According to plan in every respect

With a view to streamlining its operations, LVR-InfoKom, the system house for the Rhineland Regional Association LVR, has expanded its principal data centre in Cologne and relocated it to a new building. The contract for the re-wiring was awarded to Datwyler who offered an economical overall solution, rapid completion and software-supported planning and documentation.

In 2009 LVR-InfoKom decided to extend one of its two data centres and to relocate it to a new building, which, in addition to the server room, also comprises a number of function rooms. In the new data centre all the active components were to be interconnected by means of a future-proof, top-of-rack cabling system. In the copper technology sector, therefore, tenders were invited for a class E_A system with a 10 gigabit capability. In the fibre optic (FO) sector the LVR wanted OM3 multimode cable and, for the link to the outside, OS2 singlemode cables in buffered fibre assembly which were to be supplied complete with cable splitters and pre-assembled LCD connectors. In addition to acceptance measurements and a function test on the cabling, a system guarantee covering 20 years plus a full set of documentation were required, which also had to include the link-up of the active components. The extended cabling project was to include the construction of the cable runs, firestop facilities between the rooms and the housing of the cable runs in the corridors.

The contract for this was awarded to Datwyler. "As far as we were concerned, the strength of the Datwyler tender lay not only in the highly economical solution which was put forward, in particular for the FO lines, but also in a plausible plan outlining just how the very tight installation times could be adhered to", explains Michael Kemper, Director of Communication Technology at LVR-InfoKom.

Datwyler’s approach to implementing the order was to apply a turnkey strategy. Within just a few days the teams from Datwyler were able to lay the type 7702 copper cables, assemble them with connectors and finally measure and document the line segments - around 1000 of them with a total length of 16 kilometres. The pre-assembled FO trunk cables - a total of 210 lines, in most cases with 24 fibres each - arrived inclusive of the test reports in a number of part deliveries and were installed immediately in each case. A further 1500 copper and fibre optic patch cables, 400 patch panels and patch bays as well as around 200 optical distribution boards form part of the system. Additional short-term requirements and changes such as occur in conjunction with many data centre projects were handled at very short notice to the satisfaction of the customer. 

For project planning purposes, including determining the length of the FO lines required, Datwyler used its own corporate software solution, "Panorama CablingView". With this software, the cabling, including all the linked active components, could be documented quickly, clearly and in a traceable format. 

Everyone at LVR-InfoKom is very satisfied with the project. The ambitious timetable has been adhered to, commissioning has gone smoothly and the two data centre locations have been operating since relocation without any complaints.

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