WATERTOWN, Conn., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemon launches a new whitepaper by respected data center infrastructure expert Carrie Higbie. Entitled "Comparing Copper and Fiber Options in the Data Center," this detailed whitepaper and accompanying video is available for download at: http://www.siemon.com/go/cvf

Based on the well-known fact that most data center designs encompass a mixture of both copper and fiber cabling infrastructure, this Siemon paper discusses the common options and configurations available to data center professionals. Higbie details the merits of each solution on the basis of initial and lifecycle costs, including such subjects as power consumption and system performance. These factors are combined with application-specific needs such as channel length and system latency to provide truly actionable advice on data center cabling choices.

Excerpt:

"Power consumption for 10 Gb/s switches is currently a major factor in the cost analysis of balanced twisted-pair vs. optical fiber cabling in the data center. With first generation 10GBASE-T chips operating at 10-17 Watts per port, lower power consumption is a goal and a challenge for 10GBASE-T PHY manufacturers. This is certainly something to watch as next generation 10Gb/s chips are expected to have much lower power demands -- roughly one half of the first iterations. The same was seen in gigabit Ethernet, which from first generation chips to current technologies, saw a 94% decrease in power from 6 Watts per port to the 0.4 Watts per port figure we see today."

To download an electronic copy of Siemon's "Comparing Copper and Fiber Options in the Data Center," including end-to end cost models for the most common Gigabit and 10Gb/s copper and fiber performance applications, visit: http://www.siemon.com/go/cvf

About the author:

Carrie Higbie has been involved in computing and networking for 25+ years in executive and consultant roles. She is Siemon's Global Network Applications Manager supporting end-users and active electronics manufacturers. She publishes columns and speaks at industry events globally. Carrie is an expert on TechTarget's SearchNetworking, SearchVoIP, and SearchDataCenters and authors columns for these and SearchCIO and SearchMobile forums and is on the board of advisors. She is on the BOD and former President of the BladeSystems Alliance. She participates in IEEE, the Ethernet Alliance and IDC Enterprise Expert Panels. She has one telecommunications patent and one pending.

About Siemon

Established in 1903, Siemon is an industry leader specializing in the manufacture and innovation of high quality, high-performance network cabling solutions. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, with global offices, manufacturing and service partners throughout the world, Siemon offers the most comprehensive suite of copper (unshielded and shielded twisted-pair) category 5e, category 6 (Class E), category 6A (Class EA) and category 7/7A (Class F/FA), and multimode and singlemode optical fiber cabling systems available. With over 400 active patents specific to structured cabling, from patch cords to patch panels, Siemon Labs invests heavily in R&D and development of industry standards, underlining the company's long-term commitment to its customers and the industry.

SOURCE Siemon