Register now or log in to join your professional community.
Dear Samir. It's almost not possible to have only copper or only fiber oriented data center. If you have raised floor designed data center then It's better to route copper cabling via under floor basket trays and fiber via over head fiber runners. When you pass data under floor, make sure that copper cables are not passing parallel with power cables. Electromagnetic interference created by power cables can affect on copper cables data transfer and create problems in connectivity. They can cross but shouldn't go parallel. Fiber over head runners are preferable for fiber cables because of sensitivity of fiber cables. Over head fiber runners securing them quiet well. There is no interference on fiber cables from power so they can go parallel with over hade power cables without any problems.
Its better to use Fiber Optics for cabling due to the following reason
1. Speed
2. Datacenter aggregation or Core will mostly have10G/1G port which cannot have copper
3. To avoid oversubscription at any layer.
4. Scalling
5. Distance
first of all you have to consider the design architecture of Data center. which show that what kind of devices are installed and what you want to install keeping in view proceed it accordingly.
Depends on alot of factors and I would say in all DC's i've worked in over30 years both are always required in some form. In summary you need to consider.
1. Capability of end device, for example if your servers or end user hosts only have copper NICs then you need copper. Most servers have an iLo port that requries copper.
2. Distance between end device and switch.
3. Switch capability
4. Cost/ budget, if money is no object install CAT6 and OM4 to futureproof.
5. End device speed requriements will dictate the type of copper Cat5 cat6, or fibre OM3 / OM4
6. Securuty (fiber more secure).
7. External fators such as power feeds.
There are many design factors to be considered.
I would like to prefer FO thought it is costlier.
Fiber Optics provides the highest data rate over the longest distances and can scale up over time with more expensive electronics that produce more bandwidth. It is not subject to EMI or other forms of noise that might creep in
You cannot switch completely on copper or Fiber presently hybrid strucures are in use and copper has also increased port speed to support devices in DC. however FO is not flexible to upgrades but copper structures are flexible enough. storages are mostly on fiber, but BMS and Envirnoment monitoring systems use copper fo their communication as they have more resistance towards fire and for complaince of Tier requirements.
For energy efficiency copper switches can slow down its speed and reduce power consumption from18W per port to5.5W per port.
fiber optic is the best it is more sped and more baandwidth
