December 2002/ January 2003 Vol9 No6 STATE OF THE ART FIBRE OPTIC FACILITY UNVEILED AEEMA AWARD WIN THREE YEARS RUNNING A t the conclusion of what has been a challenging year in the IT&T industry KRONE Australia has maintained our position as market leader, continually developing leading edge products for the global market Our commitment to Australian manufacture continues with the official opening of a new fibre manufacturing line at our Berkeley Vale complex by the Honourable Bob Carr, Premier of NSW, on November 14th The fibre line utilises unique manufacturing techniques to produce enhanced fibre cable - Superior to that of other manufacturers The cable manufactured from this line will complement our existing range of fibre cable and products KRONE’s ongoing commitment to R&D and manufacturing was acknowledged recently when we won the prestigious Australian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (AEEMA) Award for Global Excellence through Smart Manufacturing This award, presented by The Honourable John Howard, recognises our manufacturing competence and our investment in leading edge manufacturing techniques This is the third year in a row that KRONE has been recognised for excellence in the fields of R&D, Manufacturing and Product Stewardship This year we have developed several world class products Our Generation NEXT Roadshow held in October saw the very successful launch of the new PremisNET levels, GLOBAL LEADER and ENTERPRISE and the release of the much ® anticipated Category HIGHBAND 25 highdensity, cross-connect solution Our efforts to diversify have been rewarded with the successful release of the GPO (General Purpose Outlet) and CPO (Ceiling Power Outlet) These products utilise the unique KRONE LSAPLUS contact principle This technology has been described by many as the greatest innovation in the electrical market and will see KRONE become a household name in the electrical industry The only thing that is constant in our industry is change In this issue we look at the ever-changing landscape of the structured cabling market and how this will affect your business planning for the future We will also reflect on KRONE’s many achievements during the past year Next year will see Network News published quarterly, with the first issue being released in March We will continue to keep you fully aware of our developments at KRONE and other issues of importance to the industry I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for a prosperous 2003 We look forward to continuing to develop new technologies to meet your needs Thank you for your ongoing support ® Sincerely Craig Jones CEO CONTENTS networknews@ krone.com.au Customer Stories 10 KRONE logistics help T otal Cabling to win NECA Award Seven relies on KRONE for it’s new digital broadcasting centre 4 KRONE New s KRONE Indo-Pacific bucks the Copyright © 2001 KRONE Australia Holdings Pty Limited NETWORKnews global market trend KRONE continues to expand through tough times Our PremisNET team strengthens 2002 – The year in review New fibre optic manufacturing facility unveiled Product Focus 16 KRONE’s commitment rewarded… Business Articles 12 Active managed networks Website: www.krone.com.au Email: kronehlp@ krone.com.au KRONE INDO-PACIFIC BUCKS THE GLOBAL MARKET TREND The Telecom and IT w orld t oughed it out during 2002 w it h t he dow nt urn in t he global market Not w it hst anding t his t rend KRONE’s Indo Pacif ic Region has perf ormed ext remely w ell N otably for KRONE, a major event in 2002 was the release of the new KM8 range of Category RJ products in line with the ratification of the Category standard KRONE was one of the first developers of Category products with the launch of the Ultim8 range over four years ago T oday Ultim8 remains as the worlds highest performing Category crossconnect solution This year Ultim8 has been supplemented by the development and release of HIGHBAND 25, a 25pair version KRONE also continues to lead the world with its T rueNet ™ solution, which is the worlds first structured cabling solution to offer Zero Bit Error Rate performance In access networks, KRONE launched its BROADBAND range of connectivity products This is a portfolio of product solutions for Broadband access networks ranging from xDSL splitters for both the central office and CPE locations, to local loop connector solutions suitable for 100 Mb/s plus speeds These products are especially designed for the Full Service Access Networks (FSAN) that many new operators are deploying in this part of the world India emerged in 2002 as one of the biggest global growth hotspots, where with an average of just four lines per 100 people and a population of billion it is one of the few countries that remain with considerable catch-up growth potential This year saw the real emergence of three new network operators in India All three are subsidiaries of India’s industrial giants who have thrown their weight into the telecom space India’s big advantage now is that these new operators are rolling out a truly Broadband network, at a rate of more that million lines per year, with the latest fibre to the curb technology and 100 Mb/s plus capable copper loop for the last few hundred metres All three new operators have chosen KRONE as their supplier of end-to-end Broadband local loop connectivity During 2002 KRONE Australia continued as undisputed market leader in structured cabling This leadership status has come about through the long-term commitment that KRONE has made to the Australian market in being Australia’s only true local developer and ® ® manufacturer of connectivity products KRONE made a further commitment to its future in Australia by investing in a manufacturing line for tight buffered fibre optic cable at its Berkeley Vale facility This makes KRONE the only vendor with cable and connectivity R& D and manufacturing capabilities in Australia KRONE Australia also showed the value of local R & D with the success of its joint development with Gerard Industries for a quick connect system for power outlets This product will save the electrical industry a huge amount of installation time and has been highly acclaimed as revolutionary by the industry by Bob Fitzgerald, KRONE Regional M anaging Director, IndoPacific Operations Our global mission and vision is: To be t he “ end t o end” passive syst ems solut ion supplier of choice t o net w ork operat ors, carriers, equipment manuf act urers, inf rast ruct ure and building ow ners, occupiers and developers f or premises, access and t ransport net w orks New Zealand has been a tough market this past year While the economy continued strong, the restructuring brought about by mergers and acquisitions in the telecom sector caused a considerable lull There was also a general downturn in the enterprise market Despite this, KRONE has managed to increase it’s market share in New Zealand Our global mission and vision is: T be the o “ end to end” passive systems solution supplier of choice to network operators, carriers, equipment manufacturers, infrastructure and building owners, occupiers and developers for premises, access and transport networks Having witnessed a tough but very successful 2002, we look forward to 2003 when we can continue to pursue this vision, meeting the needs of our customers with the very best products and service NETWORKnews KRONE CONTINUES TO EXPAND THROUGH TOUGH TIMES KRONE Aust ralia’s research and development depart ment is alw ays st riving t o develop t he leading-edge t echnology t hat our cust omers demand and t his year has been no except ion T his year has seen many new developments in our industry The long awaited release of AS/NZS 3080:2002 has finally eventuated, providing us with a fully ratified guide to the requirements of high-speed copper cabling systems Constant changes in the standard over the past four years have meant an ever-changing target for the development of new products We recently launched our new streamlined PremisNET levels, GLOBAL LEADER and ENTERPRISE This customer oriented model was presented to over 400 invited guests at our Generation NEXT Roadshow seminars held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra KRONE’s revised Installer and Warranty requirements were also unveiled at the Generation NEXT seminars ® by Peter Davis, Sales and M arketing M anager, KRONE Australia If you would like to view presentation transcripts f rom t he Generat ion NEXT Roadshow, visit w w w.krone.com.au/new s/event s/gennext / October saw the culmination of more than two years of research and development with the release of the eagerly awaited HIGHBAND 25 product portfolio The only product of its kind in the world, the HIGHBAND 25 provides true Category performance in a disconnect format This disconnect feature provides for Patch By ® ® Exception (PBE) PBE allows for the most cost effective cross-connect solution, especially beneficial in high-density situations Designed and manufactured in Australia, the HIGHBAND 25 forms the basis of our PremisNET GLOBAL LEADER solution It complements the unique KM8 jack and our range of T rueNet™ cable and patch cords HIGHBAND 25 sets new standards in network performance Whilst many companies in our industry are downsizing, KRONE continues to grow We have recently expanded our Australian manufacturing facility on the NSW Central Coast to include an enhanced fibre optic cable manufacturing line The enhanced fibre produced on this line will complement our existing portfolio of fibre products and enable us to strengthen our position in the international market place More information on our enhanced fibre optic cable products can be found on page The future looks bright for KRONE Australia There are some exciting new innovations planned for 2003 Our sales force will continue to expand to meet the growing needs of our customers We will continue to keep you aware of new developments at KRONE and other issues of importance to the industry We look forward to continuing our partnerships and to the challenges the New Year will bring OUR PremisNET TEAM STRENGTHENS… T Mark Blake Victorian Sales Executive, PremisNET NETWORKnews o meet the growing demand for our PremisNET connectivity solutions we have expanded our PremisNET team with the appointment of Mark Blake as Victorian Sales Executive and Alex Price as NSW Sales Engineer Prior to joining KRONE Mark was involved in developing specialist distributors of structured cabling infrastructure He brings to the team a wealth of experience in the fields of sales and marketing Mark’s new position will see him focusing his expertise on developing our corporate customer base - focusing on end-users and consultants Alex Price, previously a Sales Executive in KRONE’s NSW office, has taken on the role of Sales Engineer, concentrating on pre-sales activity, targeting the corporate market segments This position will enhance KRONE’s technical expertise in this demanding market Looking ahead to 2003, our PremisNET team will continue to expand Sales Executives are being sought for both our New South Wales and Far North Queensland offices These new roles will strengthen our position as market leader and provide opportunities to further develop our sales in these areas 2002 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW JANUARY M AY CeBIT Darling Harbour, Sydney CeBIT attracted over 13,000 visitors JUNE KM Release Release of the KM8 RJ45 modular jack with the revolutionary cable management system for reliable, repeatable termination JULY HighTIM E PremisNET HighTIME provides customers with invaluable industry information Held at Rafferty’s Resort this years conference attracted over 100 delegates HighTIM E AccessNET Held in Melbourne AccessNET HighTIME 2002 was the biggest ever! Terrigal SLSC sponsorship The beginning of a new partnership with T errigal Surf Life Saving Club on the NSW, Central Coast Introduced year validity on all KRONE training courses SEPTEM BER AEEM A Aw ard For the third year in a row KRONE takes out an AEEMA Excellence Award, this time for Global Excellence through Smart Manufacturing OCTOBER TrueNet Cable New T ape Filled T rueNet cable C5E Patch Cords Released Over-moulded to improve performance HIGHLIGHT 24 Port fibre Patch panel Generation NEXT Roadshow Showcasing our new HIGHBAND 25 solution ® Can be configured for left or right front opening Class II laser product PremisNET GLOBAL LEADER and ENTERPRISE levels launched New streamlined PremisNET levels GLOBAL LEADER and ENTERPRISE levels released Ceiling Pow er Outlet Another joint development, the CPO will reduce installation time by 75% OCTOBER General Purpose Outlet Joint development with Gerard Industries will revolutionise the electrical industry New Endorsed Installer Agreements NOVEM BER Endorsed Installer Agreements Updated to reflect new standards and emerging technologies Fibre manufacturing facility officially opened The official opening of our new Manufacturing facility for enhanced fibre cable DECEM BER Warranty programme Introduction of the new warranty programme NETWORKnews NEW FIBRE OPTIC MANUFACTURING Despit e a global slow dow n in t he market f or f ibre opt ics, KRONE Aust ralia has experienced cont inued grow t h in our f ibre sales over t he past f ew years O by Alan Craw ford, Product M anager Fibre Optics, KRONE Australia n Thursday November 14th, The Honourable Bob Carr MP Premier of New , South Wales, unveiled our new manufacturing line for enhanced fibre optic cable at our Berkeley Vale facility on the NSW Central Coast More than 50 customers and dignitaries attended the official opening and were shown around the new facility Mr Carr described KRONE as a company with an international reputation based on a culture of innovation and quality “ If you look at KRONE, you see a company that is on the cutting edge of the development of this new competitive, globally engaged Australia ” said Premier Carr More than $3,000,000 has been invested in the new manufacturing facility The Department of State and Regional Development assisted with funding for the project The line will provide Craig Jones, CEO KRONE Australia; Paul Crittenden, M ember for Wyong; Bob Carr, NSW Premier and Greg Best, M ayor Wyong Shire Council State of the art manufacturing equipment NETWORKnews extensive export and employment opportunities and is capable of generating up to $8,000,000 turnover per annum State-of-the-art manufacturing equipment is used in the production of the enhanced fibre cable The high-performance fibre cable produced on the line is unique to KRONE and provides the foundation on which high-speed communications networks are built This investment to extend our fibre manufacturing capabilities will ensure we continue to offer our M r Carr described KRONE as a company w it h an int ernat ional reput at ion based on a cult ure of innovat ion and qualit y FACILITY UNVEILED customers the highest performing fibre optic solutions available on the market KRONE’s technically advanced tight buffered fibre cable is the only product of its type on the market and features a unique fibreglass central strength member The central strength member provides greater lateral support and integrity during and after installation The advantage of this is that the fibre cable can withstand installation forces up to 1KN, twice that of standard riser cable, ensuring maximum network performance at all times Another unique property of KRONE’s enhanced fibre cable are the planetary stranded elements This process allows the fibres to be equally distributed around the central strength member The bundled elements are then contra helically wound with DuPont Kevlar® reinforcement to ensure equal support to the bundled fibres As a result each fibre maintains an equal bend radius ensuring maximum data throughput While most fibre cable on the market uses aramid yarn, (a mix of Kevlar and other materials) KRONE fibre uses 100% Kevlar reinforcement ensuring the best support and protection of the fibre bundles KRONE fibre uses the superior polyester material DuPont Hytrel® for tight buffering Hytrel is easily stripped and as a result, installation is faster and easier than with other fibre cables The faster installation time results in real cost savings This investment in our manufacturing facility is further evidence of our ongoing commitment to Australian Research & Development and Manufacturing Craig Jones and Premier Bob Carr unveiling the plaque NETWORKnews KRONE LOGISTICS HELP TOTAL KRONE’s Cat egory TrueNet solut ion is at t he core of t he communicat ions inf rast ruct ure I by Carl Holmes, Sales Executive PremisNET, KRONE Western Australia n September, Perth-based Total Cabling Solutions (TCS), won the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Small Enterprise Award, WA, for it’s communications infrastructure project for Unisys Payment Services Limited (UPSL) Unisys had been awarded a contract by a consortium of several major banks to develop a 24-hour cheque processing facility in Perth, capable of handling 10,000 cheques per hour A condition of the agreement was that the facility be up and running within 30 days TCS won the business because of its communications expertise, track record and the guarantee of the smooth delivery of the network infrastructure, on time “ KRONE w as select ed because it w as a Unisys st andard Unisys sit es around t he count ry are maint ained around t he KRONE product ,” he said PRODUCTFOCUS The contract, worth $240,000 to TCS was the largest ever handled by the company, more than twice the size of the company’s previous largest undertaking “ We had four days to design the project and 25 days to complete it prior to handover on the 1st day of the next month That’s real pressure,” said TCS’ Brad Giles NETWORKnews Adding to the challenge: the engineering project managers and network designers, IT&C Services, were located in Sydney, the interior designers in Melbourne and because Unisys dealt with preferred communication vendors, most of the supplies were sourced from interstate This situation was compounded by the fact that, once UPSL was installed in the new premises, power could not be disconnected for any reason due to the facility’s seven day x 24hour operations “ There was no margin for error or delay,” said Mr Giles “ It was vital all components arrived on the scheduled date to enable an efficient and effective flow of work.” Problems solved by TCS included the local sourcing of a new 250Kva generator and finding a manufacturer who could make three major switchboards within the timeframe The complex project required: new CT meters, complete modification to main site switchboards and upgrading of the building’s sub-mains Subcontractors were used for fire detection, access control, MATV and switchboards; more than 3,700 letters and numbers were engraved on switches, GPOs and data outlets and there were 250 metres of 500mm wide cable tray to manage The state-of-the art computer room for UPSL comprised 11 computer racks, threehour fire rating, complete surge protection and monitoring M ASTERM INDER Provides superior cable management and improves installation time of patch panels Masterminder will fit on all KRONE patch panels Mounting screws are provided CATEGORY TrueNet CABLE This new T rueNet cable provides true Category performance with a reduced outside diameter The use of a tape separator in the construction of this cable ensures excellent cross-talk performance CABLING TO NECA WIN KRONE’s Category T rueNet end-to-end data cabling solution was at the core of the communications infrastructure It comprised HIGHBAND consolidation points on 11-way frames and Category patch panels “ KRONE was selected because it was a Unisys standard,” said Joe Rahme, Senior Electrical Engineer, IT&C Services “ Unisys sites around the country are maintained around the KRONE product,” he said “ The delivery of patch leads, patch panels and technical support was important when it came to meeting the tight deadline KRONE delivered well on all counts, providing technical support and network inspections before, during and after the construction phase.” Complimenting TCS, Mr Rahme added: “ Though IT&C is based in Sydney, we operate on a national scale on major infrastructure projects In the timeframe TCS had to complete the Unisys installation, the workmanship, general installation techniques and attention to detail provided was extraordinary.” Our sales team in WA has both technical and project management expertise and handled the logistics of transporting the product to WA As one of the few Unisys vendors with representation in the west, we also were available to provide technical assistance as required The Unisys solution comes with a 15-year warranty for the entire structured cabling system As part of that warranty, to ensure maximum network throughput and efficiency and adherence to industry standards, KRONE conducted inspections of the SCS during cable installation, termination of outlets and at the end of the project TSC is a KRONEendorsed installer and regularly updates the skills of its team at KRONE training sessions “ We realised the benefits of our training when we had to lay 31 kms of cable to 800 outlets in three days and then terminate and test more than 1,100 points in the two days before our hand-over deadline,” said Mr Giles Congrat ulat ions t o TSC on it s WA NECA Aw ard – it w as t he only WA w inner – and good luck f or t he nat ional NECA f inals, t o be held lat er t his year from left to right: Rod Hale WA state manager NECA, Brad Giles TCS, Neil Harrison State M anager M M EM , Damian Hegarty TCS CATEGORY 5E PATCH CORDS New to KRONE’s PremisNET ENTERPRISE Solution, these patch cords feature overmoulding to hold the pairs in a constant position improving performance They are available in a variety of colours and lengths These cords must be used in all KRONE Warranted sites HIGHBAND 25 The unique HIGHBAND 25 module combined with innovative patch cordage, superior cable management and excellent labelling delivers the performance needed ® NETWORKnews SEVEN RELIES ON KRONE FOR IT’S KRONE provides t he inf rast ruct ure f or t he dist ribut ion of AES digit al, audio, analogue and linear t imecode W by Doug M ontgomery, Victorian Key Account M anager AccessNET, KRONE Australia 10 NETWORKnews hen the Seven Network established its state-of-the-art digital broadcast centre, it selected KRONE Australia’s AccessNET ™ products as the basis for its television infrastructure The new centre operates as the central broadcasting facility for the Seven Network, Australia’s largest commercial television organisation The site is adjacent to the T elstra Dome within the developing Docklands precinct The Australian Broadcasting Authority has allocated digital broadcasting licences to Seven for its television services in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and regional Queensland Seven’s Broadcast Centre, Melbourne (7BCM) now controls distribution of analogue and digital broadcasting on a national basis thus achieving its goal of full centralisation At present, 7BCM produces all of the network’s on-air programming requirements for all states with each feed comprising separate analogue (P AL), digital and clean components for the regional affiliates The Melbourne News operation has also been incorporated at the centre New additions to the compliment of digital channels include Channel 77 for Melbourne and Sydney audiences Television systems integrator, Thomson Multimedia, was commissioned by the Seven Network to build the Centre, progressively expanding digital broadcasting capabilities on a national basis For Thomson, Dieter Hoehler is the Project Manager responsible for the ongoing project, working with Seven Network Broadcast Systems Engineering Manager, John Albiston John Albiston reports to Project Manager Andrew Anderson (Seven) and the local Project Manager for Thomson, Volga Berchtenbreiter KRONE’s representative on the project is Victorian AccessNET Key Account Manager, Doug Montgomery “ The KRONE solution is operating in the Digital Broadcast Centre in Melbourne as well as in Seven’s Sydney Broadcast Centre,” said Mr Hoehler Mr Albiston comments: “ The KRONE installation at both sites is used in the distribution of AES digital audio, analogue and “ We considered a number of alt ernat ive solut ions but decided KRONE w as t he best choice f or t he t ask because of it s f lexibilit y linear timecode As such, the audio component of all programming which is broadcast by the Seven Network throughout Australia is passed via this KRONE infrastructure It is also extensively used for the Seven Melbourne News Operation at the Broadcast Centre “ We considered a number of alternative solutions but decided KRONE was the best choice for the task because of its flexibility “ KRONE also was selected based on our prior use of and exposure to the product KRONE product had been used by Seven at its older NEW DIGITAL BROADCASTING CENTRE Doug M ontgomery w ith Seven Netw ork Broadcast Systems Engineering M anager, John Albiston at the Seven’s Broadcast Centre, M elbourne broadcasting sites Our experience of working with them in the past meant there were no unexpected implementation issues and everything went as planned “ The long-standing reputation of the company was also important to us,” added Mr Hoehler Our research and customer feedback tells us the reason KRONE has become the industry standard for communications networks in Australia is our reputation for quality, reliability and performance It’s certainly rewarding when such a major customer as the Seven Network selects us again, on those criteria, to help it achieve the challenge of digital broadcasting ABOUT THE SEVEN NETWORK Building on it s st rengt h in broadcast t elevision, as Aust ralia’s largest commercial t elevision net w ork, Seven is developing a signif icant presence in new communicat ions t echnologies, including t he development of digit al t elevision in Aust ralia This st rengt h is built on a commit ment t o produce and deliver programming relevant t o Aust ralians – t hrough broadcast and subscript ion t elevision, online and consumer magazines The KRONE solution for the Seven Digital Broadcasting Centre Wall-Mounted Distribution Frame, 600 Pair LSA-PLUS Series Connect Modules LSA-PLUS Earth Module Green/Yellow Series T Cord, Pole Open Ended est NETWORKnews 11 ACTIVE MANAGED NETWORKS St ruct ured Cabling has been evolving w it h t echnology and t he inst alled base expanding, f or t he past 15 years During t hat t ime it has served it s purpose w ell S tructured Cabling has proven to be a flexible infrastructure platform on which corporate data can be reliably transported, using every imaginable signal type ranging from analog voice to a wide variety of digital protocols THE CHANGING TIMES by Glen Johnston, M anager M arketing & Product Development, KRONE Australia Often referred to as “ level zero” in the level OSI model, structured cabling has always been about connection flexibility and the ability to provide a common platform for all signals Now we are seeing the convergence of the lower OSI levels, driven by a universal trend towards a common layer in the form of the IEEE 802.3xx Ethernet and through the adoption of TCP/IP at layers 3&4 As a consequence of this, the demands for the kind of physical cross-connecting flexibility that structured cabling has had in the work area in the past (shown in figure 1), is now becoming less frequent This convergence of layers and has given the network manager the ability to move the “ connectivity” administration from a hardware related cross-connect function to a Businesses t oday are demanding more f rom communicat ion t echnologies They w ant t o communicat e w it h t heir client s using voice, dat a and images software controlled function This has the potential to make the workarea network (shown in figure 2) more dynamic and flexible and lowers both cabling equipment and installation costs as well as ongoing maintenance costs WHAT IS ACTIVE MANAGED STRUCTURED CABLING™ (AMSC) AMSC is a cabling technology evolution invented by KRONE AMSC comes about when there is no longer a need to manage cabling through physical cross connects, rather, all management and administration is done through software control This is realised when all user outlets in the network are wired “ active” and are 13 NETWORKnews managed by Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Hence there is no ensuing need for patch fields Active Managed Structured Cabling is a solution option within KRONE’s PremisNET GLOBAL LEADER portfolio The GLOBAL LEADER portfolio is designed for both large and small companies who are true global leaders in their field, where the application of technology gives them a leading and competitive edge ® VoIP AND WHY IT CHANGES THE PREMISES CABLING SCENE Most traditional business phone networks use the Public Switched T elephone Network (PSTN) This system employs circuit-switched technology that requires a dedicated voice channel to be assigned to each particular conversation T oday, business phone networks are on a fast migration path to Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP This is a system where the voice signal is digitised, compressed and packetised This compressed digital message no longer requires a voice channel Instead, digitised voice can be sent across the same data lines that are used for the Intranet or Internet The message can now share bandwidth with other voice, data and image messages in the network and the work area WHY DEPLOY VoIP? Businesses today are demanding more from communication technologies They want to communicate with their clients using voice, data and images, all of which require increased bandwidth Communication networks offering this increased bandwidth - cable networks, company Intranets and the Internet are becoming more popular and the cost of bandwidth is fast reducing Consumers also want simplification by having all their communication services through one reliable network A converged VoIP Data network, offers just this solution, allowing a business to use their existing data network to make telephone calls All this is achieved while eliminating the costs to sustain analog peripherals, including the purchase and maintenance of separate hardware and service charges QUALITY OF SERVICE When VoIP technology was in its infancy there were many problems with the quality of service when compared to an analog phone call T oday VoIP technology has improved dramatically, the major public network operators use VoIP extensively in their own networks A VoIP phone call over a virtual private network (VPN) is now almost indistinguishable from an analog call - in fact it has a better quality THE NEXT GENERATION OF STRUCTURED CABLING All of this has a significant impact on premises cabling Structured cabling philosophy until now has been for a wiring solution that can carry both analogue voice and digital data signals This was achieved by adopting a standard topology and cable type, which delivered each signal type over discrete cable pairs from active equipment in the equipment room and Floor Distributor, to the work station VoIP enables both voice and data signals to be carried over Ethernet on layer and share the same protocol If required, the VoIP can be transported on the same cable pairs and the same active equipment in the work area as the non-voice data With this situation the part of the premises cable netw ork previously required for discrete telephony signals becomes redundant Figure 1: Typical integrated voice and data structured cabling installation NETWORKnews 14 THE NEED FOR PATCHING DISAPPEARS One major impact of this convergence is the advent of networks with “ all outlets active” and the subsequent lack of need for patching fields For most users the primary objective in implementing a converged solution is to reduce the cost, delay and time taken to implement moves and changes VoIP telephony uses the handset’s (or workstations) IP address to route calls Hence the VoIP handset, just like a network PC, can be moved from one workstation outlet to any other active outlet on the network and will function correctly with no work required apart from the physical move This benefit, coupled with the continuing reduction in the cost per active port on switches, is leading to sites being cabled with “ all outlets active” Convergence brings signif icant user benef it s t o t he st ruct ured cabling net w ork and KRONE leads t he w ay in delivering Act ive M anaged Solut ions This is a complete turnaround in perspective since structured cabling was first introduced 15 years ago Then, the actives were so expensive that patching was the only available effective solution to manage access T oday, the costs associated with the actives makes an “ all outlets active” solution much more viable With network convergence, the need to cross connect has become less popular amongst network administrators WHAT REPLACES THE PATCH PANEL IN ACTIVE MANAGED STRUCTURED CABLING™ With an “ all outlets active” network there is no longer a need for patch panels in the Floor Distributor The workstation cabling is simply interconnected to the Layer switch via KRONE’s unique high density Category Ultim8 and HIGHBAND 25 break-access modules The break-access feature incorporated in the Ultim8 and HIGHBAND 25 cable termination module provides connection access for data circuit testing and if required allows a means of service restoration in the event of a switch port failure The advantages of this are: Less cabling equipment space is needed in Floor Distributors and equipment rooms ® ® 15 NETWORKnews Fewer expensive equipment racks and lower installation and connecting equipment costs as a result of the elimination of patch panels and patch cords A more reliable network due to the exclusion of patch port connections and patch cord disturbances Higher transmission performance due to the removal of cable length and the number of connection points in the circuit path between the L2 switch and the workstation Lower administration and record keeping as Active Management stops unauthorised patching By using the unique KRONE Ultim8 and HIGHBAND 25 modules, workstation wiring can still be patched in the event of the need to restore service eg in the event of a faulty L2 switch port ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE ACTIVE NETWORK How does SNMP support network management? Simple Network Management Protocol was developed as a tool to allow network administrators to understand how the network is structured and how well the network is performing This is done through the gathering of statistical data within the active device, such as a switch, router or server NIC Most active devices installed in corporate networks have SNMP capabilities ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS AND STATISTIC ANALYSIS AVAILABLE WITHIN ACTIVE MANAGED DEVICES A great deal can be learned through SNMP data collection and analysis These include, but are not limited to: Network Identification – This is important to understand how the network has been structured Utilisation – Which, when gathered, can tell the network administrator a great deal about the traffic level on particular segments or the network as a whole Traffic Type – This is important to understand the level of Multicast, Unicast and Broadcast traffic across the network It also helps in eliminating redundant protocols from taking up baseline utilisation Capacity – Helping to understand the data rate capability of segments within the network Latency – This statistic helps to understand where time delay is effecting network performance Errors % – This statistic is critical to most of the above, as it relates to lost time and network efficiency and increases utilisation and reduces capacity Error type – This parameter is also critical in solving the % of errors on the network Duplexing/Auto Negotiation – This problem is probably the single largest cause of slowing networks today The ability of the Active Hardware to find the highest common denominator is not achieved in many cases The result is a large number of collisions on a switched network Corporations have migrated from using Hub/Repeater type devices to eliminate collisions, only to localise the problem through duplexing issues Duplicate IP’s – This error is a showstopper for any device that is duplicated Figure 2: Impact of ‘all outlets live’ and voice sharing data outlets Convergence brings significant user benefits to the structured cabling network and KRONE leads the way in delivering Active Managed solutions KRONE is fully aware that not all companies are ready to move to Active Managed Solutions and will continue to support all Structured Cabling Solutions for many years to come NETWORKnews 16 KRONE’S COMMITMENT REWARDED… For t he t hird year in a row KRONE has received an AEEM A Excellence aw ard – t his t ime f or Smart M anuf act uring W inning the 2002 Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (AEEMA) Award for Global Excellence through Smart Manufacturing is a sign of our continued commitment to superior Australian-designed, developed and manufactured products Presented by The Honourable John Howard MP Prime , Minister of Australia, this prestigious award recognises our manufacturing competence and commitment to developing leading edge manufacturing techniques Global Excellence through Smart Manufacturing acknowledges our success in the manufacturing and marketing of KRONE products on the world stage Success in global markets comes through sustained excellence in a number of areas, including a demonstrated customer focus in the manufacturing process and production management The judges were impressed with the flexibility and customer focus which KRONE’s manufacturing and production management system allowed and with their ongoing reviews to ensure incremental improvements to the whole process The judges also commended the company’s commitment to occupational health and safety and to the environment - with durable product, use of recycled materials where possible and focus on eliminating hazardous materials from products It is gratifying to receive such acknowledgment from the industry As a leading manufacturer in the highly competitive IT&T industry, we aim to gain maximum efficiency out of our manufacturing operations, while continuing to maintain the highest design and quality standard of our products We are committed to staying at the leading edge of product innovation and quality, using world’s best practices Craig Jones accepting AEEM A Excellence Aw ard from John How ard The fact that Prime Minister Howard personally participated in the Awards ceremony, has reinforced the importance of promoting and maintaining the strong manufacturing capabilities of Australia and reinforces the ability of Australian companies, like ours, to supply quality products to the world market HEAD OFFICE Hereford Street BERKELEY VALE NSW 2261 PO Box 335 WYONG NSW 2259 Ph: (02) 4389 5000 Fax: (02) 4388 4499 TOLL FREE TECH SUPPORT: 1800 801 298 Web Site: www.krone.com.au M ake sure YOU demand KRONE for quality, reliability and maximum data throughput  ... Victorian Key Account M anager AccessNET, KRONE Australia 10 NETWORKnews hen the Seven Network established its state-of-the-art digital broadcast centre, it selected KRONE Australia’s AccessNET ™ products... unveiled Product Focus 16 KRONE? ??s commitment rewarded… Business Articles 12 Active managed networks Website: www .krone. com.au Email: kronehlp@ krone. com.au KRONE INDO-PACIFIC BUCKS THE GLOBAL... Stories 10 KRONE logistics help T otal Cabling to win NECA Award Seven relies on KRONE for it’s new digital broadcasting centre 4 KRONE New s KRONE Indo-Pacific bucks the Copyright © 2001 KRONE Australia