Navigating the Pros and Cons of Structured Cabling vs. Top of Rack in the Data Center Communications Cable Connectivity Association (CCCA)

摘要

There is no single end-all cabling architecture for every data center. CIOs, data center design professionals and IT managers need to examine the pros and cons of each solution based on specific needs. This presentation focuses on the many factors to consider when choosing between top of rack (ToR) and structured cabling configurations and includes Total Cost of Ownership considerations for certain cable designs. This paper includes the impact of cabling choices on total management, scalability, interoperability, equipment and maintenance costs, port utilization, power consumption and cooling requirements. Bandwidth demand and scalability, server virtualization, high-performance switching capabilities and higher densities necessitate taking a careful look at the various configurations available for cabling a data center. Today's data center cabling configuration choices are also impacted by the need to lower power consumption and ensure efficient cooling of critical equipment, as well as by budget constraints and management structure.