Specifications

Horizontal cabling
Backbone cabling
Horizontal cabling
Horizontal Distribution Area
(LAN/SAN/KVM switches)
Zone Distribution Area
Equipment Distribution Area
(Cabinets/Racks)
Offices, Operations Center,
Support Rooms
Access providers
Telecommunications Room
(Office and operations
center LAN switches)
Horizontal cabling
Horizontal cabling
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Black Box Guide to Structured Cabling
Section NameSection Name
Other Standards
The data center is the building, or portion of a building, that houses computer rooms and support facilities.
Traditionally, there were no design guidelines for data centers. That changed in 2005 with the ratification of
TIA/EIA-942: Telecommunications Infrastructure Standards for Data Centers, which was developed to ensure
uniformity in design and performance. It was created for data center designers who are early in the
building development process. A good part of the standard involves facility specifications, functional
areas, and equipment placement in a hierarchical star topology. The standard includes:
Data center spaces.
When planning a data center, plan plenty of ”white space”
or empty space to accommodate future equipment. The basic
elements of the data center include:
Entrance Room(s). It’s recommended that this be outside
of the computer room for security.
Main Distribution Area (MDA). This is in a centrally located
area to house the routers and switches. It includes the main
cross-connect (MC), and may include a horizontal cross-connect.
Horizontal Distribution Areas (HDA). There may be one or
more HDAs, which serve as the distribution point for horizontal
cabling. The HDA houses the horizontal cross-connects and active
equipment, such as switches.
Equipment Distribution Areas (EDA). These are where the
horizontal cables are terminated in patch panels. See ”hot and
cold aisles” on the facing page.
Zone Distribution Area (ZDA). This is an optional interconnection
or consolidation point between the EDA and HDA for zone cabling.
Backbone and Horizontal Cabling.
Equipment Distribution Area Outlet.
• Architecture
• Cabling infrastructure
• Pathways and spaces
• Redundancy
• Network design
• Topology
• Racks and cabinets
• Access
• Power
• Environmental design
• Fire protection
• Water intrusion
• Security
• Disaster avoidance/recovery
• Best practices
Data center infrastructure
Horizontal Distribution Area
(LAN/SAN/KVM switches)
Equipment Distribution Area
(Cabinets/Racks)
Backbone cabling