DCIM specialist FNT is connecting up with Swiss cabling expert Reichle & De-Masseri (R&M) to simplify data center cable management.

The two companies have integrated R&M’s cable-tracking system, R&MinteliPhy, with Command, FNT’s data centre cable. InteliPhy gathers cabling and port data using (radio frequency identification) sensors, and this is sent to FNT Command using an API (application programming interface), the companies announced at the Network’16 event in Leipzig this week.

R&M Netscale
R&M’s Netscale cable system

Untangling the web 

Cable densitites in data centers are increasing, the two companies say, and R&M launched Netscale, a management system which can carm 120 fibers into a single rack unit (1U) earier this month.

Even with a physical management system, errors in labelling and connection can occur, and these have a significant cause in delays to implementation, as well as error and downtime.  center of 10 

“Specialized solutions that can monitor all changes to a physical network, including switches, servers and patch panels, are essential,” says the pair’s press release. These systems should help with mapping, analyzing and planning cabling systems, as well as handling asset management, change management and alarms.

The combined system is based on real-time physical connectivity monitoring and documentation  from R&M’s RFID tags on the cable connectors. This allows alerts on unsolicited changes, as well as longer base-line reports based on port capacity. 

Cable changes can be ordered and managed as work orders from FNT Command, and sent to R&MinteliPhy for visual guidance and task tracking.

“Capacity management in the data centre is becoming an increasingly important topic for infrastructure and operations managers,” said Dr. Thomas Wellinger, marketing manager, data centers at R&M. “The impact poor connectivity visibility can have on data availability or uptime brings the topic of automation of connectivity documentation onto the task list - whether from an availability, operations, risk or compliance perspective.”

Oliver Lindner, head of DCIM at FNT, adds: ”For the software-defined data centre on the logical level, we also need appropriate agile methods on the physical level aiming at continuously supporting changes.”