18 August 2008

Cabling in MDF Room


Just want to share my experience when I worked on cabling in MDF room. I shouldn't show you the networking devices that the company use but since they replaced the devices some time ago, I'm free to share the pictures with you.

The company use fiber optic cables as their backbone, connecting the devices in the MDF room to the IDF rooms located on each floor of the building. One floor has 2 IDF rooms, there are total of 22 Floors in the building.

The fibers then terminated on what is called Fiber Distribution Frame (FDF), it's basically the same with patch panels for UTP cables.


The above picture shows how messy the cables are, we had to put labels first and arrange them based on floors they're coming. The orange cables are the fiber patch cords, they are pre-terminated cables that have more reliability then when terminated on-site. The pre-terminated cables are certified first by the vendors that made them.


We tied the cables using velcro cable ties, because we have to be more delicate in handling the fibers. Too much pressure on the cables and who knows what will happen to the fibers inside them.
After arranging the cables, most FDFs have enclosure to keep the cables from outside interference, so we close the FDF to make them neater also.

 
This is where the fiber patch cords are connected to, Cisco Catalyst 6509 for the Core Switches (there are two of them in the MDF room).
Next is to enjoy ourselves for quite nice job, me and my team.