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7H0003Z1 2008 Anixter Inc. 02/08 10K 251984Data Center Infrastructure Resource GuideEnterprise Cabling & Security Solutions Electrical and Electronic Wire & Cable Fasteners Supply Chain ServicesAnixter Inc. 1.800.ANIXTER anixter.comWorld Headquarters: 2301 Patriot Boulevard, Glenview, IL 60026-8020 224.521.8000Anixter Inc. is a leading global supplier of Supply Chain Services and products used to connect voice, video, data and security systems. Anixter is also aleading provider of specialty electrical and electronic wire and cable for building construction, industrial maintenance and repair, and original equipmentmanufacturing, as well as a leader in providing fasteners and “C” Class components to OEMs and production lines. We bundle our products with ourinnovative Supply Chain Services to help control the cost of our customers’ business processes, reduce their investment in inventory, and ensure they getthe right product when they need it. A NYSE listed company, Anixter, with its subsidiaries, serves companies in more than 49 countries around the world.Anixter’s total revenue exceeds 5.8 billion.Anixter Inc. does not manufacture the items described in this publication. All applicable warranties are provided by the manufacturers. Purchasers are requested to determine directlyfrom the manufacturers the applicable product warranties and limitations. Data and suggestions made in the publication are not to be construed as recommendations or authorizationsto use any products in violation of any government law or regulation relating to any material or its use.Data CenterInfrastructureResource Guide

Anixter is the world’s leading supplier of communicationsproducts used to connect voice, video, data and security systems.Anixter is also the leading provider of electrical and electronic wireand cable, fasteners, and other small components to build, repair,and maintain a variety of systems and equipment. We bundleour products with our innovative Supply Chain Services to cutcosts out of our customers’ business processes, and ensurethey get the right product, the first time.MexicoCiudad JuarezGuadalajaraMexico CityMonterreyPanamaPanama CityPeruLimaPuerto RicoSan European HQUxbridge, England44-1895-818181HungaryUnited nRomeNetherlandsLE Capelle aanden IJsselNorwayViennaOsloBelgiumPolandWillebroekCzech ichTurkeyIstanbulUnited Arab EmiratesDubaiAsia/PacificNew ZealandAsia/Pacific HQSingapore 65-6756-7011PhilippinesSouth Pacific HQSydney, ydneyChinaShanghaiHong KongIndiaBangaloreChennaiMumbaiNew DehliIndonesiaJakartaJapanMalaysiaKuala TaipeiThailandBangkokVietnamInternational ServicesGlenview, IL224-521-8000After HoursUSA800-323-8167Canada800-361-0250

Table of ContentsSECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION TO DATA CENTERSWhat is a Data Center? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Types of Data Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Common Attributes of Data Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4SECTION 2 – DATA CENTER DESIGN CONSIDERATIONSProfessional Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Power Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Space Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Cable Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Access Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10SECTION 3 – DATA CENTER INFRASTRUCTURECONSIDERATIONSRacks, Cabinets and Support Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Redundancy and Path Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Flexible and Adequate Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Choosing the Appropriate Cabling Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Data Center Cabling Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Copper vs. Fiber Cable and Connectivity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The Case for Fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Fiber Use in the Data Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Benefits of Preterminated Fiber Solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1850- vs. 62.5-micron Fiber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Copper Media and the 21st Century Data Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Types of Copper Cable Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Limited Combustible Cable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Power Cables and Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Electronic Power System Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Energy Efficiency and Environmental Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . 23Intelligent Infrastructure Management (IIM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24KVM Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26SECTION 4 – BEST PRACTICES FOR DATA CENTERS —DATA CENTER STANDARDS AND ASSOCIATIONSANSI/TIA/EIA-942 (Data Center) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Data Center Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Hot and Cold Equipment Aisles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Data Center Infrastructure Tiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Uptime Institute Tiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Protection of Data Center Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38IEEE 802.3an (10GBASE-T Task Force) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39ANSI/TIA-568-B.2-1(ADIO) and ISO 11801 Class EA . . . . . . . . . . . .39IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at (PoE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39ANSI/TIA/EIA-569-B (Pathways and Spaces) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40ANSI/TIA/EIA-606-A (Administration) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40J-STD-607-A-2002 (Grounding and Bonding) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Standards and Power Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Data Center Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42“Green” Data Centers and Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43LEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43SECTION 5 – KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR DEPLOYINGDATA CENTER SOLUTIONSSupply Chain Services and Data Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46Anixter’s Supply Chain Services in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Material Management Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51APPENDIX – ABOUT ANIXTERThe Anixter Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Our Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Our Supply Chain Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Our Technical Expertise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55The Anixter Infrastructure Solutions Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Anixter University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Section1 - Introduction to Data CentersINTRODUCTIONWhat is a Data Center?Data centers are the “nerve centers” of the neweconomy or special environments that house thelatest advances in computer processing and businessinnovation. Data centers centralize and consolidateInformation Technology (IT) resources, enablingorganizations to conduct business around-the-clockand around the world.2

Section 1 - Introduction to Data CentersA data center is a “hardened” facility that isdedicated to providing uninterrupted serviceto business-critical data processing operations.Among its many features are: 7 x 24 x 365 availabilityIn many ways, IDCs present an alternate model forInternet connectivity and eCommerce. IDCs are particularlyattractive to new or small-to-medium businesses thathave yet to invest money in IT or simply want to payfor what they use. Fail-safe reliability and continuous monitoringTHE RECENT SURGE IN DATA CENTER ACTIVITY Power management and network communications,redundancy and path diversity Network security, physical access controland video surveillance Zoned environmental control Fire suppression and early warningsmoke detection systems.TYPES OF DATA CENTERSData centers fall into two major categoriesincluding corporate data centers (CDCs) andInternet data centers (IDCs).Corporate data centers are owned and operatedby private corporations, institutions or governmentagencies. Their prime purpose includes supportingdata processing and Web-oriented services for theirown organizations, business partners and customers.Equipment, applications, support and maintenancefor the data center are typically supported by in-houseIT departments or contract partners.Internet data centers are primarily owned and operatedby traditional telcos, unregulated competitive serviceproviders or other types of commercial operators. Eachoperator, however, involves similar goals—to provideoutsourced Information Technology (IT) servicesaccessed through Internet connectivity. Their businessis to provide a menu of services to their clients. Theseservices may include (but are not limited to) wide-areacommunications, Internet access, Web or applicationhosting, colocation, managed servers, storage networks,content distribution and load sharing with new variationsappearing almost daily.The emergence of the Internet as a universal network,the Internet Protocol (IP) as a common computer“communication standard” and the continuedadvancements and maturity of Web technology haveserved as catalysts for a number of common businessinitiatives. These initiatives include: Server consolidation and centralizationof processing capability Business system continuity and disaster recovery Database content and storage management “Webification” of business applications Information distribution via Intranet and Extranet eBusiness and Electronic Data Interexchange (EDI) Supply Chain Management (SCM) andEnterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Sales Force Automation (SFA) Wireless applications and connectivity.Another factor contributing to the surge of data centerconstruction is the increase in the number of Internetconnected devices per business or household. Oftentimes, data centers are expanding well beyond thenumber of actual users. Business professionals areadopting wireless PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants)in addition to or within their cell phones. Residentialcustomers often have multiple PCs, wirelessnetworks and a growing comfort factor with theWeb as a shopping mall, Yellow Pages and eLibrary.Consequently, a “many-to-one” device-to-user ratio isdriving the need for additional network connectivityand data center expansion. 3