Found this story -- which, sadly, has become a common one -- lurking near the bottom of my "recent news" pile.
From the BBC News in the UK:
Gang rips out 1km of phone cable
Hundreds of people were left without their landline phone service for nearly 48 hours after thieves stole 1km (0.6 mile) of copper cabling....
...[Sussex Police] officers believe thieves posing as workers wearing uniforms or high-visibility jackets used a vehicle to pull the cable out of the ground and take it away...
...[Policeman] Thomas Stallard said: "Manholes running along the side of the road were used to access the cables and it appears the grass over some of the manholes was dug up to reach the sealed covers. The cable is 6in to 8in in circumference and is very heavy."
Every notice how there often seems to be some vaguely spectacular, caperish element to these copper theft stories? Thieves posing as workers used a vehicle to pull the cable out of the ground? Dang!
Or does the concept of "theft" just generally imply a certain amount of spectacle? Well...that's not a question for here. But here's what we can say: whenever the topic is copper, things get interesting. I can tell you that we here at the editorial desk certainly notice the popularity of such news, in terms of pageviews on the Web site.
And here's the thing about this rash of copper theft: it's absolutely becoming rampant, occurring every day all over this great country of ours, often causing considerable inconvenience.
So, finally, here's what I'm wondering: Are these stories just like belly buttons? Does everybody have one?
What say you, audience -- heard anything? Feel free to share any tales of copper theft, weird or otherwise, in the comments section below. Maybe from your town or region, maybe from a job site you've worked on, maybe from an installation you're involved in right at this very moment. We'd love to hear from you. -- Matt Vincent, Senior Editor
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Survey says: Data center virtualization an opportunity for cabling
Not long ago CommScope issued a report entitled Innovating in a Time of Change: Investment and Technical Trends in the Data Center. Some of the highlights from that report have been published in the November issue of Cabling Installation and Maintenance. Or they can be seen here, explained by CommScope's George Brooks.
I had the fortunate opportunity to speak with Mr. Brooks shortly after the report was issued. Our conversation involved many of the topics addressed in our November issue and in the aforementioned video. But following is an item from our conversation that didn't make it into either.
Globally, 72 percent of respondents to CommScope's survey said they had less than half their servers connected to a Fibre Channel SAN. Ten percent said their data centers had no Fibre Channel SAN at all, including 16 percent of those in North America.
At first glance that looks like an enormous opportunity to install new networks and the cabling that goes in them. But Brooks put those figures into perspective. He told me, "SANs are used for applications that require low latency and higher bandwidth. Transactional applications such as email, databases, and image transfer require and reside on a SAN. Other aplications, which do not require low latency and high bandwidth, generally are connected to NAS [network attached storage], which is generally a less-expensive form of storage. Putting those applications on a SAN is not cost-effective. My belief is that the large portion [of servers not connected to Fibre Channel SANs] are probably connected via NAS. The NAS is connected, but probably using Cat 6 cabling. If I had applications that didn't require high bandwidth and low latency, I wouldn't be spending a lot of money."
Great. So much for a cabling opportunity. But wait! Brooks further explained, "The opportunity is with virtualization. As servers virtualize, more of those applications will virtualize. They'll need a bigger pipe, and that's where the opportunity is."
So virtualiztion, then, which is feared in some camps as the beginning of the end of data centers, may actually boost the amount of cabling being deployed in those facilities. That's worth keeping an eye on.
I had the fortunate opportunity to speak with Mr. Brooks shortly after the report was issued. Our conversation involved many of the topics addressed in our November issue and in the aforementioned video. But following is an item from our conversation that didn't make it into either.
Globally, 72 percent of respondents to CommScope's survey said they had less than half their servers connected to a Fibre Channel SAN. Ten percent said their data centers had no Fibre Channel SAN at all, including 16 percent of those in North America.
At first glance that looks like an enormous opportunity to install new networks and the cabling that goes in them. But Brooks put those figures into perspective. He told me, "SANs are used for applications that require low latency and higher bandwidth. Transactional applications such as email, databases, and image transfer require and reside on a SAN. Other aplications, which do not require low latency and high bandwidth, generally are connected to NAS [network attached storage], which is generally a less-expensive form of storage. Putting those applications on a SAN is not cost-effective. My belief is that the large portion [of servers not connected to Fibre Channel SANs] are probably connected via NAS. The NAS is connected, but probably using Cat 6 cabling. If I had applications that didn't require high bandwidth and low latency, I wouldn't be spending a lot of money."
Great. So much for a cabling opportunity. But wait! Brooks further explained, "The opportunity is with virtualization. As servers virtualize, more of those applications will virtualize. They'll need a bigger pipe, and that's where the opportunity is."
So virtualiztion, then, which is feared in some camps as the beginning of the end of data centers, may actually boost the amount of cabling being deployed in those facilities. That's worth keeping an eye on.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Emerson buying Avocent: Metrics, metrics, metrics
Today's news about Emerson Network Power buying Avocent for $1.2 billion is all over the finance pages. We'll let them sort out whether or not Emerson's paying too much at $25 per share. I believe cabling and data center professionals (who don't own the stock) will be more interested in the concept that with this purchase, Emerson is acquiring the capability to produce data center energy-efficiency metrics.
Several years ago, when we began turning specific focus to cabling within data centers, I quickly discovered that I could begin a conversation about data centers discussing any topic at all. Whether to run cables overhead or under the floor; choosing copper or fiber for 10-gig; figuring out how to patch in such high-density spaces; whatever. Regardless of how the conversation started, it always came around to the theme of power consumption and cooling efforts in the data center.
As Avocent's relatively new CEO Michael Borman recently told Forbes.com, the company has relationships with server manufacturers that allow it access to energy-consumption information. Such data could prove to be gold for Emerson in the long term. The Green Grid is all over energy-efficiency metrics, and I for one believe we'll all be paying pretty close attention real soon.
Once the Emerson-Avocent deal closes around the first of the year, I'll also be looking to see how Emerson integrates this asset into the breadth of its Emerson Network Power offerings.
Several years ago, when we began turning specific focus to cabling within data centers, I quickly discovered that I could begin a conversation about data centers discussing any topic at all. Whether to run cables overhead or under the floor; choosing copper or fiber for 10-gig; figuring out how to patch in such high-density spaces; whatever. Regardless of how the conversation started, it always came around to the theme of power consumption and cooling efforts in the data center.
As Avocent's relatively new CEO Michael Borman recently told Forbes.com, the company has relationships with server manufacturers that allow it access to energy-consumption information. Such data could prove to be gold for Emerson in the long term. The Green Grid is all over energy-efficiency metrics, and I for one believe we'll all be paying pretty close attention real soon.
Once the Emerson-Avocent deal closes around the first of the year, I'll also be looking to see how Emerson integrates this asset into the breadth of its Emerson Network Power offerings.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Light Peak: 10-Gbit connectivity at your fingertips
Remember a few years ago when IBM aired commercials for its blade servers? The commercials' tagline was Out With Cables. The theme: Use blade servers, get rid of all those nasty, tangled cables in your data center. Cable: that dreaded, necessary evil.
Now it's Intel's turn. Last week at the Intel Developers Forum the company announced its Light Peak technology. Intel's not claiming that Light Peak will eliminate all cables--just those pesky ones that are subject to electromagnetic interference.
Light Peak is a high-speed (read: 10-Gbit/sec) optical cable, which Intel promises will be available next year, meant to connect devices including consumer-electronic equipment as well as disk drives, printers, and other networked devices.
Light Peak's web page goes into detail explaining the benefits of optical-fiber transmission. The video takes viewers inside Intel's optical lab.
A far cry from IBM's clever swipe at cabling, Intel's Light Peak looks like a promising technology of the near future.
Now it's Intel's turn. Last week at the Intel Developers Forum the company announced its Light Peak technology. Intel's not claiming that Light Peak will eliminate all cables--just those pesky ones that are subject to electromagnetic interference.
Light Peak is a high-speed (read: 10-Gbit/sec) optical cable, which Intel promises will be available next year, meant to connect devices including consumer-electronic equipment as well as disk drives, printers, and other networked devices.
Light Peak's web page goes into detail explaining the benefits of optical-fiber transmission. The video takes viewers inside Intel's optical lab.
A far cry from IBM's clever swipe at cabling, Intel's Light Peak looks like a promising technology of the near future.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Fluke's AirMagnet acquisition brings back memories
As I wait for word from Fluke Networks about the final details of their AirMagnet acquisition, it brings back memories of the company's acquisition of Microtest back in 2001. We wondered out loud if the acquisition meant the end of the Microtest we had come to know and love. That wondering rubbed the folks from Fluke and Microtest the wrong way, and they let us (and our audience) know about it. We responded pretty much with an Emily Litella, "Never mind."
Not much concern about that happening this time around. AirMagnet's technology is pretty clearly complementary rather than competitive to Fluke Networks' cadre of offerings. Earlier this year we had the opportunity to hear from representatives of both companies about the need for testing 802.11-based networks.
Very soon I expect to have details on what they call the "go-to-market" strategy. I think I know what they mean by that, but what I'm really trying to find out for you is the following: If you really want to buy some of their stuff, how do you do it? Put differently, how will they integrate their sales-channel strategies?
As the ink begins to dry on 802.11n, which the IEEE announced it had ratified on Friday, September 11, 2009 ... we'll try to do our part to make the navigation of 802.11n wireless networks (and all the wires behind them) a successful one for you.
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