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The conference "Structured cabling system: a high-tech solution or a mass product?", Which was held at the end of October by the Journal of Network Solutions / LAN and the publishing house "Open Systems", made it possible to highlight promising technologies and identify new trends in this mature segment of the Russian market.
It took almost a decade for the first prototypes of structured cabling systems (SCS), in particular the developments of Systimax Labs in 1983, to go beyond laboratories and from a concept to a standardized commercial product. The SCS market began to actively form with the adoption in 1991 of the American ANSI / EIA / TIA-568 Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard. It was followed - in 1995 - by the international standard ISO / IEC 11801, in accordance with which the usual office SCS are built. Since then, additional regulatory documents have been published that describe the requirements and rules for the design and installation of cable routes and telecommunications facilities, system administration, as well as standards for cable components and switching equipment. In addition, SCS standards continued to improve,to meet the growing demands of applications for data transfer rates over Ethernet LANs.
Recent examples include data center cabling infrastructure standards (TIA / EIA-942), fiber certification and testing (TSB-140), home wiring (TIA-570B), and a number of other specifications. In summer 2006, a standard is expected to be adopted to support 10GBaseT (802.3an) 10Gbps applications with a 100m channel over unshielded twisted-pair cables. Another future standard for which products are already being developed is Power over Ethernet Plus (PoEP) with increased power over LAN (55 instead of 30W). According to Avi Kovarsky, vice president of sales for RiT Technologies, 10 Gigabit SCS, PoE technologies and cable infrastructure management systems will be among the main topics of the BICSI conference in January 2006. According to Une-Wim Stalling,Marketing Director of Nexans Cabling Solutions, the most visible trends in the near future should be increased requirements for the technical and operational characteristics of cabling systems, the mass adoption of Category 6 systems, an increase in the share of high-speed networks (10 Gbps), the proliferation of cable infrastructure management systems, the expansion of areas application of SCS, simplification of procedures for their design, installation and operation, improvement of related software products and services.distribution of cable infrastructure management systems, expansion of SCS application areas, simplification of procedures for their design, installation and operation, improvement of related software products and services.distribution of cable infrastructure management systems, expansion of SCS application areas, simplification of procedures for their design, installation and operation, improvement of related software products and services.
Meanwhile, the dynamics of the SCS market noticeably lags behind the dynamics of the IT market as a whole - the fleet of telecommunications and computer equipment is being updated several times faster than the cable infrastructure of a building.
In the total volume of the global ICT market, the SCS segment is relatively small - in 2004, the turnover in seven leading countries amounted to less than $ 2.4 billion (according to the Building Services Research and Information Association, BSRIA ). Abroad, the SCS market is growing at about the same rate as the IT market, but in Russia the situation is different. According to the report of the same BSRIA, in 2004 the volume of the Russian SCS market did not exceed 45-50 million dollars (for products of well-known manufacturers), while in the USA it reached 1.4 billion dollars (43.7% of the world SCS market ). At the same time, in Russia this segment is growing by 5-7% per year (although manufacturers usually cite figures of 15-20%) - the country is second only to India and China in this indicator with their 13-14%.At the same time, the turnover of the domestic IT market is increasing by more than 20% per year.
Such dynamics does not suit the majority of SCS manufacturers and system integrators. Faced with serious difficulties due to falling profit margins, they are looking for a way out in creating integrated products, mastering new segments and approaches to their promotion, and offering additional services. However, there is no question of a crisis in the SCS market - rather, we can talk about a paradigm shift in the context of a slowdown in the pace of innovation, which is typical for many mature markets.
The growing segmentation of the market is manifested not only in the release of new inexpensive products (while maintaining the niche of "elite systems" demanded by a certain category of customers). One of the ways to expand the business is the creation of promising vertical solutions - industrial (Industrial Ethernet), home, secure and intelligent SCS (with cable infrastructure management systems), as well as systems for data processing centers (DPC), business centers, building automation, and the last four areas are considered the most relevant. As noted by Roman Kitaev, director of sales for Systimax Solutions (a division of CommScope), today the market needs just such a vertical segmentation. Andrey Semenov, Development Director of IT-SKS, IT Co., also believes thatthat there is a "turn towards specialized solutions." According to Igor Smirnov, director of the AESP research center for Eastern Europe, AESP singles out the creation of integrated solutions for industrial enterprises (Ethernet IP) and building management systems as one of the promising areas. Yuri Korolev, President of the ICS Group, believes that deep penetration into neighboring market segments, for example, the market of building management systems, can become an incentive for the development of the SCS industry, and movement towards integration with other applications can increase the market turnover three to four times.at AESP, one of the promising areas is the creation of integrated solutions for industrial enterprises (Ethernet IP) and building management systems. Yuri Korolev, President of the ICS Group, believes that deep penetration into neighboring market segments, for example, the market of building management systems, can become an incentive for the development of the SCS industry, and movement towards integration with other applications can increase the market turnover three to four times.at AESP, one of the promising areas is the creation of integrated solutions for industrial enterprises (Ethernet IP) and building management systems. Yuri Korolev, President of the ICS Group, believes that deep penetration into neighboring market segments, for example, the market of building management systems, can become an incentive for the development of the SCS industry, and movement towards integration with other applications can increase the market turnover three to four times.
Crisis of the genre
Like any established market, the domestic SCS market is characterized by a wide range of products that meet various requirements for the price and quality of solutions. According to Roman Kitaev, today it is divided approximately equally between non-certified SCS of unknown manufacturers (noname), cable systems with basic functionality (middle-range) and high-end systems. The range of products of most of the leading suppliers covers several price groups - for different categories of customers, applications and the number of ports they offer SCS of different prices, built on different technologies (shielded and unshielded "copper" SCS Categories 5e / 6, less often - 6a and 7, optical SCS , including "optics to the workplace" - FTTD).
Manufacturers of even inexpensive "branded" certified SCS position their products as "middle class" solutions. So, in Lindex Technologies its own SCS EuroLAN belongs to the same category as SCS of the Molex PN company. OEM components are ordered from Molex PN, Belden CDT and Nexans. In the SCS Exalan + from Sonet Technologies, along with Russian products (Advakom cable, Sonlex optical patch cords, Advakom and CMO cabinets), a number of components from foreign manufacturers are used - Teldor cable, FRD connecting equipment. However, as a rule, almost all components of domestic SCS are manufactured abroad. In fact, Russian manufacturers make money on the service - selection and verification of component compatibility, obtaining Russian certificates, warranty support and training.
According to Andrey Semenov, the slowdown in technical progress in the field of SCS has led to the transition to price competition. According to TRALE, the three most expensive copper solutions are Reihle & DeMassari (R&M), Systimax and Nexans, and the three cheapest systems are Exalan + (from Sonnet Technologies), Belconn and EuroLAN. Prices for products from more than a dozen other manufacturers differ by no more than 5%. Despite the conventionality of such a comparison, the estimate obtained shows that in this segment the cost competition is practically over. The choice of SCS is influenced not so much by the price as by other factors.
The greatest price pressure from the "lower segment" is experienced by the middle-class SCS providers. According to Igor Smirnov, the current stage of the market is characterized by a “crisis of the genre” - a fall in prices to a minimum level (their further reduction is possible only due to the loss of quality) and the transformation of SCS into a “consumer” product. Only investments in technology development allow manufacturers to maintain acceptable quality at a low product cost.
At previous conferences, forecasts were made of the gradual replacement of cheap "nameless" products by inexpensive certified SCS, mainly of Russian production, but today the situation looks less optimistic. According to the estimates of Gennady Silonov, head of SCS direction of TD "Buryy Medved", while SCS of domestic companies accounts for only 15% of the market, the share of “nameless” solutions is up to 45% (in terms of the number of ports), and the growth of the latter is already reaching 20% per year, and as the home networking market develops, it will certainly grow. With the adoption of open Category 6 standards, the chances of Asian manufacturers have only grown.
According to Aleksey Kucheruk, commercial director of the integrator company and installer of Skycom cable systems, in connection with the obvious increase in the consumption of SCS products in the segment of medium and small networks, an effective way to strengthen market positions for SCS manufacturers of a higher price class could be the offer of "lightweight" versions well-known SCS products, possibly under a different market brand.
In this case, the problem of choice, typical for medium-sized networks, would disappear - a well-known brand with a quality guarantee with serious financial investments in cable infrastructure or cheap products from Taiwanese and Chinese manufacturers without any service and long-term guarantees. However, as the experience of Skycom installations shows, inexpensive products (such as Hyperline, PCnet) are quite reliable and work quite well, including in the class of gigabit cable systems.
Meanwhile, some middle-class SCS providers are reporting very high growth rates. According to Mark Bondarev, regional sales manager for Molex PN in Russia and the CIS, over the past two years, the company's turnover in Russia has increased by 32% and 44%, respectively, and the market share has grown to 10% (including deliveries under OEM agreements) ... The country has 250 thousand certified SCS ports from Molex PN, and seven to eight times more - uncertified.
Entering the game
Despite the high competition and saturation of the SCS market, new solutions appear every year - both domestic and foreign. Suppliers and manufacturers try to find the best approaches by offering cheaper products, because for many the cost of the product is of decisive importance. Among the new budget SCS solutions are Molex PN CompactLAN and AESP Signamax SOHO Cabling System, aimed at the market of small cabling systems. Lindex Technologies launched the EuroLAN Mini system - a complete solution designed for the distribution of all low-current multimedia signals in the home or small office, including the Internet, computer network, telephones and faxes, surveillance cameras, sound, DVD and VHS, satellite and public television.
As noted by Alexander Gerasimenko, head of Ostec-Kom, the emergence of new proposals in the middle price range is mainly due to Russian SCS, and the company made an attempt to find an alternative to them - a European manufacturer with an attractive price-quality ratio and services. At the beginning of 2005, Ostec-Com began selling SCS to the Italian Belconn, however, the advancement of this system with a lifetime warranty is slower than expected - just over 4,000 ports have been sold.
A similar strategy was chosen in 2004 by the company "Brown Bear", having brought to the market an inexpensive SCS from PCnet - the largest manufacturer of SCS Category 5e / 6 components in Southeast Asia. The PCnet system comes with a 15-year component (but not system) warranty. According to Gennady Silonov, in terms of price / quality, SCS PCnet is in the same segment as SCS of Russian manufacturers, but somewhat cheaper than them, filling the niche between “nameless” products and inexpensive SCS. He believes that low-cost solutions today do not need a systemic guarantee (in Russia, only about 15% of inexpensive SCS are certified), and such a system can be the optimal choice for users of small companies and home networks - the main consumers of “nameless” products.
SCS TNT "economy class" was released a couple of years ago by the company "Kolan". This is a Russian product with a 15-year component or system warranty. Most of the equipment used in it (patch panels and information outlets) is manufactured by Hsing Chau (Taiwan), and the cable, cabinets, optical and cross-sections are Russian. One of the target product segments is the market for house networks (district distribution networks). The company plans to design and manufacture vandal-proof cabinets to accommodate switches and other equipment.
Meanwhile, according to Marianna Korneva, development director at Veritek Distribution, Russian SCS is characterized by insufficient control over production, assortment, prices and product quality. The implementation of projects based on ready-made solutions from foreign manufacturers practically removes the issues of quality, warranty, service and training, but increases the cost. The company tried to link together all these issues, including labor costs, as well as guarantees by choosing a partner, whose products make it possible to save on some components of the cost of the system and offer attractive solutions for the middle market segment.
As such, the German ASSMANN Electronic was chosen, which has 35 years of experience in the production of all the necessary components for building an SCS under the DIGITUS trademark. DIGTUS is not the ultimate SCS solution, and the manufacturer does not offer specialized training courses and certification. These questions are left to the mercy of the system integrators, who are in any case responsible for the installed systems. Certification is carried out in accordance with accepted international standards. For project implementation, the DIGITUS range is complemented by the popular Estap telecommunication cabinets and Efapel boxes.
Hot topic
Manufacturers of more expensive solutions supply a number of "copper" shielded and unshielded systems of high categories, although so far the market has reacted rather passively to these offers, and sales forecasts diverged from the indicators of real demand. It looks like the situation is starting to change.
Speaking about the current state of the SCS market and technologies, Roman Kitaev noted the tendency towards the prevalence of Category 6 SCS in most countries. According to Mark Bondarev, sales of Category 6 UTP systems have grown sharply since the beginning of the year, so that in terms of their share Russia is approaching foreign countries, where they supplant Category 5e systems. Andrey Semenov, on the other hand, believes that there are no incentives in Russia to switch to Category 6 systems - Category 5e is quite enough for mass applications. Siemon expects demand for Category 5e products to continue for another five years. Note that the opinions expressed largely depend on the supplier's orientation to promoting solutions of a particular class.
SCS Category 6, similar to Category 5e products, provide operation of gigabit applications, but at the same time have two and a half times wider bandwidth (250 MHz). In the horizontal subsystem, Systimax recommends using Category 6 as the most reliable for transmitting gigabit traffic. Even higher speeds are achieved in Category 7 / Class F shielded SCSs supporting 10GBaseT applications on a 100m path, however, analysts predict that in 2006, Category 7 (600 MHz) cable sales will account for only 0.4% of the market, and significant growth is not expected.
Optical technology FTTD also did not make a breakthrough and even lost ground, which is mainly caused by successes in improving "copper" interfaces and reducing their cost. Meanwhile, OM3 multimode fiber is recognized as very attractive as a cost-effective solution for trunk lines and 10 Gigabit applications (up to 300 m). This was facilitated by the gradual decrease in prices for optical interfaces to the level of "traditional" optics. However, leading manufacturers are developing new cost-effective solutions - the cheapening of "copper" interfaces may stimulate the introduction of "copper" cabling that supports 10 Gb / s (2.5 Gb / s over four pairs).
Today, there are four options for supporting 10-gigabit speeds in copper SCS: Category 6 (up to 100 m, shielded), Category 7 (up to 100 m, shielded, 600 MHz), Category 6 (up to 55 m, unshielded), as well as a new Category 6a (up to 100 m, unshielded, 500 MHz). According to Ekaterina Hovhannisyan, director of the international training center of the ICS group of companies, the existing Category 6 systems with a common screen (F / UTP) are capable of supporting 10 Gbit / s at distances of up to 100 m, for which it is enough to slightly improve passive products. It is not yet clear which particular approach will prevail in the implementation of SCS to support such high speeds.
Although the majority of customers have not yet shown interest in such solutions, many leading SCS manufacturers (Systimax, Krone, Nexans, Panduit, Siemon, etc.) are competing in the development of new high-tech "copper" cable systems for 10GbE. To support 10 Gigabit applications, the Category 6 operating frequency range has been extended from 250 MHz to 500 MHz. However, the implementation of such products requires overcoming a number of technical problems, including inter-cable (from adjacent cables in the bundle) and inter-component crosstalk (Alien Crosstalk - ANEXT, PSANEXT, AFEXT, PSAFEXT). There are two main approaches used here - shielding and physical separation of the conductors. These systems require specially designed cables, cords and connectors, and quality control is critical.Since the measurement of external disturbances in the field is very difficult, strict adherence to the installation instructions is essential.
As noted by Oleg Demidenko, commercial director of StreamLan, improvement of cable characteristics can be achieved, in particular, by increasing the diameter of Category 6 copper core from 0.52 to 0.57 mm and reducing the twisting pitch. Pair separation is the standard solution for UTP cables to reduce crosstalk power, although different manufacturers - ADC Krone in Copper Ten, Mohawk / CDT in GigaLAN 10, Panduit in TX6 10GIG UTP and Belden-CDT in 10GX - use different designs. Information sockets and patch panels also have their own characteristics.
As Roman Kitaev notes, 10GbE is the hottest topic in the field of SCS development. A UTP cable to support these speeds over a standard cable path (100 m, four patch points) was created at Systimax in 2004. The company currently offers a complete Category 6a GigaSpeed x10D (500 MHz) SCS for 10GBaseT applications. It features user-friendly design and installation guides.
While Systimax is of the opinion that the unshielded system will be the most widespread, Nexans Cabling Solutions considers shielding to be the best solution to the crosstalk problem. The corresponding shielded solution LANmark-6 10G is distinguished by the ease of installation of shielded connectors and the use of a cable with a diameter of 7.1 mm.
Siemon is one of the few vendors offering all 10 Gigabit SCS options, including optical (SM, MM), unshielded (UTP) and shielded (S / UTP), as well as individually shielded pairs (S / FTP). Siemon's XGLO (Optical), TERA (Category 7 up to 1.2 GHz) and 10G 6 (Category 6a) solutions can be used to create high performance networks. Such products are focused primarily on data processing centers (DPC) and short highways, where they are most in demand today.
According to Systimax, copper solutions for 10 Gigabit Ethernet should be about 40% cheaper than fiber-optic systems due to the use of more expensive electronics in the latter, and, according to Siemon forecasts, copper SCS for 10GbE applications will be 20-50% (depending on the project) cheaper than optical. It is expected that by 2008 the cost of active equipment for 1 and 10 Gbit / s will differ only by half.
The popularity of certain products will be determined by a number of factors, including the reality of meeting the requirements of 10GBaseT in practice, ease of installation and design, the cost of active equipment. With the adoption of the standard, the number of such SCS will increase.
The migration to 10 Gigabit Ethernet will start first in the data center and only then will it spread to the workplace. With the exception of data centers and short routes, the interests of customers are still far from such solutions. Meanwhile, according to Oleg Demidenko, American companies are already ready to start shaping the market for 10-gigabit SCS on UTP cable.
SCS for data centers
In the context of increasing competition in the traditional office SCS market, specialized cable systems for data centers can become a promising new market niche. An integrated approach is becoming increasingly important here, which was reflected in the adoption in July 2004 of the TIA / EIA-942 (Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers) standard, where considerable attention is paid to engineering systems - electrical, air conditioning, cable channels. In addition, a similar standard is being developed in Europe (Draft EN 50173-5: 200x: Information Technology - Generic Cabling Systems, Part 5: Data Centers).
Systimax has developed an engineering concept describing the requirements and recommendations for the design and installation of a data center. Solutions must meet the demands of high-speed protocols, and the choice of cabling must take into account cost, size, growth potential, and quality of service. Although "copper" systems will fall in price faster than optical ones, it is too early to write off optics. It is optical connections that manufacturers recommend to use in data center backbones. Systimax offers a complete portfolio of data center solutions (copper, Category 6 / 6a and optical OM3). A number of other SCS vendors (AMP Netconnect, Panduit, Siemon) also produce specialized data center solutions.
Nexans IES (formed as a result of the acquisition of assets and intellectual property from ITT NS&S) also developed recommendations for organizing cabling in a data center, taking into account architectural requirements and supported applications. For these applications, it is suggested to use high-density optical patch panels (Nexans makes a 96-port 1U patch panel with LC connectors) and careful consideration when choosing patch panels with copper connectors for the horizontal subsystem. According to Harry Forbes, CTO at Nexans IES, ANEXT crosstalk is very difficult to control in UTP systems, and with additions or changes to cabling, this problem will inevitably show itself.Crosstalk occurs between connectors in UTP patch panels and occurs when bundling cables in bundles, especially if they are “copper” cables of different categories.
The main goal of the standard for telecommunication data center infrastructure is to provide developers with comprehensive information about the design of data center infrastructure, including information about the layout of the premises and the structure of the cabling system. 10-gigabit SCS will make it possible to economically connect equipment to the data center, however, according to Yekaterina Oganesyan, making the current experimental products mass and affordable is the task of the coming years. As Andrei Semenov noted, with the help of such niche solutions, manufacturers demonstrate their technological advantages and try to break away from competitors.
Industrial SCS
The development of industry in Russia forces SCS suppliers to pay attention to the segment where specialized solutions are needed with protection against aggressive environments, vibrations, electromagnetic interference, etc. Industrial cable systems have been released by AMP Netconnect, ADC Krone, Panduit, Siemon, Systimax, a number of suppliers offers SCS components for aggressive environments with one or another protection class.
According to Mark Bondarev, in 2005 this market began to develop actively. Molex PN is seriously targeting this segment and introduced a dedicated "industrial system" in October. Its components provide protection of connections from moisture and dust, as well as mechanical damage; internal and external cables have a sheath resistant to aggressive environments; ready-made optical assemblies simplify installation. The complete IP67 cable solution was developed by Nexans. It includes dedicated data outlets, polyurethane shielded S / STP cables (up to 1000 MHz), DIN rail mounted connectors, vibration-resistant patch panels.
Market potential may unfold in the next few years. Most SCS manufacturers so far ignore this small segment, but with the emergence of stable demand and fully standardized technologies, they are ready to start manufacturing the demanded components for industrial applications.
Intelligent SCS
In large networks (1000 ports or more), multiple physical connections have to be managed. According to statistics, up to 70% of network downtime is associated with cable infrastructure. In addition, changes are often required, because up to 40% of employees change their places during the year. Cable infrastructure management systems have become another market niche for SCS manufacturers.
In 1993, RiT Technologies launched PatchView, the first Intelligent Physical Layer Network Management System (IPLMS), which today has over a hundred installations in Russia. In the manufacturer's view, managed SCS is automatically updated in real time information about all connections in a single database, determining the physical location of network resources, reports on the use of ports and other subsystems, increasing the level of network security, transparent management of network infrastructure, planning and step-by-step switching with automatic control of the correctness of operations, fast network recovery after failures, recording all network events, access to the database from anywhere on the network or the Internet.
As Dmitry Nikulin, CTO of the RiT Technologies representative office in Russia and the CIS, noted, the new version of the hardware complex allows the RiT intelligent SCS to be adapted for various types of facilities, whether it be an industrial enterprise, a data center or a remote branch. Strategic development of IPLMS is carried out in two directions: modernization of PatchView equipment and improvement of PatchView for the Enterprise software. Among the trends in the development of such systems are monitoring and administration of SCS ports in remote offices, expanding security functions, support for "power over the network" (PoE) and 10GbE applications, integration of management at the physical and network levels. For autonomous operation in small offices and remote branches, RiT has released a dedicated network scanner PVMax, and the new PVMax patch panels support the PoE standard (IEEE 802.3af) and are automatically recognized by the system. Device Locator helps you quickly determine the physical location of network devices.
The managed SCS market was formed by 2000, and since then the number of companies present on it has increased significantly. In addition to RiT, such products are produced by ADC KRONE (TrueNet PLM), AMP Netconnect (AMPTrac), Belden / CDT (intelliMAC), Brand-Rex (SmartPatch), Molex PN (RealTime), Nexans (LANsense), Ortronics / Legrand (Clarity), Panduit (PanView), Siemon (MapIT), Systimax Solutions (iPatch). The competitive struggle is only getting worse.
The changes also affected the security functions for the control of critical cable lines and the ability to integrate with customers' business applications. The new version of Systimax iPatch provides integration with a network management system (via SNMP) and remote office management. The plans include the release of the iPatch 10GbE patch panel, while Siemon MapIT already supports 10GbE applications. At Nexans, LANsense (which also supports PoE) is seen as an essential link between the physical and network layers, a security and network monitoring tool with real-time logging of all connections. According to Molex PN, its RealTime system pays for itself in an average of three years, and operating costs with changes in the SCS are reduced by 15-25%.
The foundation of an intelligent building
A multipurpose cabling system of a modern building can become a medium for transmitting various information and be used to control and manage the parameters of engineering systems. As Yekaterina Oganesyan notes, ideally, the cable infrastructure of a building is capable of serving as a transmission medium for all low-current services, while in the long term the customer receives multiple benefits in terms of the total cost of ownership. The physical topology "extended hierarchical star" allows to implement various logical topologies ("star" for data transmission, "ring" or "bus" for other low-current systems).
In the optimal case, the project and all work is performed by one contractor, and the subsequent maintenance of the system is carried out by a single group of specialists. The result is convenience and economy of operation.
Systimax also believes that multiple independent building networks lead to limited functionality, suboptimal performance, and high device integration costs. The Systimax BAS solution involves the replacement of multiple cabling networks with a common cabling infrastructure that supports the transmission of control signals. It meets the specifications of the recently published ANSI / TIA / EIA-862 Building Automation System standard, which defines the requirements for such cabling systems.
Unfortunately, the real situation is far from ideal. There are no well-developed approaches yet, and further development is hindered by the conservatism of construction organizations and the small number of building owners for whom such investments are justified. Other obstacles include insufficient prevalence of knowledge and approaches in the field of universal SCS, a small number of contractors with experience in installing integrated systems and facilities, which would statistically prove the effectiveness of the approach in Russian conditions.
Nevertheless, system integrators are gradually expanding into this area with complex building automation projects. Maxim Kreitor, Lead Project Manager of the Department of Automation of Engineering Systems at CROC, spoke about the experience of using SCS Systimax as the basis for a building management system. In such a SCS, smoke detectors, air conditioning and heating systems, warning system devices and a number of other subsystems are connected to the consolidation point.
The cost of the project is directly affected by the ease of installation of the system, because the cost of payment for work reaches 80% of the total investment in the element base of SCS. The same criteria for ease of installation and system modifications apply to cable support systems.
Russian face of SKS
No SCS is unthinkable without cable support systems (CS) - plastic cable ducts (ducts) in office installations or metal trays in industrial systems and data centers. Comprehensive engineering solutions, a wide range of products from domestic and foreign manufacturers allow us to meet the various needs of customers in the organization of cable routes. It is the KNS, and not the cable wiring hidden in them, that the user sees at his workplace, judges the quality of the project by them, and increased aesthetic and technical requirements are imposed on this “face” of the SCS.
This segment of the market, adjacent to SCS and electrics, gives installers the opportunity to make good profits, and it is growing much faster than the SCS market. Traditionally, installers use cable channels of foreign brands during installation. As the DKS admits, the level of trust in Russian products is still not high enough, largely due to the prevailing stereotype about the best quality of foreign products. Nevertheless, Russian suppliers are quite successful in promoting their products. In line with market demands, they develop quality products for the construction of multifunctional cable routes. Experts of the Moscow plant "Ekoplast" consider the creation of a comprehensive range of professional sewage pumping stations and the exclusion of the import component from the cost price as the main achievements.Currently, 89% of domestic raw materials are used in the production of cable channels. In addition, the Russian product is the minimization of risks associated with external logistics and customs regulation.
As noted by Sergey Shulganov, head of the Ekoplast plant, statistics indicate the growth of the Russian market for integrated solutions for laying cable networks for various purposes. According to Dmitry Kolpashnikov, Deputy General Director for Development of DKS, the annual volume of the Russian SPS market (including systems for hidden, open and trunk wiring) is growing by 20-25%, and the DKS turnover in 2004 increased by more than 50%.
The DKS company considers the creation of a national brand capable of taking leading positions as a priority, for which they are implementing a program for the development of distribution and consumer services, expanding the network of distributors, and improving the technological base. The key advantages of the booster compressor station include a wide range of sewage pumping stations that meet various customer needs. In 2006, the company starts supplying the previously announced INLINER Front plastic trunking systems, F5 Combitech wire trays and double-walled conduit pipes.
According to Ecoplast forecasts, already in 2005 the share of domestic producers will exceed 50%, but in Europe the share of national producers is 70-80%. Sergey Shulganov believes that such a ratio will be achieved by Russian producers by 2008.
Currently, customers are paying increased attention to the design of SPS and products for creating branched cable infrastructure, the segment of industrial systems is characterized by rapid growth. Under these conditions, Ecoplast manages to maintain high growth dynamics in terms of assortment and integrated solutions. If at the beginning of 2004 the complexity indicator was just over 50%, now it is approaching 90%. The enterprise produces 550 km of mini-channels and boxes, more than 3 million pieces of accessories per month. A number of other Russian enterprises also produce similar products.
Implementation of SCS projects is impossible without enclosures.
A large number of domestic and foreign manufacturers of these products are represented in Russia. The Turkish company Estap, which produces mounting cabinets and racks in 10 // and 19 // formats, offers engraving of logos on the front of the cabinets, various design options, coating of any texture and color. As stated, such products are quite affordable at a price that can be optimized by the principle of "technical sufficiency" - the products do not contain any excesses that increase the cost. Collapsible cabinets (including server models) provide transportation savings.
AESP has a different approach to the release of these products and believes that the embodiment of the maximum number of original developments, designs and engineering ideas in metal allows implementing advanced solutions and increases the value of the product for the consumer. The struggle to reduce prices should be carried out by optimizing our own resources and technological cycles, and not by improving the design.
Problem of choice
Over the past five years, the share of the cost of SCS in the information system has increased by one and a half to two times (active equipment is getting cheaper much faster). Meanwhile, the annual appearance of new SCS products on the domestic market complicates the problem of choice. As Andrey Semenov noted, one should beware of conceptual, economic, ideological, technical and organizational mistakes, and some methods of unfair competition can force an insufficiently trained user to make the wrong decision. Among such techniques are a reduced thickness of the gold coating of contacts, the use of panels without an organizer on the back side, no guarantees for the attenuation parameters when the cable temperature rises, the use of a continuous coating of the conductors of horizontal cables instead of foamed, etc.Taking into account the above criteria helps to analyze the proposals of system integrators for the implementation of structured wiring and to achieve the maximum efficiency of the created system as a result.
The main reason for mistakes is the desire to reduce the cost at any cost. According to Andrey Semenov, the technical level of the solution should be considered first, then the possibility of implementing the project on time and with the specified quality, and only after that the cost of the work and the element base should be estimated. In the case of a cheap system, the likelihood of problems due to the low quality of the components increases significantly. It should also be borne in mind that each SCS corresponds to its own market segment, and certified systems are usually implemented more carefully. Failure to understand the principles of building SCS - a complex technical object with its own strict laws and regulations - leads to errors during installation, and therefore, the role of technical specialists of the supplier, system integrator and customer increases.
Evgeny Vlasov, a lecturer at Neksotel, noted that as a result of the wrong approach to the choice of SCS, attempts to build a cable system from components with inconsistent electrical characteristics and physical parameters, it becomes impossible to guarantee the SCS performance at the level of standards requirements, to maintain a full range of applications, to avoid losses to replace defective components and from inevitable network downtime. Therefore, a complete solution from one supplier has a number of advantages.
Conclusion
SCS suppliers are increasingly focusing the customer's attention not on one or another "category" or the original design of the patch panel, but on complete vertical solutions for a specific segment. Some have already been producing SCS for data centers for several years, solutions for the SMB / SOHO market, industrial systems, others have only now paid attention to these areas. The adoption of the relevant standards contributes to the development of new niches in the SCS market, but the standards do not yet cover a number of areas. Roman Kitaev considers cable systems for business centers to be one of the promising segments of the SCS market, where theoretical developments and standard solutions are practically absent, despite the experience accumulated by integrators.
Adjacent areas are also being developed. Among the directions developed by AESP is the protection of information systems from peak voltages and parasitic currents. The company intends to develop and supply protection systems for Category 5e / 6. Molex PN offers LaserStream fiber pneumatic routing system, Nexans focuses on wireless solutions and PoE support.
In the current market conditions, service is also acquiring great importance - technical and informational support, including certification and training programs, consultations, site audits, etc. Nexans Cabling Solutions offers network courses, consultations, E-Learning trainings, E-Services information, designer tools, cable systems audit services. Design tools speed up the process by up to 50% and significantly reduce errors, according to Nexans. When promoting the new SCS Belconn "Ostec-Com" supports partners at all stages of project development and provides services. The software developed by the company allows you to interactively form a set of components taking into account compatibility.
A special role is assigned to the training of specialists. Systimax Solutions plans to develop this direction at a qualitatively new level. In January-February 2006, the company opens special courses at the CompTek training center, which will reflect the entire infrastructure of the data center / server room from the point of view of designing cabling systems.
82% of the SCS market is made up of "copper" solutions, with 54% being for connecting elements, and 46% for cables. For several years now, Russia has been producing cable products that are used in several Russian SCSs, but the demand for such products attracts new manufacturers. In 2004, the production of Category 5e, 6 and 7 cables, as well as coaxial cables (analogs of RG 6 and RG 11) using the equipment of the Swiss company Maillefer, was mastered by the Uncomtech holding on the basis of the Kirskabel plant. According to Ivan Noskov, Deputy Technical Director of Unkomtech, a complete technological chain has been created for the manufacture of cables up to SSTP Category 7 with a large margin of basic characteristics (8-10 dB). The enterprise produces 1.5 thousand km of cable per month, and in January the capacity is planned to be doubled.
As noted by Roman Kitaev, the SCS conference is one of the few events where specialists can meet and communicate with each other, get information about the general development of this area. Systimax Solutions and CROC became the "gold" sponsors of the conference of the current fourth conference. The meeting was held in an expanded format - with the participation of specialists and managers of distribution companies and installers, system integrators, manufacturers of SCS components and passive network infrastructure, as well as representatives of customers responsible for the infrastructure, and an exhibition of products from participating companies was organized in the foyer. The new format poses a difficult task - to make the forum interesting and informative for all its participants.
Sergey Orlov
columnist for the Journal of Network Solutions / LAN
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