Siemens contracted Interconnect Systems to cable their new offices in Centurion. The cabling system that was installed is the versatile Highband Cat. 6 system from Krone.
With their dazzling new offices destined to become the flagship of the group, Siemens wanted to make use of the very latest, standards compliant, cabling technology available, particularly in view of the fact that the new offices will be a showcase for the latest in Siemens own technology. It was virtually inevitable that the Siemens Group would choose Krone products, as the group has a long-standing relationship with Krone S.A.
Siemens` Telecommunications department moved into their new building at the end of October 2002.
Krone kept a careful eye on the installation, from the outset, as the client had asked for a Krone System compliance certificate, which is a 25 year manufacturer`s warranty that supports a future-proof migration strategy for the implementation of new network equipment. The Krone solution promises to provide high speed LAN and WAN systems with "maximum headroom" in transmission performance.
Category 6 has more demanding performance criteria than Category 5e, (with Cat 6, all parameters are rated to 250Mhz), therefore the medium is less forgiving when it comes to the installation methods used. For example sharp bends in the cable route should be avoided, as should kinking or crushing the cables during the installation process, otherwise the performance of the cabling system could be compromised. Another critical issue relating to the installation of Cat 6 cabling systems points to installers following correct cable jacket unsheathing recommendations. These lay down strict procedures for maintaining the correct cable twist rate, right up to the point of termination.
The computer rooms in each of the new buildings on the Siemens campus were linked by means of a fiber optic backbone. Interconnect Systems installed 800 pair floor-standing Krone frames in each of the three computer rooms. These frames are positioned alongside the equipment cabinets.
Interconnect`s cabling project manager, Nico van der Westhuizen, came up with a neat and cost-effective method of routing cable bundles, from the cable trays in the ceiling, onto the patching frames. He installed lengths of 100 x 100mm industrial trunking, onto the back of each Krone frame, and then drilled holes into the face of each length of trunking at regular intervals. Cable bundles feed downward through the trunking and out of these holes. From there, they are cable tied onto the patching frame to where individual cables extend to the Krone termination blocks.
A special colour coding and labeling system simplifies the administration of the cabling system.
Interconnect custom designed special transition boxes for this installation which feature unique, built-in strain relief. The transition boxes are fitted onto the cable trays, which have been installed in the ceiling void. Flyleads drop down from the transition boxes, through power poles, to the workstation clusters that populate the open plan office spaces. Because of this special strain relief facility, it is virtually impossible for users to pull flyleads out of the network points, as these are actually cable tied onto the boxes.
Clipsal power skirting was installed in each of the buildings and flush-mount network points were installed directly into the power skirting covers. With this type of power skirting system, Interconnect were able to print relatively large network point identification labels, which all face upwards. Although this may be a minor issue for most people, it will certainly benefit those who will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the cabling plant - time (and money) will be saved in the long run because cabling technicians don`t need to crouch down in order to read the numbering, when they search for a specific network point. The numbering is large enough to read from a standing position.
At the time that the cabling project was handed over, Louis Botha (Siemens Telecommunications Installations Department), who kept an eye on the project throughout, put it plainly. "Many years of experience in the cabling field have taught me to anticipate and plan around the fact that moves and changes are inevitable. I`m confident that this is a future-proof solution that will easily cope with the demands that are going to be placed on it, in terms of bandwidth and staff churn."
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