TIDEL PARK H ow does one go about building what is unarguably the largest single installation in India with, literally, hundreds of fiber connects as those in Tidel Park, Chennai – an intimidat-ing network, and one of the most colossal broadband infrastructures in India? Traditionally, most architects have been using only single-mode fiber for such applications. Consider VSNL. The telecom giant has built its backbone on the Tidel Park premises and used single-mode fiber, without con-forming to ‘structured cabling practices’. The Imposing Architecture of Tidel Park It has laid the fiber straight from the ground floor to the office unit. The Tidel Park authorities, however, insisted that KRONE, one of the world’s leading suppliers of telecommunications and data communica- tions system solutions, implement proper structured cabling practices. This involved terminating the fiber at every floor level and adding components, like hori- zontal distribution boxes. This ensures easier maintenance. Also, it’s an EIA/TIA standard-based solution. The authorities have adopted and implemented all such standards, making it unique. And this is the only one of its kind in India. One can imagine the daunting scale of operations and planning, and the concurrent implementation, besides the limitations imposed by the deadline for completion – a year! Obviously, connectivity has been the most criti-cal element in the blueprint. Around 1,600 fiber connects – enormous by any industry standards! But KRONE is well known for its fiber-optic systems that guarantee future-proof technology in Tidel Park - Built on Strong Fiber TIDEL PARK private networks. Based on a comprehensive product portfolio for setting up fiber- optic networks, these systems combine maximum transmission bandwidth with a maximum range, and without any loss of data. FEATURES OF TIDEL PARK It’s a dream Park – not built in a day! This 1.28-million sq.ft built-up area has a modular floor layout and a wide-span column design to match individual requirements. Small, medium and large offices of 4,585-89,000 sq.ft in super built-up areas occupy every floor. A dedicated 110-kv substation provides reliable power supply and 10.5 MVA DG sets are stacked up for 100 percent backup. The Park boasts the world’s third- largest state-of-the art, TES technology-based central air- conditioning system and a noise-proof, energy-efficient offices with double-glazed glass curtain walls. Automated building management systems control and manage air-conditioners, lifts, access control systems and all installed plant and machinery. Escalators connect a common area, with 19 large-capacity, high-speed Tidel Cable Riser - A For Tower - A NORTH WING RISER - A SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM SM MM TIDEL MODULE GROUND FLOOR SM 12 PORT MM 12 PORT SM 12 PORT MM 12 PORT SM 12 PORT MM 12 PORT 12TH FLOOR 11TH FLOOR 10TH FLOOR NINTH FLOOR EIGHTH FLOOR SEVENTH FLOOR SIXTH FLOOR FIFTH FLOOR FOURTH FLOOR THIRD FLOOR SECOND FLOOR SM 12 PORT MM 12 PORT SM MM 24 PORT WALL MOUNT MULTIMEDIA OUTLET SM. INDORE OFFICE CABLE 24 CORE FIBRE OPTIC COMPOSITE CABLE TIDEL PARK 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 50 P 12TH FLOOR 11TH FLOOR 10TH FLOOR NINTH FLOOR EIGHTH FLOOR SEVENTH FLOOR SIXTH FLOOR FIFTH FLOOR FOURTH FLOOR THIRD FLOOR SECOND FLOOR 50 P TIDEL ROOM 50 PAIR KRONE MDI 5 PAIR PCM CABLE 5 PAIR PCM CABLE 50 PAIR MDF Tidel Cable Riser - A For Tower - A TIDEL PARK elevators and heavy-duty service lifts for vertical transportation. There is ample car parking space in the two basements and on the surface. Entry to the high- security area is achived through a smart card, with CCTV systems monitoring the Park 24x7. There are essential facilities, like a Business Center, Convention Hall, Health Club, Swimming Pool, Food Court, Restaurant, Guest Cottages, Travel Desk, courier service and retail outlets. The main contractors for the project are Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., South Korea, and sub-contractors are Larsen & Toubro Ltd, India (civil engi-neering); nominated sub-contractors are ETA Engineering, Dubai (ACMV); Kone, India ( vertical transportation); BSES Co. Ltd, India (electrical generators). The entire complex is maintained by a reputed international agency. BASIC ARCHITECTURE The aerial view of Tidel Park shows four 12-storey towers – A, B, C and D. Except tower B, which has only two floors currently in use, all the others have office units, sometimes upto three or four in number, on all the 12 floors. KRONE provided Copper based connectivity, using a PCM cable. The second part of this is an industry- standard, single-mode fiber for the communication backbone. Additionally, multimode fiber connectivity has also been offered. THE CHALLENGES The reason for this form of advanced connectivity? Tidel Park wanted a fiber optic communication backbone that could support a wide range of applications – both data applications using multi- mode and data & voice appli-cations using a single- mode. For a backbone riser, this might be an example of an elaborate architecture. The Tidel Park authorities have their own reasons for providing both the technologies in the riser, one of them being a 100-year-term plan. In the clinical architecture, the entire planning cen- tered on how to manage the connectorization process smoothly to ensure that the quality of connectorization is good. The entire network design had KRONE Chennai DataCom, a KRONE-authorized system integrator, as the agency maintaining the site for five years (as per the contract) after the project was completed. Exposed Cables Normally, if standard practices are not followed, there is a fear of cables being exposed. KRONE insisted on running ducts, which were laid out for kilometers on end in the building. The cable was laid out through the ducts. At every floor level, a junction box was placed for the cable to be tied. This was because a vertical riser cannot be wrapped up for considerable lengths. What was to be worked out was how many termina- tions, Copper or fiber, per office per unit had to be main-tained. The STPI and Tidel Park authorities decided that each office unit should have 5 Copper terminations, with one pair of single-mode and multi- mode fiber running, as is usually the case in India. Future requirements had to be kept in mind while laying the fiber, which is being used primarily for inter office communications. DUAL BACKBONE The service providers are primarily using copper. The Park has two separate backbones, so that the occupants can avail of the services of two providers. The Tidel Park authorities had decided early on to build parallel backbones to facilitate an alternate service provider to reach each customer module. TIDEL PARK of silica glass, or plastic. They comprise a light- guiding core with a refractive index n k – which is covered by a glass cladding with a lower refractive index n m . There are three different types of optical fiber. Step Index Multi-Mode Fiber The core diameters of multimode (MM) optical fiber with a step profile range from 100 to 200 mm mm mm. The refractive index profile features a constant refractive index n k at the core and a sharp decline at the interface with the cladding, with the refractive index n k . Several hundred light waves (modes) with different distribution patterns and con-siderable differences in propagation times are transmit-ted. Use: Short-range applications of upto 1 km.; Typical Values: Wavelengths – 850 mm mm mm and data rates of upto 10 Mbit/s. Graded Index Multi-Mode Fiber Graded index fibers have the core glasses so formed that the index of the glass becomes lower towards the outer surface of the fiber. This leads to slight time differences in the transmission speeds of the various modes. Low cost LEDs can be used to launch the light. The core diameter totals 50 or 62.5 mm mm mm in most cables. The 50 mm mm mm fiber features a larger Providing connectivity options for the backbones was-n’t difficult for KRONE as they manufacture and designs optical cables and connectivity products spe- cializing in the “last mile” between network operators and customers. KRONE has laid a 24-core composite fiber-optic cable, comprising 12-core single-mode (9/125 microns) fibers and 12-core multi-mode (62.5/125 microns) from the Tidel Park Data Center to each (occupant) floor on the backbone risers. The composite fiber riser cable is a loose tube design and an LSZH-type. The riser ends at the Tidel Park Data Center on a 24 port 19” rack-mountable fiber distribution box that can accommodate both single-mode and multi-mode cou-plers. The riser at the other end is terminated at each floor on a wall-mount fiber distribution box. From the wall-mount fiber distribution box, each occupant is connected by a two-core zip-cord-type duplex LSZH multi-mode and single-mode horizontal fiber cable, which, in the horizontal, has been terminated on a faceplate at the customer module that can accommodate modular SC adapters for single-mode, as well as multi-mode. SC couplers are used in the faceplates for the fiber cable termination. The best thing about the entire solution is that Krone has installed low-smoke zero-halogen (LSZH) cable that is fire- retardant, both in the riser and in the horizontal. THE BASIC TECHNOLOGY Optical fibers are di-electric light waveguides made Single Mode Fibers Core Cladding f125mm f10mm n m n x = const. n r Graded Index Multi-Mode Fiber Core Cladding f50mm f125mm n m = const. Fibre cross section n k = n(r) n r Index profile Step Index Multi-Mode Fiber Core Cladding f200mm f230mm Cladding n m n k = const. Fibre cross section n Index profile TIDEL PARK product of bandwidth and length (BXL) and lower attenuation. The smaller diameter of this fiber, however, also means a reduced light power in comparison with the 62.5 mm mm mm fiber, so that the attenuation margin is less favorable. Applications: In- house cabling, with ranges of up to 4 km.; Typical Values: Wavelengths – 850 mm mm mm and 1,310 mm mm mm and data rates of up to 100Mbit/s. Single-Mode Fiber Single-mode optical fibers have a core diameter of 10 mm, permitting the propagation of just one light wave. This eliminates the problem of differences in propagation times of different modes. Launching of the light requires high-quality optical laser diodes. Single-mode optical fibers, hence, feature the highest transmission capacity of all types of fiber. Applications: Long-range transmission, with ranges of upto 50 km without repeaters. Typical Val- ues: Wavelengths – 1,310 mm mm mm and 1,550 mm mm mm and data rates of upto 2.4 Gbit/s. ADVANTAGES OF OPTICAL FIBERS n Fiber-optic networks have very low attenuation, so that long transmission distances are possible without signal conditioning. n Optical fibers offer a large transmission bandwidth, so that large amounts of data can be transmitted at high rates. n Glass, as a material, is immune to electro- magnetic interference, so that fiber-optic cables can be laid parallel to power cables without any mutual interference. Optical fibers can be used without any risk in areas with an explosion hazard. n Glass does not conduct electricity. So, the transmitting and receiving equipment is galvanically isolated within a fiber optic network. n Fiber optic networks provide a high degree of pro- tection against eaves-dropping. n Their light-weight, small dimensions and high transmission capacity help save installation space. Fiber-Optic Transmission Route Transmission components may vary greatly, depending upon the user’s requirements for the configuration of his network. The pure fiber optic connection and distribution components between the active components, however, must meet very similar requirements at all fields of applications. Optical communications are based on light, rather than electricity as the information carrier, and on optical fibers, instead of copper wires as the transmission medium. The light is generated, and processed, by the active components (Transmitter and Receiver) and transmitted through the optical fiber. Connections of optical fiber and fiber-optic cables pose special requirements for positioning precision and processing. Fiber Optic Transmission Route Us n Us Modu lar e o Connector Splice Transmitter Through adapter Coupler Distributor Distributer Receiver e o Amplifier Receiver e o Amplifier Us TIDEL PARK Optical fibers are made of silica glass, so it is not pos-sible to solder individual fiber segments to each other, or to connect them using insulation displacement techniques. Special processes have, hence, been developed for joining fiber segments together, either temporarily or permanently. Fiber-optic connectors are used for non-permanent connections of optical fibers. A large number of different connector systems exists worldwide, with differences in terms of operating principles and applications. Positioning, precision and manufacturing tolerances, however, have to fulfill extremely demanding requirements in each case. Permanent connections are established by means of thermal, or mechanical, splices. When laying fiber-optic cables, it may be ensured that suitable splice support devices are available. These devices can be contained in junctions, or in racks, where the fiber-optic cables are stored, or distributed from. These distributors are available in many different versions. It depends on the number of fibers to be managed and the place of use. Other components are couplers and wavelength multiplexers. Both devices help optimize network structures by saving active components and/or fiber-optic cables, while, at the same time, ensuring a higher transmission capacity. The following is an interview with Mr Rajasekar, MD, Chennai Datacom, a ‘total IT and Communications Solutions’ company. Rajasekar, MD, Chennai Datacom, a ‘total IT and coomunications Solution’s company. The company’s core areas of operation cover network-ing, which includes Structured Cabling (for copper and fiber), Local Area Networking (LAN), WAN solutions, VOIP and Voice over Frame Relay (VoFR) solutions. The company is one of the leading System Integrators of Chennai and one which connected Tidel Park. KRONE has always worked through its System Integrators. When the Tidel Park authorities approached KRONE, they forwarded the request to Chennai Datacom, who executed the complete project. What’s so unique about Tidel Park? Tidel Park is the first one of its kind where the authorities have provided a backbone for the occupants. It’s also, possibly, the first site in India where an attempt has been made to adhere to cabling standards. It’s a certified site and will prove to be a benchmark for similar installations in India. There was a unique requirement at Tidel Park in the sense that it was a composite fiber requirement for the riser, 12-core single-mode and 12-core multi- mode. This isn’t normal. It’s a completely new and different kind of application. What was the biggest challenge you faced? According to the contract, we’re supposed to maintain the site for five years. Normally, if standards aren’t followed, the cables are exposed. So, we insisted that the Tidel Park authorities implement ducting. The ducts that were laid out in the building ran into kilometres. This was a critical element in the network implemen-tation, since the decision to provide its own backbone was taken halfway through the project and construction had already begun. However, we managed to do the ducting and have the fiber laid. VISION ON TIDEL PARK Mr D.S. Nagendra, Technical Manager, Premises Cabling, KRONE Communications Limited, speaking on the vision that went behind building the Tidel Park architecture and its speciality, says TIDEL PARK “The Tidel Park project is special for various reasons. The network design had many features that distin- guished it from other similar projects. The backbone was a composite fiber cable with 12 cores of single- mode and 12 cores of multimode on the vertical and a duplex SM and MM on the horizontal. “The number of connectrations was nearly 1,600. This was a complex task, involving a high degree of skill and accuracy on the part of the installer and excellent quality of connectors. This was possible due to the high degree of skill of Chennai Datacom and the timely support of KRONE’s regional distributor, Industrial Enterprises. KRONE worldwide is known for its copper connectivity, but how about fiber? Says Mr Nagendra, “KRONE internationally has executed major fiber turnkey proj-ects. For instance, KRONE has executed a turnkey fiber job in association with Deutsche Telecom for the OPAL project. There, we’ve connected 50,000 subscribers on fiber-to-the home (F2H). KRONE has all the exper- tise in planning and execution of fiber installation. With the acquisition of KRONE by GenTek Inc., our focus and strength on fiber has increased. GenTek has fiber-optic cable manufacturing plants in the US, and this gives us a ready supply source. Questioned on how KRONE provided fiber connec- tivity to the occupants, Mr Nagendra replies, “The vertical fiber cable is terminated on each floor. The horizontal fiber cable starts from the floor distribu- tor and terminates at the customer’s module. The terminations are made on multimedia outlets. These outlets accept both single-mode and multi- mode fiber cables and can accommodate RJ45 commissioning,KRONE supplies connectivity solutions and products for copper and fiber-optic networks. By integrating data cables, optical systems and diagnostic systems and services, KRONE is expand- ing its extensive product portfolio even further. This approach and optimum involvement in DSL rollout, as well as new UMTS solutions, will consolidate the company’s leading market position as a manufac- turer and supplier. Besides setting global standards for decades with connectivity systems for existing applications and future communication infrastructures, KRONE is focussing on innovations that combine unsurpassed product performance with new benefits, while also developing solutions for optimum network safety products for line distribution points that warrant upgrading and streamlining of existing networks to enhance the company’s full range of distribution systems, rounded off by flexible and application- oriented network interfaces. With TrueNet, KRONE also supplies a new struc- tured cabling system that, for the first time ever, is based not just on transmission rates, but also on optimum data throughput and guarantees a zero- error rate. KRONE’s partner company, Vigilant, concentrates on diagnostics systems and supports the warranty for its TrueNet solu-tions. The company has 24 subsidiaries and more than 80 distribution partners, representing the KRONE group in around 140 countries throughout the world. KRONE and its staff of 3,300 recorded sales of $389 million, with international markets accounting for 81 per cent of this figure. Krone is also engaged in providing structured cabling solutions for data networking applications, meeting and exceeding ISO/IEC standards. n . standards! But KRONE is well known for its fiber- optic systems that guarantee future-proof technology in Tidel Park - Built on Strong Fiber TIDEL PARK private. only single-mode fiber for such applications. Consider VSNL. The telecom giant has built its backbone on the Tidel Park premises and used single-mode fiber,