brett Lane, TR-42.12's vice chair; and David Fisher, chair of TR-42.13.

More disclosure: Let me know if I've blown it on this one and some of these folks have been long-time committee/subcommittee leaders. I look at TIA meeting minutes frequently and don't remember these individuals as previous committee/subcommittee chairs. But sometimes I do just get things wrong.

Not long ago I heaped praise on a familiar name in the standards scene, Jonathan Jew, because I view his volunteer efforts as both significant and selfless. I know that the individuals I've named today have the backing of their employers for their standards-creation activities. I also understand that having a seat at the table when these standards are created does have its advantages. But just like those who have earned the OSP Specialist designation have helped their long-term career prospects by putting in such effort, those who recently stepped into leadership roles within TR-42 will no doubt find that any professional advantage they gain by doing so might best be described as sweat equity.

Congratulations and best of luck to the new leaders within TR-42. Also, of course, to those for whom such leadership is not entirely new.